MODULE II
Local and Global Communication in Multi-Cultural Setting
Objectives: At the end of the unit, the students must have
i. discussed intelligently what culture is;
ii. illustrated the relationship between culture and communication;
iii. defined intercultural communication;
iv. explained substantially how communication takes place in a
multicultural setting.
Lesson I What is Culture
Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the student must be able to:
i. discuss briefly what culture is all about;
ii. identify some culture dominant to a particular work of art or genre;
iii. relate culture with Language, religion, etc.
iv. recall the elements of culture.
Introduction
One definition of culture according to google is it is a collective intellectual achievement
of group of people in arts and in other fields of interests including language, religion,
cuisine, social habits, music, etc. Since it is a collective intellectual achievement, it
defines the growth, progress and development a group of people must have carried out
over a period of time.
Let’s get Started!
Lesson Focus: What is culture?
Culture is the product of ideas, values and outlook on life of an individual, a specific
group of people, or an organization that have been maintained, shared, and applied for a
number of years observed as a dominant aspect of life.
Elements of Culture
1. Values are a culture’s assessment of what is good or bad.
2. Beliefs are broad, vague, generalised statements that reflect people’s assessment
and awareness
3. Norms of behavior. This refers to values expressed in norms, which are guidelines
for action or conduct within a culture.
4. Symbols are special objects, gestures, sounds, images that have a specific meaning
in a culture
5. Perception is the way people choose, arrange, process and interpret stimuli from
environment in an attempt to integrate them in an approach to their world which, for
them, is meaningful and structured.
Let’s Learn!
Let us explore some examples of culture:
a) On holy week celebration: Philippines is a Christian nation. Majority of the citizen
observe the holy week depending on their level of conviction to God.
b) On weddings: before the couple can be married, there has to be pamalayi first and
other requirement that the groom to be has to follow.
This pandemic time, in one town in the province of Cebu, a fiesta a celebrated in
spite of the call for social distancing and prohibition of social gatherings.
c) In some areas in the Philippines, people held cockfighting in the midst of Covid 19
pandemic and the call for social distancing;
d) Birthday parties were held by some people believed to be elite in spite of the
prohibition for social gatherings.
e) Before the pandemic, debuts were a special occasion to the celebrator, thus, a party
is held with all its choreography for those who can afford the spending.
f) A particular municipality in the province of Iloilo as well as in other provinces got the
prestige of their place with the dominant product or food it produces.
g) Children have to ask permission from their parents before they leave the house and
go somewhere else.
h) Filipinos have lanterns, Christmas tree, mistletoes, and gifts to celebrate a very
significant event.
i) Filipinos visit their dear departed in the cemetery.
Let’s Do this!
I. Answer the following in three (3) sentences only.
1. In ISAT U, what do you know of its culture as far as academics are concerned?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. In the song, “We are the Champion” by Queen, what culture is being conveyed?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. At home, what dominant culture do you observe your family has?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. Name some cultural practices observed by the majority of the Filipinos nationwide
on the same dates. Please write the date and the corresponding cultural practice.
Give 3 only.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
II Identify at least 3 dominant culture in your place and explain their impact to the social
relationship of residents.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________________________________
Course/Year/Section: ___________________________________
Class Schedule: _______________________________________
Let’s Test what you Know!
I. Identification
1. Reread the examples of culture. Tell what culture is referred to in each item.
Write your answer here.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
II. Enumeration
List down the elements of culture. In your own words, briefly tell something for each of
them. Write your answer below.
Lesson 2 Culture and Communication
“Communication is Culture and Culture is communication.”
Edward Twitchell Hall
Objectives: at the end of the lesson, the student must be able to:
i. relate culture and communication;
ii. tell how communication shapes culture;
iii. discuss the nature of culture in relation to communication.
Introduction
Lesson 1 gives us some understanding on what culture is. While communication was
not specifically mentioned, from the examples given it can be understood that what
underlies a given situation is communication. Communication comes as a process or
the reason through which culture is developed over a period of time. This culture is
something that is remarkable and true only to a particular person, a social group, an
organization, in relationship, etc.
Key Words:
Culture - is a collective intellectual achievement of group of people in arts and in other
fields of interests including language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, etc.
Communication - is the interdependent process of sending, receiving and understanding
messages. It is the means of human interaction through which cultural characteristics—
whether customs, roles, rules, rituals, laws, or other patterns—are created and shared.
Let’s get Started!
Lesson Focus: The Relationship between Culture and Communication
The relationship between culture and communication is complex and intimate. First,
cultures are created through communication; that is, communication is the means of
human interaction through which cultural characteristics— whether customs, roles,
rules, rituals, laws, or other patterns—are created and shared. It is not so much that
individuals set out to create a culture when they interact in relationships, groups,
organizations, or societies, but rather that cultures are a natural by-product of social
interaction. In a sense, cultures are the "residue" of social communication. Without
communication and communication media, it would be impossible to preserve and
pass along cultural characteristics from one place and time to another. One can say,
therefore, that culture is created, shaped, transmitted, and learned through
communication. The reverse is also the case; that is, communication practices are
largely created, shaped, and transmitted by culture.
To understand the relationship between culture and communication, it is necessary to
think in terms of ongoing communication processes rather than a single communication
event. For example, when a three-person group first meets, the members bring with
them individual thought and behavioral patterns from previous communication
experiences and from other cultures of which they are, or have been, a part. As
individuals start to engage in communication with the other members of this new group,
they begin to create a set of shared experiences and ways of talking about them. If the
group continues to interact, a set of distinguishing history, patterns, customs, and rituals
will evolve. Some of these cultural characteristics would be quite obvious and tangible,
such that a new person joining the group would encounter ongoing cultural "rules" to
which they would learn to conform through communication. New members would in turn
influence the group culture in small, and sometimes large, ways as they become a part
of it. In a reciprocal fashion, this reshaped culture shapes the communication practices
of current and future group members. This is true with any culture; communication
shapes culture, and culture shapes communication.
Understanding the nature of culture in relation to communication is helpful in a number of
ways. First, it helps to explain the origin of differences between the practices, beliefs,
values, and customs of various groups and societies, and it provides a reminder of the
communication process by which these differences came into being. This knowledge can
and should heighten people's tolerance for cultural differences. Second, it helps to
explain the process that individuals go through in adapting to new relationships, groups,
organizations, and societies and the cultures of each. Third, it underscores the
importance of communication as a bridge between cultures and as a force behind
cultural change.
Source: Encyclopedia.com retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-andmaps/
culture-and-communication July 6, 2020, 11:44PM
Let’s Learn!
From the following example of communication situation, we can identify the culture
displayed by the characters:
Here is a Dialogue between Two Friends about Preparation for the Examination
Friend 1 : Hello friend, how are you?
Friend 2 : I’m fine. How ‘bout you? Why do you look disturbed?
Friend 1 : I am worried of the approaching final examination. Are you prepared for it?
Friend 2 : Well, I’m doing well in my studies but I’m also worried about my exam.
Friend 1 : Tell me about your preparation in different subjects.
Friend 2 : I’m weak in English. That’s why I need to exert extra effort on it. For other
subjects, I also add more time in studying.
Friend 1 : Do you use other sources for cross referencing, say the www?
Friend 2 : Yes but I spend more time in text book.
Friend 1 : I got now an idea, I have to study from the text book.
Friend 2 : Yes, text books are a big help in all of our subjects.
Friend 1 : Thank you for giving me the idea. I wish you good luck.
Friend 2 : Nothing, really.
Let’s do this!
a) Two friends are having a dialogue. What are they talking about?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b) What commonality/ies do you see between them? Check if you agree ; X if not
_____ 1. classmate _____ 6. competitors
_____ 2. schoolmate _____ 7. both have text books
_____ 3. friends _____ 8. excelled in their studies
_____ 4. town mates _____ 9. barrio folks
_____ 5. the same gender _____ 10. both have internet at home
c) Recall the relationship between communication and culture. Do you see this in the
foregoing dialogue? How?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
Course/Year/Section: ______________________________
Class Schedule: __________________________________
Let’s Test what you Know!
Read carefully the following and answer the question in essay of not less than 50 words
(write ten words per line):
a. Do you see the role of communication to culture in the dialogue? Tell it briefly.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b. Culture and Communication are inseparable. Do you agree? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Lesson 3 Intercultural Communication
Objectives: At the end of the lesson the student must be able to:
i. define in his/her own words what intercultural communication is;
ii. elaborate the reasons on how to appreciate intercultural communication;
iii. discuss that the eventual effect of intercultural communication is intercultural
competence.
Introduction
Communication can either be intercultural or multicultural. The setting or the
situation defines communication as either intercultural or multicultural. This lesson
focuses on intercultural communication, a situated communication that takes place
between persons, groups or organizations with different linguistic and cultural
backgrounds.
Key Words:
Intercultural Communication is a situated communication between individuals or
groups of different linguistic and cultural origins or backgrounds.
Intercultural Competence is an active possession by individuals of qualities which
contribute to effective intercultural communication as determined by knowledge,
skills and attitudes of different linguistic or cultural background.
Let’s get Started!
Lesson Focus: Intercultural communication
Intercultural communication, also called cross-cultural, is defined as a situated
communication between individuals or groups of different linguistic and cultural origins.
This is derived from the following fundamental definitions: communication is the active
relationship established between people through language, and intercultural means that
this communicative relationship is between people of different cultures. It is identified as
both a concept and a competence. Intercultural competence is the active possession by
individuals of qualities which contribute to effective intercultural communication and can
be defined in terms of three primary attributes: knowledge, skills and attitudes. The
acquisition of skills and human attributes are components of intercultural communication
and viewed as an accompaniment to the practical acquisition of language itself. It
requires an understanding of a) own culture, b) culture of other people, c) parents
dominant culture based on race or ethnicity, and d) co-culture as to gender, age, religion,
etc. Source: https://www.lanqua.eu/theme/intercultural-communication/ retrieved July 7, 2020, 11:58PM
Problems of Intercultural Communication:
1. Misunderstanding the speaker’s meaning
2. Language barrier
3. Racial bias
Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VN2ssPLlx3QF06DCdq8y8Pg6RKZgapqN/view retrieved July12, 2020, 11:59PM
Let’s Learn!
View the short clip of Mind Your Language “What is your Name Language Barriers” at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1uBVoss7O4
Let’s do this!
Give 2 words for each of the following to describe your community’s dominant culture
and tell why:
a) family relations:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
b) religious practices:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
c) farming:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
d) marriage:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
e) language:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Reflect on this:
Do differences in cultural values affect intercultural communication? Yes or No, defend
your answer in not less than 50 words. Write your essay in ten words each line
hereunder:
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________________________________
Course/Year/Section: ___________________________________
Class Schedule: _______________________________________
Let’s Test what you Know!
Answer briefly the following:
a) In your own words, what is intercultural communication?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b) What are the factors that one should basically understand to appreciate intercultural
communication? Write your answer in paragraph form.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
c) Cite the impact of effective intercultural communication to the growth of economy of a
particular country and to its neighbouring countries. Write your answer in not less
than 50 words at 10 words in every line.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
d) Can language barrier hinder the development of social relationship? Yes or No,
defend your argument.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Lesson 4 Multicultural Communication
Objectives: At the end of the lesson the student must be able to:
i. define multicultural communication based on his/her understanding;
ii. evaluate a scenario where multicultural communication is dominant.
iii. choose from the guidelines of multicultural communication best
applies to a given scenario.
Introduction
We have walked through with culture, culture and
communication which we learned that culture and
communication are inseparables.
We learned further that communication can either be
intercultural or multicultural. We have some
insightful learning in what makes communication
intercultural. Lesson 4 brings us to multi-cultural
communication with the challenge(s) it brings
and how to cope with these challenges.
Key term
Multicultural communication is a kind of communication taking place in a group of
individuals or organizations of varying interests coming from different cultural or
language background without the intention of dominating or influencing one another.
Let’s get Started!
Lesson Focus: Multicultural Communication
When people from multiple backgrounds, with different ways of communication, coexist
without really interacting deeply—that’s a multicultural communication situation. There are
multiple cultures present, but here isn’t much crossover or integration between the
groups, who remain largely separate. Often, there is one group (or maybe a few) that has
the most prestige relative to the others. When interactions between people of different
cultures occur in a solely multicultural context, there could be rich learning experiences for
anyone involved.
Guidelines for Multicultural Communication
1. Avoid Stereotyping. The best use of a generalization is to add it to your storehouse
of knowledge to better understand and appreciate other interesting, multi-faceted
human beings.
2. Practice, Practice, Practice. Only by doing and leaving our comfort zone we can
work towards improving our cross-cultural communication.
3. There is not only ''One Right Way'' to communicate. Keep questioning your
assumptions about the "right way" to communicate. For example, think about your
body language; postures that indicate receptivity in one culture might indicate
aggressiveness in another.
4. Make it work. Don't assume that breakdowns in communication occur because other
people are on the wrong track. Search for ways to make the communication work,
rather than searching for who should receive the blame for the breakdown.
5. Listen actively and empathetically. Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes.
Especially when another person's perceptions or ideas are very different from your
own, you might need to operate at the edge of your own comfort zone.
6. Always respect others. Respect others' choices about whether to engage in
communication with you. Honor their opinions about what is going on.
7. Pause. Stop, suspend judgment, and try to look at the situation as an outsider.
8. Be prepared for a discussion of the past. Use this as an opportunity to develop an
understanding from "the other's" point of view, rather than getting defensive or
impatient. Acknowledge historical events that have taken place. Be open to learning
more about them. Honest acknowledgment of the mistreatment and oppression that
have taken place on the basis of cultural difference is vital for effective
communication
9. Awareness of inequality. Awareness of current power imbalances - and an
openness to hearing each other's perceptions of those imbalances - is also
necessary for understanding each other and working together.
10. People are multidimensional. Remember that cultural norms may not apply to the
behavior of any particular individual. We are all shaped by many, many factors - our
ethnic background, our family, our education, our personalities - and are more
complicated than any cultural norm could suggest.
Source: https://college.lclark.edu/live/files/25190-multiculturalcommunicationpdf retrieved July 12, 2020;
2:00pm
Let’s Learn!
Using the link below, watch a short video on « Mind Your Language »
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=434575470520846&external_log_id=734bff426793-
4ed3-b64a-16b252f87b22&q=mind%20your%20language
Let’s do this!
Has multicultural communication taken place? Write a paragraph of 100 words
regarding the video with focus on the multicultural communication. Write your answer
here observing ten (10) words per line. Write 10 at the end of the line.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Let’s go further
The characters on the video « Know your Language » came from varying language
background and so with their cultural background. What factor or factors did you see that
enabled them to understand each other?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
Course/Year/Section: ______________________________
Class Schedule: __________________________________
Let’s Test what you know!
Answer briefly the following:
1. In your own words, what is multicultural communication?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Here is an Ilonggo, a Cebuano, and a Tagalog. They speak with their mother
tongue. They met for a business venture which the three (3) will invest their money.
Which of the guidelines for multi-cultural communication best applies? Choose 5 and
tell something briefly for each based on the scenario given here. Write your answer
on the space provided.
a) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
c) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
d) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
e) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Sources:
https://college.lclark.edu/live/files/25190-multiculturalcommunicationpdf retrieved July 12,
2020; 2:00pm
https://kellyintercultural.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/chapter-2-the-history-of-the-study-
ofintercultural-communication/ retrieved July 12, 201010; 9:10AM
https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-andmaps/
culture-and-communication retrieved July 6, 2020, 11:44PM
