International and Global Communication Summary (Lectures & Readings)
Week 1 Lecture
• Globalization: compression of time and space
How to understand each other (on a global scale)?
• Colors (universally labeled e.g., blue is the same in every country)
• Places
• Contextualization (to understand other people’s stories)
Classifying culture
• Geert Hofstede (1928-2020): culture is the collective programming of the mind
which distinguishes the members of one group to another
Hofstede’s cultural dimension (one way to classify culture)
1. Individualism vs. collectivism: the extent to which people feel independent (e.g.,
some countries are more individualistic such as the US)
2. Power distance: the extent to which less powerful institutions (e.g., family) accept
and expect power is distributed unequally
3. Femininity vs. masculinity: the extent to which the use of force is endorsed socially
4. Uncertainty avoidance: society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity
5. Short term/long term orientation: deals with change
6. Indulgence and restraints: good things in life
Issues with Hofstede’s dimension
1. Cultures as fixed entities: culture can in fact be changed as world is rapidly changing
2. Cultures as homogeneous entities: different region, different culture
3. Reinforcing stereotypes: e.g., Emily in Paris
• Stereotype: all people with particular characteristics are the same
World Values Survey (since 1981) – another way of classifying culture
, • Study/measure society every year
• 2 dimensions:
o Traditional vs. secular-rational values
o Survival vs. self-expression values
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
• Philosopher who wrote Novum Organum in 1620: system of logic defined as
Baconian method
Idols (Francis Bacon)
1. Idol of the tribe “False mirror”
• Tendency to project our human condition to the world
2. Idol of the cave “Echo chamber”
• Our culture, upbringing, and education define how we experience reality
3. Idol of the marketplace
• We believe our reason govern words
• Using words we don’t understand
4. Idol of the theatre
• Current fads influence how we see the world
• My experience is better than the facts
• Cognitive bias: mental shortcut used by human brains to simplify information
• Unacceptability bias: systematic difference in response rates
• Confirmation bias: when an individual looks for information to support their ideas
• Rationality: quality of being biased on clear thought or making decision based on
clear thought
Power of stories
• Understanding stories with rationality
• Type of stories:
, o Ancient stories
o Histories
100 most significant figures in history:
1. Jesus
2. Napoleon
3. Muhammad
4. William Shakespeare
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. George Washington
7. Adolf Hitler
8. Aristotle
9. Alexander the Great
10. Thomas Jefferson
• Blasphemy: irreverence toward something sacred or inviolable
o Disrespect towards something sacred
• Belief: conviction of the truth of some statement
• Cognitive dissonance: mental conflict that occurs when beliefs are contradiction by
new information
• Fairytale: involves marvelous elements (e.g., Cinderella)
• Legend: traditional story told about particular person/place
• Myth: symbolic narrative usually associated with religious belief
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)
• Discovered “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” led to the concept “Monomyth”
o Monomyth: all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story
4 functions of myth
1. Metaphysical function
• Awakens a sense of awe and wonder before the mystery of being
, 2. Cosmological function
• Explains how the universe works
3. Sociological function
• Gives a sense of belonging, validates, and supports the existing social order
4. Pedagogical function
• Guides individual through stages of life, connects us with people of the past who
encountered similar problems
Modern mythologies
• Icons: successful and admired person
• Hero: person admired for brave act or made sacrifices (e.g., Kim K can be an icon but
not a hero)
20th century icons
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) #46
• Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) #91
21st century icons
• Harry Potter (1997-2007)
• Kim K (since 1980)
• Super dudes (e.g., Thor)
• 100 most influential people of 2022
Building stories to explain the world
• Explaining the World I (Ubuntu): “I am because you are”
• Explaining the World II (Francis Fukuyama): “End of history” article
• Explaining the World III (Samuel Huntington): “Clash of civilization” article
• Explaining the World IV: we see the world with our own stories
• Explaining the world V
• Ideologies: system of ideas that aspire to explain and change the world
Week 1 Lecture
• Globalization: compression of time and space
How to understand each other (on a global scale)?
• Colors (universally labeled e.g., blue is the same in every country)
• Places
• Contextualization (to understand other people’s stories)
Classifying culture
• Geert Hofstede (1928-2020): culture is the collective programming of the mind
which distinguishes the members of one group to another
Hofstede’s cultural dimension (one way to classify culture)
1. Individualism vs. collectivism: the extent to which people feel independent (e.g.,
some countries are more individualistic such as the US)
2. Power distance: the extent to which less powerful institutions (e.g., family) accept
and expect power is distributed unequally
3. Femininity vs. masculinity: the extent to which the use of force is endorsed socially
4. Uncertainty avoidance: society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity
5. Short term/long term orientation: deals with change
6. Indulgence and restraints: good things in life
Issues with Hofstede’s dimension
1. Cultures as fixed entities: culture can in fact be changed as world is rapidly changing
2. Cultures as homogeneous entities: different region, different culture
3. Reinforcing stereotypes: e.g., Emily in Paris
• Stereotype: all people with particular characteristics are the same
World Values Survey (since 1981) – another way of classifying culture
, • Study/measure society every year
• 2 dimensions:
o Traditional vs. secular-rational values
o Survival vs. self-expression values
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
• Philosopher who wrote Novum Organum in 1620: system of logic defined as
Baconian method
Idols (Francis Bacon)
1. Idol of the tribe “False mirror”
• Tendency to project our human condition to the world
2. Idol of the cave “Echo chamber”
• Our culture, upbringing, and education define how we experience reality
3. Idol of the marketplace
• We believe our reason govern words
• Using words we don’t understand
4. Idol of the theatre
• Current fads influence how we see the world
• My experience is better than the facts
• Cognitive bias: mental shortcut used by human brains to simplify information
• Unacceptability bias: systematic difference in response rates
• Confirmation bias: when an individual looks for information to support their ideas
• Rationality: quality of being biased on clear thought or making decision based on
clear thought
Power of stories
• Understanding stories with rationality
• Type of stories:
, o Ancient stories
o Histories
100 most significant figures in history:
1. Jesus
2. Napoleon
3. Muhammad
4. William Shakespeare
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. George Washington
7. Adolf Hitler
8. Aristotle
9. Alexander the Great
10. Thomas Jefferson
• Blasphemy: irreverence toward something sacred or inviolable
o Disrespect towards something sacred
• Belief: conviction of the truth of some statement
• Cognitive dissonance: mental conflict that occurs when beliefs are contradiction by
new information
• Fairytale: involves marvelous elements (e.g., Cinderella)
• Legend: traditional story told about particular person/place
• Myth: symbolic narrative usually associated with religious belief
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)
• Discovered “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” led to the concept “Monomyth”
o Monomyth: all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story
4 functions of myth
1. Metaphysical function
• Awakens a sense of awe and wonder before the mystery of being
, 2. Cosmological function
• Explains how the universe works
3. Sociological function
• Gives a sense of belonging, validates, and supports the existing social order
4. Pedagogical function
• Guides individual through stages of life, connects us with people of the past who
encountered similar problems
Modern mythologies
• Icons: successful and admired person
• Hero: person admired for brave act or made sacrifices (e.g., Kim K can be an icon but
not a hero)
20th century icons
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) #46
• Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) #91
21st century icons
• Harry Potter (1997-2007)
• Kim K (since 1980)
• Super dudes (e.g., Thor)
• 100 most influential people of 2022
Building stories to explain the world
• Explaining the World I (Ubuntu): “I am because you are”
• Explaining the World II (Francis Fukuyama): “End of history” article
• Explaining the World III (Samuel Huntington): “Clash of civilization” article
• Explaining the World IV: we see the world with our own stories
• Explaining the world V
• Ideologies: system of ideas that aspire to explain and change the world
