1. What is Culture?
FH-Prof. Dr. Jim Miller
STITCH MODULE: Intercultural Communication
Powerpoint Lecture 1
2. Which of these is an example of culture?
Klimt, Birch Forest, 1902 Beech forest in Slovenia
Both are, because both are the product of human activity
(the forest is managed)
3. Basic Aspects of Culture
ïź Culture is much more than the Louve in Paris
or the Musikverein in Vienna
ïź Culture covers everythingâhouses, clothes,
food, language, morals, values, ideasâeven
the natural environment if altered by human
activity
4. Definitions of Culture
ïź Culture isâŠ
ïź an historically-transmitted, socially constructed system of
beliefs, premises, symbols and their meanings that pertain to
a group of people.
ïź Culture isâŠ
ïź . . . in your head . . . in the way you talk
ïź . . . in your behavior . . . deeply felt
ïź Culture is a system of resources for understanding
the world around you.
ïź Culture is the set of âtoolsâ that our families and
societies instill in us to get through life.
5. âą Clothing
âą Food
âą what houses
look like
âą how a
language
sounds
âą etc., etc. etc.
âą how clothing communicates
status
âą what foods are tabu
âą how different tones of voice
communicate different meanings
âą how different types of
architecture are used
âą etc., etc., etc
6. The Cultural Iceburg
ïź In any society, most cultural meanings are to
be found âbelow the water lineâ
ïź It takes intercultural skill to figure out what
things mean
ïź Only when you begin to figure out what the
things âbelow the lineâ mean, can you begin
to act in a culturally appropriate manner
ïź A foreigner almost never can figure out what
EVERYTHING below the line means
7. Effective Intercultural
Communication
ïź Requires a profound knowledge of yourself
and your own culture
ïź Requires an appreciation for cultural
difference and a willingness to accept other
cultures as just as valid as your own
ïź Requires a knowledge of other cultural
systems
ïź Requires a set of communication skills that
are often just as useful if applied WITHIN
your own culture as they are when applied in
an intercultural setting