Transcript Slide 1

Intercultural Sensitivity (Part I)
Honors Pro-seminar (HSS 198)
(Monday, November 13, 2006; 6:30-8:00)
Facilitator:
Penelope Pynes (Director, Study Abroad & Exchanges at The
University of North Carolina at Greensboro; email:
[email protected])
Image from: http://www.fcsl.edu/events/diversity/images/multicultural.jpg
Agenda
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
Scope and purpose of session
Taste of Home
Toe to Toe
What is culture?
Diversity Iceberg
Identity molecule
Bennett’s Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)
VIII. DMIS & study abroad
IX. Question & Answer
X. Summary, Wrap-Up, and Feedback
http://www.uncg.edu/~pjpynes/ipc/interculturalstudyabroad.htm
What is culture?
You may remember previously
working with a partner to jot down
your definition of culture
Subjective Culture
The learned and shared patterns of
beliefs, behaviors, and values of
groups of interacting people
Source: Bennett 1998: 3.
Diversity Iceberg
Identity Molecule
http://www.pacific.edu/sis/culture/File/sec1-1-1h1.htm
Milton Bennett’s Model:
Development of Intercultural Sensitivity
Experience of Difference
Denial
Defense
Minimization
Ethnocentric Stages
Acceptance
Adaptation
Integration
Ethno-relative Stages
Source: Bennett & Bennett in Landis et al. 2004: 153.
Stages of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Denial:
Does not recognize cultural differences
Defense:
Recognizes some differences, but sees them as negative
Minimization: Unaware of projection of own cultural values; sees own values
as superior
Acceptance: Shifts perspectives to understand that the same ordinary
behavior can have different meanings in different cultures
Adaptation:
Can evaluate others’ behavior from their frame of reference and
can adapt behavior to fit the norms of a different culture
Integration:
Can shift frame of reference and also deal with resulting identity
issues
Source: http://www.awesomelibrary.org/multiculturaltoolkit-stages.html
Activity
Place each of the 18 statements
into one of the six stages of the
DMIS
Culture/DMIS & Study Abroad
How can understanding culture help
you in your everyday life?
How can using the DMIS help in
preparation for study abroad?
Developmental task
Denial:
Recognize cultural differences that are escaping your notice
Defense:
Become more tolerant of differences and recognize the basic commonalities among
people of different cultures
Minimization:
Learn more about your own culture and projecting that culture onto other people’s
experience
Acceptance:
Link your knowledge about your own and other cultures to the skill of shifting
perspective
Adaptation-Cognitive frame-shifting:
Link your cognitive ability to other aspects of your behavior, with the goal of
generating natural behavior in more than one cultural context
Adaptation-Behavioral frame-shifting:
Deal with identity issues associated with the chameleon effect that may accompany
your cultural flexibility
EM:
See yourself less as a victim of cultural confusion and more as a conscious
constructor of multiple cultural experiences
Intercultural Sensitivity (Part II)
Honors Pro-seminar (HSS 198)
(Monday, November 27, 2006; 6:30-8:00)
Facilitator:
Penelope Pynes (Director, Study Abroad & Exchanges at The
University of North Carolina at Greensboro; email:
[email protected])
Image from: http://www.fcsl.edu/events/diversity/images/multicultural.jpg
Agenda
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Scope and purpose of session
Stereotypes vs. Generalizations
American Proverbs and heroes
What others say about Americans
Nonverbal communication across Cultures
Stumbling blocks to intercultural
communication
VII. Intercultural competence in everyday life
VIII. Question & Answer
http://www.uncg.edu/~pjpynes/ipc/interculturalstudyabroad.htm
Differentiating Stereotypes and
Generalizations
This exercise gives you some practice in differentiating between
stereotypes and generalizations. Read each statement below and
decide whether you think it is a stereotype or generalization.
S = Stereotype
G = Generalization
1. Many Latinos cherish their family life, so it’s not surprising that
Rosa still lives at home.
2. The Japanese are xenophobic, which is understandable because
they live on an island country; separate from other countries.
3. It figures that Boris likes to go out drinking, since alcoholism is
widespread in Russia.
4. I don’t understand how Huang could do so poorly on the tests.
Asians are supposed to be good at math.
5. The French have a deep respect for their language and culture,
and they usually prefer that foreigners speak in French when they
visit.
Differentiating Stereotypes and
Generalizations
6. In Italy when a man approaches a woman he’s
only interested in one thing.
7. In Japan the man typically is the breadwinner of
the family, and he will often value the company
he works for more than his family life.
8. America is a violent country. Every one carries a
gun.
9. I can’t imagine that Jenny comes from Sweden
since she doesn’t have light-colored hair and blue
eyes.
10. Germans tend to be very concerned about
environmental issues and recycling.
Popular Saying or Expression
What might these sayings suggest about U.S.
values and beliefs?
1. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”
2. “Make lemons into lemonade”
3. “Make yourself at home”
4. “Don’t blame me!”
5. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”
6. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”
7. “Talk is cheap”
8. “It’s no big deal”
9. “What’s the bottom line?”
10. “What’s up?”
Heroes/Heroines
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Divide into groups of four or five.
In your small group compile a list of
your favorite heroes or heroines.
Ascertain their most prominent
characteristics and the values they
imply.
Share with the whole class.
International Perspectives on
U.S. Americans
We asked some international
students to comment on their first
impressions of life in the U.S. This
will give you a sense of what
“outsiders” notice about life in the
U.S. and how they may view you,
knowing you are a U.S. American.
International Perspectives on
U.S. Americans
Uzbekistan
My fellow, Uzbek friends say that Americans are
freedom-lovers,’ free to express themselves,’ and
‘open-minded.’ To that I can add that Americans adore
their country and are real patriots of their native land.
They do not know limits. For example, a 46-year-old
can decide to go to college to get a bachelor’s degree.
They also love money and spend most of their time
earning and saving. At the same time, they like
recreational activities a lot, such as sports, travel, etc.
Also, they are into the ‘political correctness’ thing a
lot. Americans are very ‘environmentally conscious,’
meaning they care about the environment and
ecology a lot and enforce environmentally friendly
practices such as reuse/recycle.
International Perspectives on
U.S. Americans
Japan
Americans have high self-esteem and respect
others’ individuality. One of the things that I
found interesting or odd about U.S. Americans
after I came to the United States is that they
seem to be busy all the time and proud to tell
people how busy they are. I sometimes felt as if
they were implying that they were too busy with
other things to be bothered with me. They seem
to be very friendly and easy-going, but you have
to make an appointment for whatever you do
with them, even going out for coffee with friends
sometimes. Otherwise, people would leave you
saying, ‘I gotta go.’ It took awhile for me to get
used to it.
International Perspectives on
U.S. Americans
Kyrgyzstan
Many people from former Soviet
Union countries would say, ‘People in
the USA are very friendly, but they
hardly be real friends’ or ‘Americans
are very busy people and hardly
have time for socialization with each
other.’
International Perspectives on
U.S. Americans
Mongolia
I have very positive thoughts about U.S. Americans.
First of all, they are very friendly. Even lf they are in a
bad mood, they do their best to be friendly. Second, I
think U.S. Americans are very good communicators.
Talking with others and sharing information all the
time seems to be important for them; however; they
are forgetful. They ask you a question and you give
them the answer; but when you see them again, they
ask you the same question again. Third, Americans
are very good at timing and planning things ahead of
time. I have always been so amazed at how they plan
events and activities of all types including their work
and vacations. Once they plan to do something they
do it no matter what. Moreover; they are good at
meeting deadlines and doing things on time.
International Perspectives on
U.S. Americans
Iceland
Of all the things I thought of Americans before I
came, two issues have remained as still true.
They are incredibly loud and take up a lot of
space in public places. The sound level at an
American restaurant is as high as a cliff full of
birds in my country of Iceland. It is hard to pass
Americans on the sidewalk because they usually
take up half the space themselves just by the
way they walk and swing their arms. Every time I
go home to Iceland, I’m stopped by someone
who tells me I’m taking up too much space on
the sidewalk!
For reflection and discussion
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Were you surprised at any of the comments?
Many of us grew up with adults trying to teach
us the golden rule (Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you). While this works pretty
well with people from the same cultural group, it
does not necessarily work well in crossing
cultures. Instead, consider the Platinum Rule in
which you “do unto others as they themselves
would have done unto them” (M. Bennett, 1999,
p. 213).
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How might you go about discovering how people
in your host culture would like to be treated?
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Intercultural Competence
From The Identification and Assessment
of Intercultural Competence as a Student
Outcome of Internationalization at
Institutions of Higher Education in the
United States
by Dr. Darla K. Deardorff, Raleigh NC:
North Carolina State University, 2004
Resources
Maximizing Study Abroad