EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
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C O U R S E
Understanding Russians: Contexts of Intercultural Communication
Mira Bergelson, Higher School of Economics
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E History of Intercultural Communication Notes taken on May 17, 2014 by Edward Tanguay |
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intercultural communication history
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brought about by the practical demands of the second half of the 20th century world
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the discipline emerged as a response to practical demands
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our world is the world of globalization
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trade across borders
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more travel between cultures
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developing economies
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mass tourism evolved as a new phenomenon in the world
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the presence of American culture in other countries which were experiencing it for the first time
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American companies
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American military bases
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Hollywood
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modern music
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fashions
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mass culture
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international companies
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changes in public attitudes
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the emergent interest in otherness
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Buddhism
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Yoga
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other countries
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something that is not like us, not routine and everyday
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the breakaway from purely eurocentric perspective in social sciences, art and literature
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making a distinction between "normal" vs. exotic cultures
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Edward T. Hall
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1959: The Silent Language
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his contributions were significant
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advanced the idea of comparative cultural study
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moved the idea from studying one culture to comparing cultures
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advocated micro analysis of cultures: how they look at time, how they use space, how they interact, as opposed to only macro analysis
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made language an important and central part of the study of cultures
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descriptive linguistics
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1970s: the decade of research
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intercultural vs. cross-cultural
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intercultural
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going across the borders
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cross-cultural
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looking at the difference that creates these borders
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interracial communication
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interethnic communication
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intergender communication
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Samovar and Porter: Communication Between Cultures
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1980: decade of theories
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main debate: should we approach this topic with critical analysis or cultural dialogue
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1990s and 2000s
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brought various approaches
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criticism of multiculturalism
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questions the ideal of the maintenance of distinct ethnic cultures within a state
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two sides
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against cultural integration of different ethnic and cultural groups to the existing laws and values of the country
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in favor of assimilation of different ethnic and cultural groups to a single national identity
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Russian specifics
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predominance of the philological and linguistic approaches
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research on social and political discourse
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future trends
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new buzz words
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diversity and inclusion
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importance of diversity
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how to create inclusion to bring about this diversity
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how-to approaches
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e.g. how Russians can be successful in German business settings