Interesting Concepts in this Course

There were some interesting concepts that were brought to light in this class. Some I took for granted and I was not aware it had a specific name. I found the concept that anthropologist Ruth Benedict pointed out, “we are the products of our cultures,” (Trenholm, pg 343) to be interesting. Culture is something that is very hard to shed and it functions out of awareness. We live in a global world and fail to realize how our cultures influence what we say and do. It is important to realize that cultures are neither better nor worse, they are simply different. We share basic similarities such as love, family, friendship and joy that are common among various cultures. Communication is strongly influenced by our culture and we need to become more conscious of it as we communicate. The textbook gave some good examples on how people from different cultures can misunderstand each other. After reading the text, I came to realize how much culture can influence what we say and how we say it!!
Here is a link I provided earlier for those who missed on culture’s influence in communication:
The God's Must be Crazy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66pTPWg_wUw
Another concept I found interesting was nonverbal communication. So much of what we don’t say influences what we do say. Our facial expressions, voice projection, emotions, habits, body language, clothing and touch can sometimes mean more than our words. Trenholm gave some good examples of how nonverbal communication affects what we say. I didn’t realize how I communicate verbally is affected by my different nonverbal cues such as how I dress, my expressions and body movements.

For those who missed it in my post from last week, is a link to a hilarious British comedy called “Mind Your Language,” it shows how different cultures communicate in an English class and their varying perspectives influenced by nonverbal cues!!
1. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1038032130269325008#docid=-3160152744456346475
2.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6737881634317446434#docid=1038032130269325008

Ch2: What to Look for When Observing Communication

I found Hymes list of things to look for when observing communication useful, (Trenholm, pg38). When observing communication for my journal entry, I found the task to be a little overwhelming at first. I was also uneasy about observing strangers without their knowledge, an ethnographer’s dilemma!! Hymes says it is important to consider the situation where speech takes place, because our communication and what we say or do varies with the environment. For example, our talk at the beach would be different from one at a restaurant or work meeting. We have to consider whether the communication is casual, serious or stressed based on the situation. I agree with Hymes on the importance of knowing who the participants are, observing the act sequences, the tone or spirit (keys) with which communication is done , the instrumentalities (channels) used and the norms regulating the communication and the genre.
However, I do not agree with him about observing the outcome of an interaction until the end. In my opinion, private conversations should not be observed and if they are, the ethnographer should quit before the communication ends, so the people who are being observed are left with some privacy in the end.

Is Communication a Game?

The pragmatic perspective focuses on how people play the communication game. Communication can be thought of as a patterned interaction, since it takes at least two people to interact and can become patterned over time if we continue to interact and behave in a predictable way. It is like a game because communication has goals, rules, challenges and interaction that are found in games too.
While games are over in a short period of time, communication is ongoing and builds on what has been laid down before. Another factor that differentiates communication and games is that communication is influenced by culture, where as a game of chess or soccer does not have cultural influences on how it is played. Cross-cultural communication is very difficult if you do not understand what offends or pleases the other party, since rules are not written down. Lastly communication considers the personality of the person we are communicating with and the context, but when we play a game it is played with anyone and not necessarily based on the personality of the players, for example a basketball game or a video game.
When communicating with someone we need to consider the social and emotional aspects too and understand the consequences of what we say verbally or non verbally. We each have our own unique ways of communicating with others and interpret our interactions in varying ways!!!

“Building Worlds through Communication”

We “build worlds” using communication tools provided by our cultures, they are language, beliefs, attitudes, values, roles and rules. Our culture influences how we communicate with each other and what roles we will play. Communicating the right message in the right way can be the key to building successful relationships. According to Trenholm (pg 31), “we must take our parts in the social drama our culture has laid out for us.”
In the American culture people are encouraged to speak freely, because freedom of speech is a right. This is not the case in the Asian culture, where freedom of speech is not always a right in public and usually not so for women. Asians consider the interests of others and the implications of what they say or do upon their family and society. Their communication puts the interest of a community ahead of the individual unlike the west, so Asians are forced not to dream for themselves. Thoughtful and self-disciplined silence is often valued above speech and verbalizing thoughts in Asian cultures.
However, times are changing and as people become educated, they are beginning to decide for themselves what is right and not allowing their culture to influence what they say or do. Not everyone in a culture may view the actions of speech and disclosure in a culturally normative way. Each individual’s communication behavior will differ based on that individual’s experience and other factors such as acculturation, environmental influences, personality, and participation in cultural sub-groups.
Here is a link to a hilarious British comedy called “Mind Your Language,” it shows how different cultures communicate in an English class and their varying perspectives!!

1. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1038032130269325008#docid=-3160152744456346475

2. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6737881634317446434#

Ch 13: Ghost of Thomas Jefferson

I found the part about the Jefferson affair very interesting. Why are the modern depictions of Jefferson distorted, what do we gain by hiding the affair? Bradford Vivian's view on the Jefferson affair, that it has been framed as a romance to satisfy our desire to humanize and cleanse his memory (cited in Trenholm, pg 377) was something to think about. Why is the affair kept in mystery, is this because Hemings was a slave? The media have portrayed a different Jefferson, a rhetorical act that has influenced what the public have come to believe.
In my opinion, the media have played on the public’s memory by twisting the story to their advantage. I think we need to look back at the time this happened and the context. It may have been the norm for a white slave owner to have affairs with the slaves he owned. Our fascination with such sensational stories is what keeps the media going in producing films, novels and documentaries!!

Moral Dilemmas Facing Ethnographers

A moral dilemma facing ethnographers is trying to be conscious not to affect the data by placing their values and assumptions on it. Since ethnographers observe behavior and practices in other people, they have to be careful about putting their prejudices on to the observations. It is human tendency to naturally judge and categorize people based on outward appearance and behavior. I think ethnographers need to become more mindful when processing information and be active listeners while conducting their research.

Another dilemma facing ethnographers is whether to conduct their research covertly or overtly. If they go “undercover” and observe subjects without their knowledge, ethnographers may feel that they are essentially deceiving their subjects. If they are found out then it raises the issue of trust. On the other hand, if they take on an overt role, subjects are aware of being observed and may alter their behavior accordingly and cause results to be biased. In my opinion, ethnographers need to decide which approach is best suited for the research and work accordingly.

Finally ethnographers face the dilemma of having to make sure that they make accurate observations. According to Trenholm, the key to resolving this is by taking accurate and insightful observations and recording everything in field notes. They need to write down their own feelings and interpretations too, so that it can be used in analyzing the data. I think ethnographers should gather results from a large sample pool to avoid errors and make sure these results can be repeated if conducted again.

The Most Interesting Research Method

Ethnography seemed to be the most interesting research method for me. Observing behavior in a natural setting without imposing our values or assumptions on the data is an appropriate method to conduct research, in my opinion. This type of research method makes you not only hone your observation skills, but also learn more about nonverbal communication. Unlike surveys that give you the answers, you have to come to conclusions based on observations, so it forces you to be involved. I also like the idea that as an ethnographer you can observe people covertly (undercover) or overtly (in the open), (Trenholm, pg 379).
In order to study some aspect of deception, you can use ethnography and observe unobtrusively to learn more. A research question I would frame is:
“How do infomercials using popular stars convince consumers to purchase their products?” I think at some point in our lives we have all purchased something that was promoted by a popular star, only to regret it later!!!
I would use ethnography to covertly and overtly study consumer’s behavior in purchasing a particular product that was promoted by a star. I could also use Rhetorical Criticism to see how deception in communication affects consumers, because it uses, "a systematic way of describing, analyzing, and evaluating a given act of communication" (Trenholm, pg 373). I can use content analysis to study how the content of infomercials and their frequency affects purchasing habits of consumers!!