Communications 320 Midterms
Communications 320 Midterms
David K. Anderson
Excelsior College
1. To what degree have changing demographics in the United States and the changing worldwide immigration patterns affected intercultural communication?
The changing demographics as well as the worldwide immigration patterns have brought the need for effective intercultural communication. The need to uphold and understand intercultural communication has been realized as a result of this phenomenon. For example in the work environment, companies have turned to conduction of international business with some developing into multinational companies, therefore for the employees of these companies to protect their job, they must learn to use intercultural communication well. However, the intercultural communication has also been affected negatively to some extent with some individuals failing to acknowledge different views relating the factors of society, religion and culture. This as a result makes the communication to fail. The employees have realized that irrespective of the workplace, the intercultural communication skills determine success in the contemporary global economy that is composed of different cultures (Ramakrishnan, 2005).
2. How might studying intercultural communications lead to increased self-understanding?
Self-understanding is the ability to identify with ones own actions. The studying of intercultural communication can lead to an increased self-understanding in the sense that one is able to compare own actions with those of other people from different cultures. It is difficult to comprehend own actions without a basis of comparison and hence the intercultural communication provides this. Also through the study, the students learn of different characters of people and after evaluation, an individual can be able to tell to which category he or she falls in.
3. In what ways do ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination act as barriers to effective
David K. Anderson
Excelsior College
1. To what degree have changing demographics in the United States and the changing worldwide immigration patterns affected intercultural communication?
The changing demographics as well as the worldwide immigration patterns have brought the need for effective intercultural communication. The need to uphold and understand intercultural communication has been realized as a result of this phenomenon. For example in the work environment, companies have turned to conduction of international business with some developing into multinational companies, therefore for the employees of these companies to protect their job, they must learn to use intercultural communication well. However, the intercultural communication has also been affected negatively to some extent with some individuals failing to acknowledge different views relating the factors of society, religion and culture. This as a result makes the communication to fail. The employees have realized that irrespective of the workplace, the intercultural communication skills determine success in the contemporary global economy that is composed of different cultures (Ramakrishnan, 2005).
2. How might studying intercultural communications lead to increased self-understanding?
Self-understanding is the ability to identify with ones own actions. The studying of intercultural communication can lead to an increased self-understanding in the sense that one is able to compare own actions with those of other people from different cultures. It is difficult to comprehend own actions without a basis of comparison and hence the intercultural communication provides this. Also through the study, the students learn of different characters of people and after evaluation, an individual can be able to tell to which category he or she falls in.
3. In what ways do ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination act as barriers to effective
References: Bryant, A. (2010). Prejudice And Discrimination. Retrieved October 3, 2010, from