Week 2: DL Question 1

[jon fu]

Chapter 2 describes three approaches to intercultural communication: The Social Science Approach, The Interpretive Approach, and The Critical Approach. Choose one of these approaches, and discuss why this approach is important for understanding culture and communication.

[Van Le]

The social science approach: study the general way people communication and interaction through quantitative researches. We can collect general results of majority very fast by survey and observation. However, they are unspecific and inaccurate results, which just show the inflection of parts of culture.

The interpretive approach: more specific studies than the social science approach, with specific groups of people by qualitative methods. Obviously, it can show more in details but takes time and depends so much on the groups of people chosen. We can’t make research on all individuals instead of choosing some representatives of general kinds of groups, which can lead to the omission of overall studies.

The critical approach: not just study about human’s behaviors but also try to impact and change them. The methods are textual analyses, which have been collected from many sources and analyzed.

All 3 approaches are important. It depends on the goal of study that we choose one of these. For example, with the social science approach, it obviously brings out so many differences between Western and Eastern countries. Therefor, we can avoid general mistakes and know how to act politely when communicating with people from other regions.

Chris – A3072

[dechaoqi]

I would choose the interpretive approach. For intercultural communication, the most important approach I think is to understanding the people from different cultural. Interpretive approach give people chances to let more people knowing their cultural, and let the people sit together and negotiated with each others about what their thought of the intercultural. Communication is based on interpreting, and It is the root of every approach, many other approach include some of interpreting. While we interpreting, the knowledge and understanding of intercultural are increase, the more we know about a different cultural, we become more easily to accept it and also want to know more.

id a2872 name:dechao qi

[7681zhu]

I think the social science approach is more important.A study of intercultural communication, based on the assumption that is a describable, external reality,human behaviors are predictable, and culture is a variable that can be measured.  This approach aims to identify and explain cultural variations in communication and to predict future communication. Doing the social science approach is really important to you getting start search the information from the other country.and get the right and reliable information. 

A2760

Xiao Zhu (Zoey)

[anvithg]

The three approaches are important to intercultural communication. In my opinion, i feel like an approach needs to be chosen according to the situation demanded. Personally I feel that " The Critical approach" is a best approach to study the intercultural communication. In the book the author was mainly comparing the 9/11 and Katrina aftermath's. Critical approach is a broader way of categorizing and analyzing the cultural patterns and this helps the researchers to have a clear understanding about different cultures while studying these kind of aftermath's. There might be different reasons/problems for the governments to send out help to all the people at the same time. People need to be patient and help the people who are in trouble rather than blaming governments and it is important for people to realize the fact that there is only somethings that a government can do at a time since they might have to overcome a lot of problems to rescue all the people. This approach is broader in this sense because it entirely doesn't depend on the statistics.   

[lgyyffs]

     The social science approach based on research in psychology and sociology. This approach assumes a describable external reality. The interpretive researchers assume not only that reality is external to humans but also that humans construct reality. The critical approach usually focus on  macrocontexts, such as the political and social structures that influence communication. I think the social science approach is more important ,it can bring different countries different cultures,and can make people more understand each other. 

ID a3001   Gavin

[funfaye1991]

     The critical approach to the study of intercultural communication includes many assumptions of the interpretive approach. critical researchers usually focus on the political and social.

 The interpretive approach believe that human experience, including communication, is subjective and human behavior is neither predetermined nor easily predicted.

     I think the social science approach is more important, the social science approach is based on research in psychology and sociology. This approach assumes a describable external reality. It also assumes that human behavior is predictable and that the researcher’s goal is to describe and predict behavior. Social science researchers assume that culture is a variable that can be measured. This approach can make different countries’ people more understand each other.

ID 3000    Faye   

[juliatian2854]

        Social scientific research approach emphasizes statical measures. It is founded by psychology and socialology. Assume that there is a describable and external reality, human behaviors are predictable. Though the survey and observation to describe and predict behavior.  In this type of study, social scientists measure differences in perception among the various cultural group when there is a thing widely happen in a particular culture.

People in different cultural may have different thinking, behavior, world view on one thing. It may cause misunderstanding or offence. Such as the author mentioned two types cultural"individualistic" and "collectivistic". The research can find the difference and define each typical behavior. In this way, we can predict and recognize the cultural difference in advance. So it's important approach for understanding cultural and communication.

A2854 Julia

[chaonan liu]

Nowadays, the economic globalization, the world economy is trade frequently, so the Interpretive Approach is very important for understanding and communication I think. It is can enhance understanding between the countries, enhance friendship, conducive to mutual respect and political and economic and cultural exchanges. And interpretive promote commercial activities between the countries, closer contacts in worldwide. 

Chaonan liu

A2800   

[zan72h]

The Critical Approach

Critical approaches to the study of intercultural communication have arisen at the end of the 20th century and are poised to flourish in the new millenium.. As cultures come into contact driven by migration, refugees, the internet, wars, media, transnational capitalism, cultural imperialism, and more, critical interrogations of the ways that cultures interact communicatively are a needed aspect of understanding culture and communication. This series will interrogate --from a critical perspective--the role of communication in intercultural contact, in both domestic and international contexts. Through attentiveness to the complexities of power relations in intercultural communication, this series is open to studies in key areas such as postcolonialism, transnationalism, critical race theory, queer diaspora studies, and critical feminist approaches as they relate to intercultural communication. Proposals might focus on various contexts of intercultural communication such as international advertising, popular culture, language policies, hate crimes, ethnic cleansing and ethnic group conficts, as well as engaging theoretical issues such as hybridity, displacement, multiplicity, identity, orientalism, and materialism. By creating a space for these critical approaches, this series will be a the forefrong of this new wave in intercultural communication scholarship.

Annie

A2866