BARRIERS AND COMMONALITIES

Class 3 Lecture

Professor name

Makeup of and relationships between cultures has been changing during last century. Borders and boundaries used to prevent access to different kinds of people and ideas

Gradually broken down by: trade, travel mobility, electronic media, international networking for defense, science

Cultural factors: environment, beliefs, values, and customs

Commonalities:

-physical needs: safety, shelter, food

-psychological needs: fulfillment, relationships, hope for future,

some control over stress and threats, some predictability

-family structure to nurture children

-spiritual/religious traditions

Differences:

-aesthetics, values, religious doctrine, definition of human

nature, relationship to environment/nature

-sense of time, spatial needs, communication style

-goal orientation

-social roles

-attitudes, judgments

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Exercise: Trade Negotiations

Make up 3 separate handouts for countries A, B & C. Designate parts of the classroom to be meeting places for students belonging to each country. Read the characteristics of each country and allow students to volunteer to be part of the ruling council for that country, making sure that the groups are evenly divided. Then give copies of country information to each group and ask them to study and follow those cultural guidelines.

When the groups are finished reading, tell them to appoint 2 representatives to come to the trade negotiations, which will be held in 5 minutes. Give them 5-7 minutes to discuss and prepare lists of what they want, and then arrange the 6 representatives in a circle, with the "citizens" arranged behind them.

Then, hold the trade negotiations for about 15-20 minutes. Negotiators are allowed to confer with their citizens about controversial decisions.

Hold the negotiations for long enough for some controversy to develop. Then stop the exercise and have the class members discuss their experiences and what they learned.

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Country A

Environment: Seasonal climate, large land mass with prairies, under populated farm land and large cities

Resources: Money, technology, universities, grains

Religion: Monotheism

Philosophy: Work hard and you will be rewarded

Values: Prosperity, education, logic, short-term goals, arts, education

Characteristics: Logical, polite, restrained, honest, family-oriented

Communication: Thought-oriented, concrete, understating, quiet but use loudness to assert power, few gestures (gesturing is a sign of being out of control), use direct eye-contact except when they disagree, believe sincerity is signified by politeness and serious facial expressions, believe silence signifies agreement.

For Country A Members Only-

Overt goals of negotiation: Want to set up factories using laborers from B and C; want to trade for fruit, vegetables and goats (a delicacy).

Covert goals of negotiation: Want access to coal and lumber from C, want to set up resorts and condos on beaches of B and mountainsides of C. Do not want to share technology with other countries.

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Country B

Environment: Tropical islands, warm, breezy weather, lush vegetation

Resources: Numerous fruits and vegetables available throughout the year, lovely beaches

Religion: Independent, don't believe in churches

Philosophy: Don't worry, be happy

Values: Freedom, individual will, happiness, present goals, love, music, dance

Characteristics: caring, relaxed, expressive, affectionate, independent, individual oriented,

Communication: Rapid, loud, expressive, feeling oriented, exaggerating, use many gestures, touching used to reassure, direct eye contact important (lack of eye contact signifies dishonesty), often interrupt, silence is rude and distance signifies hostility

For Country B Members Only-

Overt goals of negotiation: trade produce for money or cheap labor

Covert goals of negotiation: Would like to gain access to lumber and goats (a delicacy) from C and to get technology and educational opportunities from A.

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Country C

Environment: Mountainous, pristine wilderness, mild, cool climate

Resources: Large unemployed work force, forests, wild goats, ancient temples; mineral and oil resources are unexploited.

Religion: Tribal, matriarchal, nature oriented, worship goats

Philosophy: Inner development, spirituality, is more important than physical pleasure

Values: Long-term goals, peace, spirituality, mysticism, nature,

Characteristics: Strong, restrained, balanced, pleasant, peaceful, authority and community oriented, desire much personal space

Communication: Low-keyed, soft-spoken, indirect, use natural metaphors, use gestures, eye contact and touching only with intimates (signify desire for sex, affection or impending conflict), sincerity is signified by references to deities, silence signifies disagreement

For Country C Members Only-

Overt goals of negotiations: Want to have foreign factories provide jobs; intend to buy food and technology with money from factories.

Covert goals of negotiations: Want to maintain control and keep out foreign influences which they see as corrupting, want access to technology from A and believe they could provide needed spiritual influence to heathen B citizens.