# data[].attributes.body
WEEK 1
The Joy Luck Club - Meet the Parents scenario was recommended to us. In my opinion, from the video, we can see how cultural communication is very important in our lives. For me, learning about various cultures allows us to gain a better understanding of the world we live in. It aids in the elimination of negative preconceptions and personal biases towards various communities. People should appreciate various cultures because we live in a diverse world.

Richard appeared to be disrespectful to Waverly's parents at that scene. If he truly intends to marry Waverly, he should have done his research, beforehand. Cross-cultural marriage is complicated, but it is possible. Richard is clearly devoid of basic sense. In front of Waverly's parents, he does things that are not acceptable by other cultures. We are trained to have good manners, especially when it comes to food. We can see how rude of Richard to criticize the cookings in front of the parents which make a very bad first impression towards him.

# data[].attributes.body
WEEK 2

We were exposed to the 'Interaction in a Multicultural World'. Based on the discussion and the slides given, I got the opportunity to learn about what intercultural communication is all about. Besides that, I also learned about culture. From what I understand, culture contributes to afeeling of familiarity. In fact, one of the 'obligations' of all cultures is to assure that their members share many of the same experiences. Therefore in my personal opinion, i believe that intercultural communication or communication between people from different cultures is not new
It occurs when people's cultural views and symbol systems differ sufficiently to influence the communication event. When connecting with others, you must give them your undivided attention in order for them to feel comfortable speaking with you.

You also need to be aware and respectful of cultural differences. You are directed by an 'unspoken' and written set of rules and regulations that guide your relationships with the rest of the world as an individual. In this context, people of various ethnicities, nationalities, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and so on are all examples of cross-cultural communication. Cross-cultural communication can also be defined as the exchange, negotiation, and resolution of cultural differences through language, gestures, and body language. It is one of the ways the way different cultures engage with one another.

ref:
1. Appiah, K. A., Taylor, C., Habermas, J., Rockefeller, S. C., Walzer, M., & Wolf, S. (1994). Multiculturalism.

# data[].attributes.body
GLOBALIZATION - IN GENARAL

The phenomenon by which the experience of everyday life, as impacted by the transmission of commodities and ideas, reflects a standardization of cultural manifestations around the world, is known as cultural globalization. Globalization of culture promotes the sharing of cultural values and the blending of traditions from many countries. Cultural globalization, on the other hand, is defined by the convergence of corporate and consumer cultures across countries and the expansion of worldwide communication.

Globalization in the US
The United States has always been a multicultural society in various aspects. Immigrants from all around the world have settled in the United States. Globalization has permitted the near-instantaneous transmission of commodities and ideas, resulting in greater cultural diversity among Americans than it has ever been. Not only that, based on my readings, this has resulted in a higher level of cultural interchange that has influenced the art world.

Globalization in Malaysia
Malaysia is a multicultural nation. The dominant ethnic demographics are native Malays, as well as significant numbers of Chinese and Indians. When traveling through the country, it is clear that ethnic communities have kept their beliefs, customs, language or dialect, and even the way of life intact. The family is seen as the social structure's focal point. As a result, solidarity, loyalty, and respect for the old are highly valued.

Malaysian culture is a mash-up of numerous customs that have been passed down through generations. Each ethnic group continues to practice its own culture and traditions, while some rituals and traditions have become more colorful and enriching as a result of intercultural marriage and assimilation.

The Malay language, often known as Bahasa Malaysia, is Malaysia's national language. Despite the fact that Malay is the official language, English is widely spoken, and other vernacular languages such as Mandarin, Tamil, Iban, and Dusunic are also spoken by the various groups.

ref:

1. Robertson, R., & White, K. E. (2007). What is globalization. The Blackwell companion to globalization, 54-66.

# data[].attributes.body
CULTURE OF THE WORLD

A country's culture encompasses more than just how its citizens carry out their customs—it encompasses a full way of life, communication, norms, and values that define how society is formed.

Globalization opened up the world, allowing individuals from all over the world to enjoy the benefits of other civilizations. People can acquire new languages and incorporate other cultures from around the world into their daily lives, resulting in a new way of doing things.

Different cultures around the world have unique methods of doing things that others may find unusual. Traditional cultures that have their roots in ancient civilizations stand out from a global perspective.

As a result, culture provides a lens through which we can perceive and understand the world, and hence contributes to the formation of our unique experiences. Cultural differences in communication and information processing might lead to possible conflicts or obstacles in our constructed surroundings.

I strongly believe that different societies have different cultures, all over the world. Even some might look like you, but their cultures may vary.

reff:

1. Boli, J., & Thomas, G. M. (1999). Constructing world culture: International nongovernmental organizations since 1875. Stanford University Press.
2. Shamir, R. (2011). Socially responsible private regulation: World‐culture or world‐capitalism?. Law & Society Review, 45(2), 313-336.

# data[].attributes.body
THE DEEP STRUCTURE OF CULTURE - LESSONS LEARN FROM THE FAMILY

The ideas, beliefs, sentiments, and attitudes connected with a particular country or culture are referred to as 'deep culture'.

In the recorded lecture, we were exposed to what social institution is all about. Social Institutions are the group that members of culture turn to for lessons about how to live their lives. There are three factors that are influenced by the social institutions which are family, state and religion.

We begin to construct our identities as a result of these three institutions. The institutions work together in harmony to preserve the wisdom, traditions, and customs that distinguish one culture from another. A culture's deep structure can lead to ethical and cultural clashes all over the world. When cultures' viewpoints and social systems are incompatible, they tend to conflict.

I strongly agree that to live a life, these three institutions play important role to shape a person. For example myself. I speak Kelantanese dialect because my family has taught me to do so since I was a kid.

# data[].attributes.body
CONTINUE - STEREOTYPES

Gender stereotypes are labelled into two:

1. Male Stereotypes
- Assess the tendency to view financial, automobile, and house repair obligations as being the duty of men. People who have a high score on this dimension expect the male in a heterosexual partnership to have classic masculine characteristics like self-confidence, aggressiveness, and logical acumen. The perfect person for such folks is usually physically robust and tall.

2. Female Stereotypes
- Assesses the belief that women should be in charge of child care, household housework, and other domestic responsibilities. People who score well on this dimension expect the woman in a heterosexual partnership to exhibit classic feminine characteristics such as tenderness, empathy, and care. The ideal woman is generally physically thin and graceful to such people.

In my opinion, I strongly support that this inequality or 'judgment' to stop. This is because, as a woman myself, for example, it keeps women and their families trapped in cycles of poverty. Women can prosper when they have access to better education, healthcare, and career possibilities.People who are treated fairly and given equal opportunities are better equipped to contribute to the community's social and economic growth and success.

# data[].attributes.body
HOFSTEDE'S CULTURE DIMENSION

Today, we are going to talk about Hofstede's research. Based on my understanding, Hofstede believed that people in individualistic societies are expected to care only for themselves and their immediate families, whereas people in collectivist cultures see themselves as members of larger groups, including extended family members, and are expected to take responsibility for caring for one another.

As a result, he focused on culture in modern countries in this study, identifying four characteristics of cultural values: individualism-collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity-femininity.

According to him, he differentiates the group of people by putting them into categories which are:

1. People in collectivistic and individualist societies
2. High and low power distance societies
3. High and low uncertainty avoidance cultures
4. Masculine and feminine cultures
5.  The teachings of Confucius
6. Societies with a short-term orientation foster more present- or past-oriented virtues

Therefore, to conclude this idea, I can see that Malaysia is using the high distance power distance culture whereby inequality is more prevalent in high power distance societies, and they are more inclined to accept it without inquiry.

# data[].attributes.body
EXCHANGING IDEAS THROUGH LANGUAGE

Our ability to express ourselves through verbal communication allows us to address a variety of demands. We use verbal communication to ask inquiries that give us with precise information in terms of instrumental needs. Verbal communication is also used to describe things, people, and ideas. We can use verbal communication to inform, convince, and entertain others, which are the three main goals of public speaking, as we will see later.

Language's ability to express our identities differs. People are normally at ease with the terminology they use to describe their own identities, but they may struggle with the labels placed on them by others.

Language is very universal. For example, even if I have not been to Japan, but I can say that I understand certain words they are saying since I spend most of my time watching Japanese Dramas. Here, we can see that language has unite two nations together.

# data[].attributes.body
STEREOTYPES
From the meetings we did yesterday, I believe that cultural stereotypes are both descriptive and prescriptive in nature- they reflect perceivers' shared ideas about the target group's traits while also serving as societal expectations.

All intercultural processes are built on stereotypes, a cognitive mechanism that affects people's attitudes and behaviors toward members of other groups, as well as their various forms of intercultural contact and opinions.

However, looking at the past research and case studies, i can say that stereotypes in intercultural education is challenging, even until today. The researchers mentioned and have devised a plethora of characteristics that allow for the comparison of various cultures.

OVERVIEW COLLECTIVEVISM VS INDIVIDUALISM

Individualism and collectivism are two different cultures. Collectivism is defined as a country that prioritises the goals and needs of the collective. Where they place a greater emphasis on the community. As a result, individualism is more focused on the individual. They are more concerned with self-sufficiency here. Malaysia, Japan, India, and a number of other countries practise collectivism. Individualist countries include the United States, New Zealand, Germany, and a slew of others.

reff:

1. Hui, C. H. (1988). Measurement of individualism-collectivism. Journal of research in personality, 22(1), 17-36.
2. Triandis, H. C. (2001). Individualism‐collectivism and personality. Journal of personality, 69(6), 907-924.

# data[].attributes.body
PREJUDICE

Definition: Prejudice is a judgement or opinion about someone based solely on their membership in a certain group. People may be biased against someone of different ethnicity, gender, or religion, for example.

Prejudiced communication can be found almost anywhere. sexist jokes on the internet, coworkers relate outrageous stories about cross-cultural relationships, and children witness their parents' disgusting facial emotions.

However, prejudice can be bad and good. Based on my readings, prejudice is learnt and serves a multitude of purposes for those who retain it. Prejudice has four functions:

– The ego-defensive, which permits people to have prejudices while denying that they have bad feelings about a group.

- The utilitarian function, which allows people to feel that their prejudices lead to a favourable conclusion.

- A value-expressive happens when people perpetuate bias in the idea that their behaviour exemplifies the culture's highest moral values.

– Individuals may categorise, organise, and construct their perceptions of other people in a way that is sensible, even if the perception is incorrect.