International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

The Cnn Effect: Mass Media And Humanitarian Aid, Jared R. Bredeson

Senior Honors Theses

Mass media have great power and great responsibility. The CNN Effect states that when news media broadcast emotionally driven stories of human crisis, this provokes a major response by domestic audiences and political elites. This power to influence public policy can help save people from danger and even death. Acts of massive genocide were committed in Rwanda and Darfur. Because the media failed to act quickly and report accurately on these situations, many people lost their lives due to slow international reaction. News media need to learn from these tragic mistakes and never let genocide go on unnoticed by those …

Media In Sāmoa: Journalists‟ Realities, Regional Initiatives, And Visions For The Future, Leslie Pyne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research investigates media freedom in Sāmoa by identifying the country‟s obstacles to freedom of expression and proposing strategies for generating change in the media industry. The paper assesses the local media initiatives of the Journalists Association of (Western) Sāmoa (JAWS), Sāmoa Observer newspaper, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Media and Journalism Programme at the National University of Sāmoa (NUS), and evaluates their strengths and shortcomings in providing services for the community. It also examines how journalists balance cultural sensitivity in reporting and what ideas news organizations, journalists, journalism students, and media educators have for …

#Reformjo: Jordanian Tweets For Social Reform, Megan Daily

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

What can be said in 140 characters or less? During what has been dubbed the “Arab Spring”, Twitter has been heralded as the catalyst that sparked revolutions. Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and others have utilized this microblogging site to express opinions, share links, and inform the world what is happening. In the past few months, the number of Jordanians on Twitter has risen sharply. During the course of my research, I aimed to discover if there were “elite users”, people whose opinions had more weight or significance in this dialogue as the Twitter community tends to develop with a distinct …

Crosstalk 2.0: Asylum And Communicative Breakdowns, Marco Jacquemet

Communication Studies

Using ethnographic evidence on asylum proceedings for refugee recognition from various sources (Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom, and Canada), this paper updates Gumperz’s notion of crosstalk by exploring the massively flexible and multilingual nature of late-modern communication as epitomized in one of the most complex adjudication procedures performed by Western nation-states. Every year thousands of displaced people seek the protection of various European countries by filing asylum claims, which are examined by national commissions. This paper explores how the problematic nature of these encounters can be traced to the nature of late-modern communication, characterized as it is by asymmetrical power, multiple …

An Evaluation Of The California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale And Training For Mental Health Practices, Catherine Tillie Smith, Dahlia Avila

Theses Digitization Project

This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of the California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale (CBMCS) and training as a tool to increase cultural competency skills. The interest of this was to determine if the training brought about a change in empathy or effectively increased knowledge about the importance of culture.

International Graduate Student Powerpoint Presentation Designs: A Reality Check, Alla Zareva

English Faculty Publications

The present study set out to examine what novice international graduate student presenters consider to be effective PowerPoint slide design practices and the extent to which these practices are in agreement with experts’ advice. The analysis focused on three main features of students’ PowerPoint presentations – organisation, style and typography. The general conclusion is that we can mostly rely on students’ intuitions concerning ‘relevance’ and ‘simplicity’ of PowerPoint presentation designs, but we should draw their attention to ‘consistency’, i.e., the systematic application of the organisation, style and typological features to their PowerPoint presentations.

The 2008 Us Presidential Campaign As Represented In The Online Edition Of The Korea Times, Sherri L. Ter Molen

Communication Faculty Research Publications

Because public opinion has been found to influence government policy (Page & Shapiro, 1983, p. 185) and because media are cultural products that “mirror society” and “contribute to the reconstruction of the culture” (Czarniawska, 2006, p. 250), I conducted a rhetorical analysis of the coverage of the 2008 US presidential campaign in the online edition of the English language newspaper, The Korea Times. Using Entman’s (2007) concept of framing bias in the media as a means to influence the distribution of power, I found that The Korea Times used the deictic expression ‘we’ to express and (re)construct nationalistic views of …

Developing Global Literacy: Best Practices For Teaching Technical Communication Internationally, Melanie I. Cashin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The teaching of technical communication has been expanding beyond English-speaking borders for several decades. U.S. educators often teach technical communication internationally through workshops, faculty exchanges, and e-collaborations. This paper discusses challenges, solutions, and best practices for U.S. educators teaching internationally, especially those teaching in China. By understanding current theory and practice in international technical communication education, learning from the missteps and successes of their colleagues, and incorporating globally appropriate recommendations into their classrooms, U.S. educators will be better prepared to deliver instruction abroad and develop mutually beneficial collaborations across cultures.

The Need For Foreign Correspondents: A Cost Benefit Analysis, Haley Petersen

Journalism

This paper includes an examination of the decline in foreign news coverage, the factors contributing to the decline, the implications of decreased coverage in a democratic society, the market for international news, and an explanation of various models of foreign correspondence in relation to the quality of work produced contrasted against the cost of production.

A Comparison Of Leadership Traits Across Countries: Taiwan And United States, Chi-Shou Justin Yang

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

With the rise of new technologies, geographical and political boundaries between companies are disappearing. Managers within multinational organizations are faced with the challenge of adapting to new paradigms of leadership while leading employees who may share different backgrounds. With businesses becoming more globalized, it is important to know and understand how to lead and interact with people from other cultures. The purpose of the study is to explore and describe similarities or differences with managers from the United States and managers from Taiwan in relation to the 29 leadership traits overall as well as at individual management levels. As a …

Communication In Intercultural Marriages: Managing Cultural Differences And Conflict For Marital Satisfaction, Tiffany G. Renalds

Masters Theses

This qualitative study investigated the phenomenon of intercultural marriages, particularly the unique internal and external elements that impact communication and conflict within intercultural marriages of varying lengths and the intercultural communication competencies utilized by spouses in intercultural marriages. The research focused on three questions: (1) Which internal and external factors impact the effectiveness of communication between spouses in intercultural marriages the most? (2) Which communication competencies do spouses in intercultural marriages develop in order to address cross-cultural differences? (3) How do spouses in intercultural marriages experience and deal with conflict within their intercultural marriages? Data was obtained employing semi-structured interviews. …

Reform Of The United Nations Security Council: A Rope Of Sand, Alice Minor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For nearly two decades the international community has debated how to address reform of the United Nations Security Council. Many argue that it is imperative that the United Nations Security Council be reformed for the body to maintain its relevance and legitimacy in the Twenty-first Century. The original United Nations Charter endowed special voting privileges and permanent membership to the five powers that emerged victorious from World War Two. These five powers no longer describe the international world order. Various reform groups such as the Group of Four, The United for Consensus movement, and the Africa Group have proposed reform …

El Camino Largo De Integración Regional De Defensa Y Seguridad: Desafíos Y Potencialidades Del Consejo De Defensa Suramericano, William Heegaard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The South American Defense Council (SDC) represents the most recent step taken along a long road of multilateral and bilateral defense agreements echoing Bolivar’s dream of continental defense integration. Before the Second World War, the continent developed a deep base of collective security agreements that eventually formed the OAS. However, during the Cold War, the U.S. replaced collective security with the doctrine of national security. U.S. unilateral policies prevented the possibility of continental cooperation on defense. In the vacuum, new alliances and agreements were made at sub-regional and bilateral levels. With the end of the Cold War, a new …

Intercultural Communication: Its Importance To Various Career Fields And Perspective By Various Authors, Priscilla N. Gitimu

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Globalization has made intercultural communication inevitable. Communicating with other cultures characterizes today’s business, classroom, and community. Technology especially the internet has increased the probability that whatever is documented online will be read by someone from another culture. Intercultural communication is of importance in any career field thus the art of knowing how to communicate with other cultures should be a work place skill that is emphasized. This is a conceptual paper whose purpose is two fold. First the paper gives a synopsis of the importance of efficient and competent intercultural communication in various career fields; namely, education, business, medicine and …

Multicultural Competence: Exploring And Monitoring Its Development, Alvino Fantini Phd, Professor Emeritus

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

Educators engaged in international, intercultural educational programs are responsible for maximizing the benefits of these experiences for participants. This requires a clear focus on the development of multicultural (or intercultural) competencies (MCC) in participants if students are to deal effectively and appropriately across cultures.

This session explores the development and assessment of MCC abilities. It is based on findings from an international research effort that examined a comprehensive construct of MCC, developed a tool for its assessment, and identified intercultural outcomes in participants as well as their hosts engaged in an intercultural exchange.

The session also explores the nature of …

New Lines Of Inquiry: Arts-Based Research For Bridging Cultures, Sarah Brock Ma, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

This paper explores the implications for arts-based research (ABR) methods in fostering cross-cultural dialogue in international study. It reviews the academic arguments for and against the use of arts-based methodologies in qualitative research where more traditional, methodologies in the social sciences are combined with creative inquiry – narrative, poetic, dance, and visual forms of inquiry, for example – as well as the technical challenges and benefits associated with drawing on the humanities and arts as primary modes of inquiry; it explores the relevance and potential for ABR within the broader context of the study and use of the arts and …

Where Do We Go From Here: The Intersection Of Culture, Communication, And Technology, Mokhtar Bouba Ma, Med, Instructional Technologist, Sora Friedman Phd, Associate Professor And Degree Chair

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

SIT has long been involved with the nexus between culture and communications. Historically, this has caused us to ask how we can “properly” and “effectively” navigate in cultures that are foreign to us. More recently, however, communication platforms are changing and therefore, we see a rising need for rethinking some of the cross cultural models in use. This session will thus explore the changing nexus between cultures, communication, and technology.

Our context will consider questions such as how students’ experiences are different because of increased use of technology, how social media affects cross cultural experiences, and the degree to which …

The Missed Dialogues Of The Euro-Turkish Relationships, Juliette Tolay

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper attempts to assess the state of dialogue between Europe and Turkey. Using Thomas Risse's application of Habermas' theory of communicative action, it covers and analyzes four opportunity spaces for dialogue: the European Union-Turkish institutional relationship, the bilateral diplomatic relationships between European countries and Turkey, Turkish immigration to Europe, and European tourism in Turkey. Overall, most communicative interaction between Europe and Turkey is done under the logic of appropriateness (rule-guided behavior) as opposed to the logic of consequentialism (interest-guided behavior) or the logic of arguing (reasoning-guided behavior). As interactions remain superficial and one-sided, they merely are "missed dialogues."

Impressions Of Ebru And Turkishness In The 21st Century, Lisa Dicarlo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

On June 18th, 2007, Ebru: Reflections of Cultural Diversity in Turkey began its ten-city tour of Turkey with a debut exhibit in Istanbul, and ended on March 31st, 2009 with the closing of the exhibit in Ankara. The mixed media project, a combination of text, music, visual images, essays and panel discussions, is dominated by Attila Durak's large-format documentary ethnographic photographs of 44 ethnic groups he encountered during seven consecutive summers of fieldwork throughout Turkey. Durak, who is from Turkey and studied photography in the US, began this project with the initial intention of learning about the cultural diversity of …

The Process Of Successfully Integrating Communication Technologies Into Short-Term, Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs: Reflections From The Field, Todd L. Goen, Jennifer R. Billinson, Linda D. Manning

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

As advances in communication technologies (CT) continue to shape modern life, it is critical study abroad professionals and faculty leaders contemplate the ways in which such technologies impact study abroad. This essay provides an argument for the value and utility of such contemplation through an in-depth examination of a short-term, faculty-led study abroad program and the three faculty who lead it. The authors provide reflective summaries of their own experiences with CT and study abroad and discuss the ways in which changes in CT resulted in changes to their own study abroad program including the integration of CT into academic …