This document discusses key concepts of intercultural communication and culture. It defines culture as the accumulated beliefs, customs, values and patterns shared by a group of people. Culture is compared to an iceberg, with most aspects below the surface. Intercultural communication refers to interactions between people from different cultural communities. The document includes a case study about a classroom disturbance and questions about direct vs indirect communication styles preferred in Asian vs Western cultures.

1. Intercultural Communication

2. Basic Concepts
 What is culture?
 What is intercultural communication?

3. What is culture?
 Culture is the total accumulation of beliefs, customs,
values, behaviors, institutions and communication
patterns that are shared, learned and passed down
through the generations in an identifiable group of
people.
 Generally speaking, culture is the way of life.

4. A metaphor of culture
 We compare culture to iceberg.
 It suggests that only small part of it is visible while
most of it lies concealed.
 Habits, dress and manners are visible.
 Worldview, value system, ways of thinking, national
character and any other deep concepts are
foundation of visible part.

5. “Where are you going?”
 In china, we give a general answer to this question.
 Chinese culture emphasizes on social relationship and
the heavy interdependence between Chinese People.
 In western counties, it may be interpreted as an
intrusion into one’s privacy.
 The underlying dependent and interdependent
culture is the invisible part of the iceberg which need
our attention.

6. What is intercultural Communication?
 “Intercultural communication is contact between
persons who communication is contact between
persons who identify themselves as distinct from one
another in cultural terms” (Collier & Thomas, 1998)
 Intercultural communication refers to any
communication between two members of any
cultural communities. (Samovar & Porter)

7. Classifications of Communication





Verbal/ Nonverbal
Direct/ indirect
Interpersonal / interorganizational/ mass media-based
Intracultural /intercultural
Interpersonal / interpersonal

8. One case study
 It was a hot day. Since it was still too early to use the
air – conditioner, according to the regulations of the
university, every class kept its door open to make the
classroom cooler. While a teacher was lecturing
Chinese grammar in Class 4, waves of laughter came
from the neighboring class 5. A German student
named Stephen raised his hand and said, “the
laughter from Class 5 is bothering us. I think we
should go to their class to protest~~~`

9. Think for a little while about these
questions
 1How many different solutions did Class 4 propose?
 What is the mode of communication favored by
Asians? What cultural values under it ?
 What is the mode of communication favored by
Westerners? What cultural values underlie it?

10.  Please discuss those questions on the discussion
board, It is one of the assignment for the first week!