Unit 5

Unit 5 has a lot of information. It touched an a lot of problems that causes a lot of a break down in intercultural communication. It talks about stereotyping, prejudice, and racism. All of these topics cause tension when intercultural communication takes place. Many of them can be applied when you are not even aware that you are doing it. Our book also talks about ethnocentrism. This is when we see our culture as superior and above everyone else. The book also tells us that one of the most important things in intercultural communication, is knowing ourselfs. We also need to learn to have empathy towards others and their cultures. Another thing that we need to do when communicating with other cultures is learn how to adapt our views and realize that they are not always the only ones.

Unit 4

This unit had a lot of information. It touched on so many interesting subjects. It was interesting to read about how different cultures do things differently when it comes to business dealings. It was also interesting to read about how culture influences education. I guess that I have never really looked at school as a means of "passing history and traditions from generation to generation" (Samovar 256). I just always saw it as something that we did everyday to gain knowledge to prepare us for the workforce, not for a place to learn our cultural traditions. In chapter 10, we learned about how different cultures deal with medical conditions. This was very interesting. I think that Americans have a combination of Scientific/Biomedical System and the Alternative health care system. Most of us believe in going to the doctor and taking their advise and medications that they prescribe. We also believe in prayer. Many of us also try different vitamins, seek counseling, and try relaxation techniques. All of the information that we learned in unit 4 was very interesting.