Synopses & Reviews
This best selling intercultural communication text gives readers an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and helps them develop practical skills for improving their communication with people from other cultures. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CULTURES is renowned for being the only text on the market to consistently emphasize religion and history as key variables in intercultural communication. Packed with the latest research and filled with numerous, compelling examples that force readers to examine their own assumptions and cultural biases, this book helps students understand the subtle and profound ways culture affects communication. The book is divided into four interrelated parts: Part I introduces the study of communication and culture; Part II focuses on the ability of culture to shape and modify our view of reality; Part III puts the theory of intercultural communication into practice; and Part IV converts knowledge into action.
Synopsis
Intended for use as the core text for the introductory intercultural communication taught at two- and four-year colleges and universities in departments of Speech and Communication, Anthropology, Education, Sociology, and Psychology.
About the Author
LARRY SAMOVAR, Emeritus Professor at San Diego State University, received his Ph.D. from Purdue University, where he taught for five years. He was also an invited scholar at Nihon University in Japan. As an early pioneer in the field of intercultural communication, he has been a guest speaker at many universities in the United States. In addition, Dr. Samovar has worked as a communication consultant in both the private and public sectors. He has written and/or edited 14 textbooks--totaling 45 editions. Many of his publications have been translated into foreign languages and are used in 11 countries. As an active researcher he has presented more than 100 scholarly papers and conducted numerous seminars and workshops at international, national, and regional conferences. His publication list is extensive and encompasses books and articles on intercultural communication, small group communication, interpersonal communication, and public speaking. RICHARD E. PORTER (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He developed his interest in intercultural communication in 1967 before there was an established field of study. His early work along with that of other pioneers in the field laid a basic structural foundation which has been used by many later scholars as the field developed and expanded. He created and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in intercultural communication for 30 years. Dr. Porter is the co-author and editor of 4 books with 24 editions that deal with the subject of intercultural communication. EDWIN (ED) R. McDANIEL received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He is currently a Member-at-Large of the Japan-U.S. Communication Association and a member of the Thunderbird Educator Network at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He is also a retired Professor of Intercultural Communication at Aichi Shukutoku University, in Nagoya, Japan, and has been a Japan ICU Foundation Visiting Scholar at the International Christian University in Tokyo. Dr. McDaniel has also taught at San Diego State University, CSU San Marcos, and Thunderbird. In May 2013, he was an invited speaker at the China Cultural Industry Forum (CIF) in Beijing. He is the co-author/co-editor of numerous books on intercultural communication. His articles and book chapters have been published in China, Germany, Korea, and Japan, as well as the United States. Before beginning his academic career, Dr. McDaniel was in government service for over 20 years, during which time he lived and traveled in more than 40 countries.
Table of Contents
1. Communication and Culture: The Challenge of the Future. 2. The Deep Structure of Culture: The Roots of Reality. 3. Worldview: Cultural Explanations of Life and Death. 4. Culture and the Individual: Cultural Identity. 5. Shaping Interpretations of Reality: Cultural Values. 6. Language and Culture: The Essential Partnership. 7. Nonverbal Communication: The Messages of Action, Space, Time, and Silence. 8. Cultural Influences on Context: The Business Setting. 9. Cultural Influences on Context: The Educational Setting. 10. Cultural Influences on Context: The Health Care Setting. 11. Venturing into a New Culture: Becoming Competent.