Three cultures and Intercultural Communication
Do an Internet search for timely and relevant journal articles related to deaf culture. Identify aspects of the culture that are surprising to you or that you did not know. Reflect on what you can learn from or about people who think differently than you because of their histories. Next, do an Internet search on "whiteness" and consider the validity of the perspectives of the people you read about. Choose another culture and do a third Internet search on it, considering its perspective.*** (homosexual culture or crossfit culture) Write a two-part essay (750-1,000 words) on what you found: In the first part of the essay, carefully compare and contrast the three groups as to the factors that identify them as cultures. Consider the following in your essay: 1.What are their rules and values? 2.Describe the languages they speak or the gestures they use or do not use. In the second part of the essay, thoughtfully reflect on what a person should know about these three cultures in order to effectively communicate with them. Consider the following in your essay: 1.If you are a member of one of these groups, continue to write in the third person as though you were writing from outside of your group. 2.Finally, reflect on how knowing these things about these three cultures should affect your intercultural communication. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines
Three cultures and Intercultural Communication
Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Introduction
Culture represents a set of shared values among a group of people, and affects the way people behave and act. People in diverse cultures attach meanings and significance to certain cultural aspects with some being seen as normal in a group and strange. Cultural differences affect communication as some cultures can be affective or neutral. Language used body language and choice of words affects intercultural communication as the context may mean different things to different cultural groups. There can also be cultural differences even for people who may share similarities within another cultural group like people in the LGBT community. This essay focuses on the deaf culture, whiteness, homosexual culture, how rules and values affect the cultures, communication languages, gestures as well impact of intercultural communication.
Rules and values
The deaf culture America can be traced way back to the late 1700s, with the first deaf school having being established in 1817 in Hartford, Connecticut. It is from the encounters of diverse deaf children that ASL came into being (NPR, 2005). Even though, individualism is an aspect of American culture, the deaf people cherish collectivism, people typically approach a group to say goodbye. On the other hand, whiteness refers to the shared beliefs ad values among whites, and in America it extends to values common among the Caucasians whose ancestors came from Europe.
Essentially, whiteness represents a racial identity that also includes privileges associated with being white and racial bias. Nonetheless, the culture could at times be interpreted to mean those who are white supremacist, as most Caucasians in America refer to themselves as simply Americans or whites. The history of homosexual culture is not uniform as many countries outlaw homosexual acts. Even in America, where some states have allowed gay marriages, there have been different histories on homosexual culture. Overall, homosexual culture was visible in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco and other major cities. Homosexual culture has been more aligned with civil rights from the 1960’s in America unlike whiteness.
Values influence behavior as they show one’s sense of right and wrong, and since they values are dependent on culture they also influence attitudes. There are shared values between those who can hear and the deaf, but there are also values that distinguish these communities from other people. Eye contact is an important aspect in communication for whites, homosexuals and the deaf people. However, since the deaf rely on ASL facial expressions and body are necessary for effective communication. The reading skills of deaf students are affected by education, reading experience and family characteristics (Myers et al., 2010). The deaf also result to language to get attention more than other people, and conversations are typically open and direct....