CASE STUDY

The world around us continues to grow and change. In order to communicate with diverse people from different cultures in the expanding global environment, we need to understand and deal with our own perceptions and sense of self, and understand and deal with the perspectives, values, and practices of people from other cultures. Friendship is a very important arena for this kind of intercultural exchange.

The Assignment

First, review the concepts you have learned about Interpersonal Communication in Chapters 1 through 9 in the Wood (2020) textbook including:

Identity, Perceptions, Verbal/Non-Verbal Communication, Mindful Listening, Managing Emotions, Communication Climate, and Managing Conflict.

Now, choose a particular culture whose members tend to communicate very differently from members of your culture. You can choose a culture with which you have some experience/interaction or one that you’re interested in exploring.

In a 500-word essay, explain how you would participate in a healthy and positive friendship with a person from this different culture. You may use an actual friendship in your life, or you may answer this prompt hypothetically (in other words: imagine that you had a friendship with a person from this different culture.)

Compose a well-organized five-paragraph essay (1 introduction paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and 1 conclusion paragraph) that clearly applies key concepts about friendship from Chapter 10 and key concepts about communication from Chapters 1 – 9.

  1. Compare and contrast the interpersonal communication patterns of your own culture and the interpersonal communication patterns often held by people in this other cultural group that you have chosen.
  2. Explain how you would adjust your own interpersonal communication habits to include this person in your own life as a friend.
  3. What are some things you would do (concepts that you would apply) to best communicate your own ideas, wants, and needs with a person from this particular culture?
  4. What are some things you would do (concepts that you would apply) to better understand and honor your friend’s ideas, wants, and needs?
  5. Explain why dual perspective, as described by Wood (2020, pp. 38-39) is an important part of this process for you.

 

Requirements:

  • You must use terms or concepts from the Wood (2020) textbook and/or the supplemental videos.
  • You must use at least ten (10) key terms from the assigned chapters (5 from each) in the Wood textbook
  • You must use at least one (1) key term from at least one (1) of the assigned videos in the module
  • Put key terms in bold in your essay.