Honorio Gonzalez

EDU 533
Intercultural Competence
Chapter 11 Notes
Define social episodes and include the nature and components of social episodes.
Social episodes are interaction sequences that are repeated over and over again and
whose structure is also very predictable (p. 251). Much of what people do id made up of
social episodes, which are repetitive, predictable, and routine behaviors that form the
structure of their interactions with others and social interactions that include intercultural
interactions, however, those involved-and in all likelihood will-have very different
expectations and interpretations about peoples behaviors and intentions (p. 252).
There are five components of social episodes, each of which influences intercultural
communication: cultural patterns, social roles, rules of interactions, interaction scenes,
and interaction contexts. (p. 252). Cultural patterns are share judgment about what the
world is an what it should be, and widely held expectation about how people should
behave and the patterns of a cultures beliefs and values, permeate the ways in which
members think about their world (p. 252). A social role is a set of expected behaviors
associated with people in a particular position and the importance of this discussion to
your participation in intercultural communication should be obvious (p. 254). Rules of
interaction provide a predictable pattern or structure to social episodes and give
relationships a sense of coherence (p. 254). Rules of interaction are not written down
somewhere, nor are they typically shared verbally and they operate at the level of
unwritten, unspoken expectations (p. 254). Interactions scenes are made up of the
recurring, repetitive topics that people talk about in social conversation and most
conversation are organized around these ritualized and routinized scenes, which are the
chunks of conversational behavior adapted to the particular circumstances (p. 256).
Conversations among people from other cultures have a similar structure and the actual
topics scene can vary widely from one culture to another (p. 256). The amount of time,
and therefore the extent of detail, that is given to each conversational topic may also vary
from one culture to another and difficulties can arise in intercultural interactions when the
participants differ in their expectations (p. 257). Interaction contexts are the settings or
situations within which social episodes occur and impose a frame of reference point
around communication experiences by helping people to determine what specific actions
should mean, what behaviors are to be expected, and how to act appropriately and
effectively in a particular situation (p. 258).
Explain contexts of intercultural communication and focus on the educational
context.
The U.S. educational system-from pre-kindergarten to college on through graduate or
professional-increasingly requires competent intercultural communication skills from all
of its participants (p. 264). All participants in the educational context-teachers, students,
parents, school administrators, and other staff-bring their culture belief, values, norms,
and social practices with them and differences in cultural backgrounds may produce
developmental variations in childrens cognitive, physical, and motor abilities, as well as
their language, social skills and emotional maturity (p. 264). Scholars in communication
and education have begun to document the many ways that cultural differences can lead

to dissimilarities in interpretations and expectations about competent behaviors for

students and teachers (p. 266).
Teachers have a unique and powerful influence on student interactions in the classroom
and beyond and have a particular responsibility to demonstrate intercultural
communication competence (p. 266). Those who prefer a more hierarchal relationship
between individuals will structure the relationship between student and teacher with
greater differences and even a teachers seemingly inconsequential personal preference
has the potential to create discomfort among students and their parents, often without the
teacher even knowing about it (p. 266-267). Cultural characteristics also influence what is
appropriate and effective communication within the classroom and shows what is
considered to be desirable and undesirable classroom behaviors (p. 267). Classroom
discussion and participation also vary greatly across cultures and cultural patterns directly
affect preferred ways to learn in the classroom (p. 268, 270).
Another key set of relationships in which competent intercultural communication is
essential is in the interaction of parents, and sometimes other family members, with
school personnel, including teachers, administrators, and others (p. 270-271). The value
of education differs from one culture to another, the importance of the students success in
school will vary and even the need for the customary parent-teacher conferences may not
make much sense to parents from cultures in which there is no expectation that will play
an active role in decisions about their childrens education (p. 271). There is a challenge
to develop ones intercultural competence and fulfill the promise that cultural diversity
brings to the educational context (p. 272). The intercultural challenges of communicating
in s differently language are also prominent within the educational context and the
starting point for developing intercultural competence is the educational context is to
understand ones own cultural background (p. 273).
Application
The educational context in Japan at times can be similar to that of the U.S. and at other
times dissimilar in many ways. It all just depends on how you loom at it and apply
yourself to the situation. The educational system is set up in way that show that it is very
important to the culture. Those who do well are rewarded and those who want to do well
but are not there yet are brushed aside. This is one the many issues that I would try to
address and change in my own future classroom in Japan.
Biblical Link
Keep hold of instruction; do not let her go; guard her for she is you life Proverbs
4:13. For me, even the bible says that you have to keep hold of instruction. Instruction in
turn comes from education, which in a sense the bible says that you also have to keep a
hold of. Without education, you will not be able to hold on to your instruction. That is
why it is important to guard both because you cannot have one without the other.