Models of Ethnic Integration

1. Read and translate the text.

  In our globalizing world, many societies are becoming ethnically diverse for the first time; in others existing patterns of multi-ethnicity are being transformed or intensified. In all societies, however, individuals are coming into regular contact with people who think differently, look different and live differently from themselves. These interactions are happening in person, as a result of global migration, as well as through the images that are transmitted through the media and internet.

One of the main challenges facing our globalizing world is how to generate a society that is more cosmopolitan in nature. How can be ethnic diversity accommodated? Within multiethnic societies what should be the relation between ethnic minority groups and the majority population? There are three primary models of ethnic integration: assimilation, ‘the melting pot’ and pluralism.

   The first avenue is assimilation. An assimilationist approach demands that immigrants change their language, dress, lifestyles and cultural outlooks as part of integrating into a new social order. In the United States, which was formed as a “nation of immigrants”, generations of immigrants were pressured to become “assimilated” in this way, and many of their children became more or less completely “American” as a result. Most official policies in the UK have been aimed at assimilating immigrants into British society.

  A second model is that of the melting pot. Rather than the traditions of the immigrants being dissolved, they become blended to form new, evolving cultural patterns. Differing cultural values and norms are “brought in” to a society from the outside, and diversity is created as ethnic groups adapt to the wider social environments in which they find themselves.

  Many have believed that the melting pot model is the most desirable outcome of ethnic diversity. Traditions and customs of immigrant populations are not abandoned, but contribute to and a constantly transforming social milieu. Hybrid forms of cuisine, fashion, music and architecture are manifestations of the melting pot approach. To a limited degree, this model is an accurate expression of aspects of American cultural development. Although the “Anglo” culture has remained the pre-dominant one, its character in some part reflects the impact of the many different groups that now compose the American population.

  The third model is that of cultural pluralism. In this view, the most appropriate course is to foster the development of a genuinely plural society, in which numerous different subcultures are equally recognized. A pluralist approach regards ethnic minority groups as equal stakeholders in society, meaning that they enjoy the same rights as the majority population. Ethnic differences are respected and celebrated as vital components of larger national life. The United States and other Western countries are pluralistic in many senses, but ethnic differences have for the most part been associated with inequalities rather than equal but independent membership in the national community. In Britain and elsewhere in Europe the leaders of most ethnic

minority groups have increasingly emphasized the path of pluralism. To achieve “distinct but equal” status will demand major struggles, and as yet this is a very distant option. Ethnic minorities are still perceived by many people as a threat: a threat to their job, their safety and the “national culture”. The scapegoating of ethnic minorities is a persistent tendency. Ethnic minorities in most countries face a future of continued discrimination, in a social climate characterized by tension and anxiety.

      Multiculturalism, as a term, first came into vogue in the 1960s to counter "biculturalism," It has to a considerable extent replaced the term "cultural pluralism". Its use has spread from Canada to many countries. The term is used in at least 3 senses: to refer to a society that is characterized by ethnic or cultural heterogeneity; to refer to an ideal of equality and mutual respect among a population's ethnic or cultural groups; and to refer to government policy. When the Multiculturalism Policy of Canada was proclaimed in 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to officially implement a legislative framework for multiculturalism.

 

2. Answer the questions.

1) What is one of the main challenges of the modern world?

2) What does an assimilationist approach consist in?

3) How does the model of the melting pot differ?

4) What is cultural pluralism?

5) Which integration model is on the rise today?

3. Give Russian equivalents for the following:

to accommodate ethnic diversity; cultural outlooks; pressured to become “assimilated”; aimed at; to dissolve the traditions; to blend traditions to form new, evolving cultural patterns; the most desirable outcome; to abandon traditions and customs; to transform social milieu; manifestations of the melting pot approach; equal stakeholders in society; to achieve “distinct but equal” status; to foster the development; to demand major struggles; scapegoating; persistent tendency; tension and anxiety; a distant option.

4. Render the following in English.

1. Люди регулярно вступают в контакт с теми, кто выглядит, думает и живет иначе. 2.Название «плавильный котёл» точно выражает модель развития американской культуры. 3. Несмотря на преобладание англосаксонской культуры, американское общество отражает влияние многих этнических групп, составляющих его. 4. Культурный плюрализм содействует развитию подлинно многонационального общества. 5. Этнические различия являются важной составляющей жизни всего общества. 7. Этнические меньшинства все еще воспринимаются многими как угроза «национальной» культуре. 8. В 1960-е в моду вошел термин «мультикультурализм», заменив выражение «кульутрный плюрализм».

5. Give a 150-word summary of the text.

Discussion

· Work in groups. Read the cases and give your comments. Then answer the questions that follow.

 

1 Case study: Discussing what it means to be British, businesswoman Shazia Awan; labour activist Rowenna Davis and web company founder Rajeeb Dey.

The Observer, Sunday 17 June 2012

We've got the naturalisation test; in 2006 we had the duty to integrate. What's the balance between integration and holding fast to your own customs and traditions?

Shazia Awan To speak the English language, that's key. Growing up with Asian parents from East Africa who came to this country, built up their businesses, sold them, created wealth, created jobs – I spoke English at school and Welsh, but at home I've never spoken a word of English. I spoke Punjabi and Urdu because our languages were important to us. But integration is very important. Only in Britain can an Asian Muslim womanlive next door to a Jew opposite a black atheist alongside a Catholic lesbian, as I have on my street.

But are the keys here affluence and education? If you go to parts of the East End, where some white working class communities feel that they are in a minority and there is resentment, how do you handle that?

Shazia Awan That is very difficult. We had a family wedding, and one of my close friends – she's very white, very blonde – wanted to wear a sari. And I said 'Fine, I'll take you to Newham', and I made a mistake, because I could obviously understand the Punjabi and the Urdu that was being spoken and they were being very, very derogatory about my friend. Maybe this is an issue of lack of education. It was a real eye-opener for me.

Rowenna Davis I had a similar case. I was sitting in the House of Lords and I was talking to one of the security guards: he said, 'I live in East London, I bloody hate the Bengalis round there'. I said 'Why is that?' and he said 'Cos they won't come to the pub and have a drink with me, and I can't date their women'. It wasn't a racial hatred at all, it was almost a feeling of being shut out from that. I've got, in Peckham, one white working class estate that I do a lot of work on, and you could never call them racist because they have more brown babies than any of the middle class areas, but they feel that there isn't any shared space or desire to integrate. That has got to be a two-way street, right?

How do you encourage that two-way thing?

Rajeeb Dey It is about providing opportunities for different communities to meet. It's about providing that level of basic education. But when we're talking about integration, I don't feel that it should be that you must learn everything about Britishness and pass a test. I think the language, yes fine, but we also need to appreciate that these people are contributing to society and the fact that our most popular dish is a curry is an example of that. So I think it's about also celebrating what they can bring to develop and enrich culture rather than saying that this is it and you must conform to this way of life.

2. Case study: Social networks and social exclusion

Daniel Alexandrov, Vlada Baranova,Valeria Ivaniushina

MIGRANT CHILDREN IN RUSSIA. / MIGRATION, ETHNICITY AND SEGREGATION IN ST. PETERSBURG

‘Ethnic majority students disregard ethnicity in forging friendships. Migrant minority teenagers, to the contrary, given a choice prefer to make friends with other migrant minority children. And as our interviews with the students and teachers show, migrant minority children in schools do not always find friends among children from the same ethnic groups: for instance, Azerbaijanis can form friendships with Armenians or Kyrgyz – depending on the ethnic groups present in the class.

This preference may be explained by minority children’s wish to find friends with a similar experience of migration and of living in different culture/language.

Besides, external categorization – the appraisals by teachers and local children –may contribute to the forging of new, supra-ethnic identities (“from Caucasus”,“migrants”, etc.) among migrant children. Still, there is no evidence for social exclusion of ethnic minority children in school networks.’

· Are there many or few people from black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds in your region?

· Do you think that any of the different groups of people are disliked by other groups of people in your region?

· Which groups of people are most disliked and why?

· In Britain people of all ages use racist terminology to describe “Paki Shops” and “Chinki restaurants”; there may be situations when a white child shouts “Here comes the Taliban” as an Asian girl enters the room. Racist terminology is used as an insult between white pupils, for example; “Haven’t you got that Paki in goal?” One school teacher explained: “Surely, using the term “Paki” is just a shortening of the word, like using “Marksy’s” instead of Marks and Spencers.” One of the students said “Chinki is not a racist term, if I called them “slanty-eyed yellow men” that would be racist” at which the majority of the group had laughed.

· Give similar examples of using such kind of terminology to refer to ethnic minorities in Russia.

· Do you think it is okay to dislike or call people names because they happen to be a different colour, religion or from another country than you?

· To what extent do you think immigrants of different ethnic backgrounds should be integrated into society? How do ethnic minorities themselves feel about this issue?

Writing

· Describe positive examples of ethnic integration in your region.

Unit 7                                  

Identity

 

1. Read and translate the text.

      The concept of identity in sociology is a multifaceted one, and can be approached in a number of ways. Broadly speaking, identity relates to the understandings people hold about who they are and what is meaningful to them. Some of the main sources of identity include gender, sexual orientation, nationality or ethnicity, and social class.

    There are two types of identity often spoken of by sociologists: social identity and self-identity (or personal identity ). These forms of identity are closely related to one another. Social identity refers to the characteristics that are attributed to an individual by others. They place that person in relation to other individuals who share the same attributes. Examples of social identities might include student, mother, lawyer, Catholic, homeless, Asian, married and so forth. A person can simultaneously be a mother, an engineer, Muslim and a city councilor. Multiple social identities reflect the many dimensions of people’s lives. They mark ways that individuals are “the same” as others.

   Self-identity, on the contrary, sets us apart as distinct individuals. Self-identity refers to the process of self-development through which we formulate a unique sense of ourselves and our relationship to the world around us. The social world confronts us with an array of choices about who to be, how to live and what to do. The decisions we take in our everyday lives – about what to wear, how to behave and to spend our time – help to make us who we are. The modern world forces us to find ourselves. Through our capacity as self-conscious, self-aware human beings, we constantly create and recreate our identities.

2. Give Russian equivalents for the following:

 

Multifaceted concept; can be approached; to hold understanding; meaningful; simultaneously; multiple social identities; to share attributes; social identity; self-identity; dimensions of life; to mark the ways; to set apart; a unique sense of ourselves; an array of choices;capacity; self-conscious, self-aware human beings; to create and recreate our identities.

3. Use the vocabulary from exercise 2 in the summary of the text.

4. Read and translate the text.

Identity and Ethnicity

Ethnic identity: The extent to which one identifies with a particular ethnic group(s). Refers to one’s sense of belonging to an ethnic group and the part of one’s thinking, perceptions, feelings, and behavior that is due to ethnic group membership. The ethnic group tends to be one in which the individual claims heritage (Phinney, 1996). Ethnic identity is separate from one’s personal identity as an individual, although the two may reciprocally influence each other. 4 major components of ethnic identity:

 Ethnic awareness (understanding of one’s own and other groups)       

 Ethnic self-identification (label used for one’s own group)

 Ethnic attitudes (feelings about own and other groups)

 Ethnic behaviors (behavior patterns specific to an ethnic group)

 

       Reference group identity: Identifying oneself by aspects of groups to which one aspires to belong (professional groups, etc.). Identity with such a group is a legitimate substitution for persons for whom ethnicity is not salient. Ethnic groups may also serve as a reference group, especially when members of the desirable group hold power and prestige within society.

     How does a sense of ethnic identity emerge? Erickson (1964) has noted that “true identity depends on the support that the young receive from the collective sense of identity characterizing the social groups significant to [them]: [their] class, [their] nation, [their] culture”. Being a member of a particular ethnic group holds important identity implications. Young children are certainly aware of differences in ethnicity and culture. But it is during adolescence, with capacities for reflecting on the past and on the future, that one may develop a greater interest in one’s own ethnic background. And it is during adolescence that one may have wider experiences within multicultural groups and experience ethnic discrimination. (over three fourths of subjects in Chavira and Phinney’s [1991] study of Hispanic adolescents reported experiencing discrimination, and nearly 90% believed society held negative stereotypes of Hispanics). Experiences of discrimination complicate efforts by adolescents to develop a strong sense of cultural pride and belonging. Spenser and Dornbusch (1990) have noted how adolescent awareness of negative appraisals their cultural group can negatively influence the adolescent’s life choices and plans for the future.

     In studies with adolescents from various ethnic backgrounds, Phinney has proposed a three-stage developmental process: unexamined ethnic identity, ethnic identity search, and achieved ethnic identity. These stages of ethnic identity development have correlated positively with measures of ego identity-status development. The stages are also found among adolescents of many cultural minority groups.

         How do adolescents of mixed minority and majority group parentage experience the identity formation process? In a study including small samples of Asian, Asian/White, and White college students, the Asian/White group rated race as significantly less important to their sense of identity than did the Asian group. Results from Identity Status Interview did not find significant differences in identity status distribution across the three ethnic groups. From qualitative accounts, Grove (1991) suggests that being partially White allowed those in the Asian/White group to question their Asian identity from a “safe place”. In fact, being of mixed racial origins was often regarded positively by these students. Because they were not easily stereotyped by physical appearance, Asian/White students often reported feeling freer to choose their own ethnic identity commitments.

       Some specific interventions need to be provided to assist in promoting a sense of identity achievement, ethnic group pride, keep minority youth in school and academically oriented, because lack of education ensures future socioeconomic disadvantages for these teens. Also important are affirming constructive social networks and support systems for minority families and promoting the teaching of native languages in schools in an atmosphere of biculturalism. Additional suggestions are offering special training for teachers of ethnic minority students and offering a media-focused cultural emphasis that affirms ethnic Identity and group pride for all youths.

 

5. Answer the questions.

1) What does ethnic identity refer to?

2) What are the major components of ethnic identity?

3) Of what other facets is individual’s identity composed?

4) What groups can serve as reference ones?

5) When does a sense of ethnic identity emerge?

6) What complicates developing by adolescents a sense of cultural pride and belonging?

7) What can negatively influence the adolescent’s life choices and plans for the future?

8) ‘…being partially White allowed those in the Asian/White group to question their Asian identity from a “safe place”.’ What does this mean?

9) Why is it important to keep minority youth in school?

10) Is it important to affirm ethic identity and group pride for only ethnic minority students or for all youth?

 

6. Give Russian equivalents for the following expressions.

To identify with a particular ethnic group(s); one’s sense of belonging to an ethnic group; ethnic group membership; to claim heritage;ethnic attitudes; ethnic behaviors; social/cultural background; to aspire to belong; legitimate substitution; ethnicity is not salient; to hold power and prestige within society; the collective sense of identity; to hold important identity implications; to be aware of differences in ethnicity and culture; capacities for reflecting on the past and on the future.

 

7. Translate into English using the vocabulary from the text.

1).Личная и этническая идентичности отдельны друг от друга, но взаимно влияют друг на друга. 2) Развитие этнического самосознания проходит несколько этапов. 3) Этническое осознание и этническая самоидентификация – это два этапа развития этнического самосознания. 4) Человек - разностороннее, многогранное существо.
5) Референтная группа, к которой стремится принадлежать подросток – это группа значимых для него людей. 6) В подростковом возрасте, вместе с умением размышлять о прошлом и будущем, приходит интерес к этническому происхождению. 7) Подростки из семей национальных меньшинств чаще сталкиваются с дискриминацией. 8) Общественные предрассудки в отношении какой-либо этнической группы затрудняют стремление подростков к развитию в себе гордости за свою культуру и за принадлежность к ней. 9) Необходимо принимать конкретные меры, способствующие развитию у подростков этнического самосознания и гордости за свой народ. 10) Необходимо через средства массовой информации пропагандировать своеобразие культур и способствовать формированию у молодежи этнического самосознания и национальной гордости.

8. Translate the text, paying attention to the italicized words and expressions.

 

  “I believe that for minority youths, the need to discover their ethnic identity is a crucial prerequisite for discovering and developing their personal identity. ”

(Sophia, a 19-year-old university student).

Thinking about one’s ethnic origins is not often a key identity quest among Caucasian North American adolescents; because cultural values for these adolescents in the home are generally similar to mainstream values for these adolescents, concerns with one’s ethnic identity often do not arise (Rotheram-Borus, 1993). However, for many adolescents of cultural minority groups, ethnic identity concerns become central to the identity formation process, as illustrated in the quotation cited above. In a study of ethnic identity search among college students, the researchers found that ethnic identity exploration was significantly higher among the three ethnic minority groups (Asian American, Black, And Mexican Americans) than the comparison White majority group. Also, all minority groups rated ethnicity as significantly more important to overall identity compared with White college students. Self-esteem was also related to the ethnicity in a higher degree among minority group students.

Growing up as an ethnic minority group member within a larger culture complicates the identity-formation process for many adolescents by the availability of varied role models holding possibly conflicting cultural values.

Ethnic identity emerges as adolescents experience a sense of difference. As a result, youths often immerse themselves in their own ethnic group values and reject the mainstream culture. Optimally, however, adolescents learn to integrate their own personal and cultural identities, achieving a sense of tolerance for and consideration of all people.

Steps to enhance ethnic identity might include finding methods to keep ethnic minority group adolescents involved with school and having schools that, in turn, promote an atmosphere of biculturalism.

9. Learn the italicized vocabulary from the text and be ready to use them in the discussion.

Discussion

· Work in groups. Comment on the cases, then answer the questions.

1 Case study : 18-year-old female university student

When my family first migrated here, our parents separated us from the majority culture largely because they know so little about it. Physical appearance for us was always a barrier, too. Our mother strictly forbade us girls ever to date a “European boy”, and with us living at home, she was easily able to do this. But last year I left home for university, and that was a year full of experimentation and exploration. I was curious to discover what I was doing here, and who I really was. I wanted my own set of morals and beliefs. Questions like “Where am I going?” and “Who will I become?” are still unanswered, but I feel certain that I will one day find some answers. I think feeling comfortable with my ethnic identity is a prerequisite to discovering my personal identity.

2 Case study : 19-year-old female university student

As a child, I was pretty insulated within the Chinese culture. But as I grew older, many of my Chinese peers went through an assimilation stage. They dressed and spoke as they perceived the majority to do – all because they wanted to be accepted. Physical appearance was a barrier; they felt like outcasts simply because they are not comfortable with themselves being Chinese. They tried to assimilate into the European culture, norms, and standards, but unsuccessfully, for their parents, like my own, were constant reminders of their ethnicity.

3 Case study : businesswoman Shazia Awan

I was born in Caerphilly and grew up in Wales and it was very much that Little Britain notion of being the only Asian in the village. There comes a point as a child when you realize you are very different. You're forced to define your identity. If we look at the census that's a self-definition of identity: do I tick 'Welsh'? Do I tick 'other'? Do I tick 'mixed'?

 

· Is a sense of ethnic identity critical to one’s ego identity?

· How does growing up as an ethnic minority group member within a larger culture complicate the identity-formation process?

· Does immigration change one’s sense of identity?

· Do you know anyone from a cultural minority group? Do you think he/she achieved a sense of ethnic identity?

· Do concerns with their ethnic identity arise among ethnic Russian adolescents?

Unit 8                               

Communication and Culture

1. Read and translate the text.

 

    Suppose you are planning to visit a part of the world about which you know very little – except that it is quite different from your own country. From the moment you arrive, your cultural and personal background will influence everything what you do and do not do. Most of the people you meet will be similarly influenced by their own backgrounds, culturally, socially, and personally.

“Intercultural communication” is communication between members of different countries. This definition is simple, but the process is complex. Intercultural communication involves differing perceptions, attitudes, and interpretations. We know that even two people from the same culture can have communication problems. People can unintentionally hurt each other by something they say or do. Isn’t it logical, then, that communication problems can be compounded among people who do not have the benefit of shared experiences (i.e., language and culture)?

   Cultures do not communicate; individuals do. Everyone has a unique style of communication, but cultures determine a general style for their members. We are not always aware of the subtle influences of our culture. Likewise, we may not perceive that others are influenced by their cultures as well.

  Difficulties in intercultural communication arise when there is little or no awareness of divergent cultural values and beliefs. In cross-cultural interaction, speakers sometimes assume that what they believe is right, because they have grown up thinking their way is the best. This ethnocentric assumption can result in negative judgments about other cultures. Another manifestation of ethnocentric attitudes is that people become critical of individuals from different cultures.

   Sometimes negative reactions do not result from actual interaction but rather from the fixed, preconceived beliefs we have about other people. These overgeneralized beliefs or “stereotypes” frequently shape people’s perceptions of each other.

  Stereotypes originate and develop from numerous sources such as jokes, textbooks, movies, and television. Movies about Indians portray them as wild and ‘primitive’. A child who knows about the American Indian only through watching these movies will have a distorted and false image of this group of people. Stereotypes perpetuate inaccuracies about religious, racial, and cultural groups.

Stereotypical beliefs prevent us from seeing people as individuals with unique characteristics. Negative stereotypes lead to prejudice: suspicion, intolerance, or hatred of other cultural groups.

Cultural conflicts occur as a result of misinterpretations, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and prejudice. Preventing these conflicts is possible with increased awareness of our own attitudes as well sensitivity to cross-cultural differences. Developing intercultural sensitivity does not mean that we need to lose our cultural identities – but rather that we recognize cultural influences within ourselves and within others.

Individuals experience the adjustment to a new culture in different ways. When visitors have close relatives in the new culture or speak the foreign language fluently, they may not experience all the effects of culture shock or mental isolation. An exile or refugee would adjust differently from someone who voluntarily traveled to a new country.

   Day-to-day living in another culture is undoubtedly an educational experience. While traveling, and living abroad people learn second languages, observe different customs and encounter new values. Many people who have lived in other countries gain insight into their own society. When facing different values, beliefs, and behavior, they develop a deeper understanding of themselves and of the society that helped to shape their characters. The striking contrasts of a second culture provide a mirror in which one’s own culture is reflected.

 

 

2. Answer the questions.

1) What is intercultural communication?

2) What does intercultural communication involve?

3) When do difficulties in intercultural communication arise?

4) How does ethnocentrism manifest itself?

5) Where do stereotypes originate from?

6) What does intercultural sensitivity mean?

7) Why might exiles or refugees adjust to a new culture differently from those who voluntarily live in a foreign country?

8) Why is living in another culture an educational experience?

 

3. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right.

1. ethnocentric 2. overgeneralized 3. stereotypes 4. primitive 5. image 6. prejudice 7. exile 8. refugee 9. voluntarily 10. facing 11. striking

a. judgment or opinion formed before facts are known b. characteristic of the earliest ages; not ‘civilized’ c. having the emotional attitude that one’s ethnic group is superior to all others d. fixed notions about groups and ideas, often allowing for no individuality e. visual or mental impression f. overstated; exaggerated g. noticeable, remarkable h. bringing face to face; confronting i. one who flees to a foreign country to escape danger j. in a manner brought about by one’s own free choice k. one who is forced to leave one’s country

    

   4. Complete the sentences

1. Most of the people you meet will be similarly influenced by their own backgrounds, culturally, socially, ….

2. Even two people from the same culture can have communication ….

3. Everyone has a unique style of communication, but cultures determine a general style ….

4.  This ethnocentric assumption can result in negative judgments about ….

5.  Stereotypical beliefs prevent us from seeing people as individuals with ….

6. Cultural conflicts occur as a result of misinterpretations, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, ….

7. Preventing these conflicts is possible with increased awareness of our own attitudes as well sensitivity to ….

8.  When visitors have close relatives in the new culture or speak the foreign language fluently, they may not experience all the effects of culture shock or ….

9. While traveling, and living abroad people learn second languages, observe different customs and encounter ….

10. The striking contrasts of a second culture provide a mirror in which one’s own culture is ….

 

 

5. The following statements are not true. Correct them.

a) Most of the people you meet will not be influenced by their own backgrounds, culturally, socially, and personally.

b) Two people from the same culture never have communication problems.

c) We are always aware of the subtle influences of our culture.

d) Difficulties in intercultural communication do not arise when there is little or no awareness of divergent cultural values and beliefs.

e) Overgeneralized beliefs or “stereotypes” rarely shape people’s perceptions of each other.

f) A child who knows about the American Indian through watching movies will have true image of this group of people.

g) Developing intercultural sensitivity means that we need to lose our cultural identities.

h) An exile or refugee would adjust similarly to someone who voluntarily traveled to a new country.

i) Few people who have lived in other countries gain insight into their own society.

j) When facing different values, beliefs, and behavior, people only develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and societies.

 

6. Retell the text using the following vocabulary:

 

Awareness of divergent cultural values and beliefs; cross-cultural interaction; ethnocentric assumption; fixed, preconceived beliefs; to shape people’s perceptions of each other; a distorted and false image; stereotypes perpetuate inaccuracies; to experience the adjustment to a new culture; to gain insight into their own society; stereotypes originate and develop from; unique characteristics; intercultural conflicts occur; misinterpretations; to prevent conflicts; observe different customs; encounter new values; to develop intercultural sensitivity; experience all the effects of culture shock; develop a deeper understanding of a society.

Discussion

· The ability to observe as objectively as possible can help understand a culture. There are two kinds of observations: descriptive and judgmental. For example:

Descriptive – Many children in the US move away from their parents at about age 18 or 19.

Judgmental – Many children in the US don’t like their parents, so they move away at about age 18 or 19.

o Work in small groups and together make a list of three to five observations of a second culture. Include observations on family, nonverbal and verbal communication, food, dress, education, friendships, and so on.

o Write the observations on the board or read them to the whole class.

o Decide with the class which observations are descriptive and which are judgmental.

o Individually or in small groups reword the judgmental observations to make them descriptive observations.

 

· In your opinion, what areas of culture create the most serious problems in intercultural communication?

· What kinds of cultural conflicts exist in heterogeneous society? How are they similar to cultural conflicts between people from different countries?

· What is the difference between having pride in one’s identity and being ethnocentric?

· Can you think of cases where stereotypes have turned into prejudice or hatred?

· Do people usually change because of their experiences in foreign countries? If so, how?

· What problems might someone expect when returning home after a long absence?

 

Role –Play

· In pairs make two lists showing cultural areas of Russia and another country that are common and areas that contrast. Write a role-play or a dialogue between two people from different countries encountering an “area of contrast.” The role-plays or dialogues can be serious or humorous. Perform your dialogue/role-play in front of the class. Have the class members identify the specific “area of contrast.”

Presentation topics

 

· Your stay in another country

· Culture shock

· The best way to prepare for life in another culture

Writing

· See one of the movies from the list. Write a discursive essay describing your personal response to the events and characters of the movie. Focus on thoughts and feelings aroused by the theme of cross-cultural relations.

 

Race relations movies

 

1 Skin (2008)

 

2 Crisis at Central High (1980)

 

3 Broken Cameras (2011)

4 The Infidel (2009)

 

5 The Letter: An American Town and the "Somali Invasion" (2003)

6 A Day Without a Mexican (2004)

 

7 Crazy/beautiful (2001)

 

8 I Love You, I Love You Not (1997)

 

9 Hiroshima Maiden (1988)

 

10 Go In Peace Jamil (2008)

 

11 American East (2007)

 

12 Why Am I Doing This? (2009)

 

13 American Promise (2013)