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1009IBA Communicating Across Asia: Semester Essay
Due: 10am, Friday of Week 8
Length: 1,500 words (+/-10%) including a 250-500 word Critical Refection
ESSAY FOCUS: Values, Change and Diversity in Communication
Intercultural communication flows most smoothly when we understand the values that lie behind differences in communication. We also need an appreciation of how values change over time in society, and how they differ according to people’s positions in society. This essay is designed to sensitise you to values and value change in an Asian context.
Choose one of the questions below. All questions are to focus on ONE Asian country of your choice, but it must be one other than your own. If you have lived most of your life in one country but your parent/s identify with another Asian ethnic identity you may focus on that country.
As a general rule, it is wise to narrow your focus as much as possible so as to avoid trying to discuss too much and only being able to deliver a superficial/descriptive coverage as a result. You will be in a better position to demonstrate your analytical skills by examining a ‘smaller’ problem in-depth. Similarly, where the question of societal/cultural change is to be addressed, try to focus on recent history (e.g. 1950s onwards). This is an opportunity to examine one Asian country in depth.
QUESTIONS:
1. What has been most responsible for altering or sustaining ONE specific role, ideology or practice constituting part of the ‘traditional family’ in X country?
2. To what extent do beliefs in the devil/ heaven/reincarnation (or other religious beliefs) continue to shape daily life and affect communicative behaviour in X country?
3. Evaluate the McKinsey’s 2012 report Women Matter: An Asian Perspective debate between cultural and structural arguments concerning gender diversity in management, illustrate with a focus on X country.
4. What are the dominant values associated with masculinity and/or femininity today and to what extent has this changed since the 1950s in X country?
5. Evaluate the transformative impact of any particular form of popular culture in terms of value change in X country.
6. Evaluate the extent to which a particular historical event has shaped specific cultural values in X country.
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The following appendices provide further guidelines. Please read these carefully.
APPENDIX 1: RESEARCH
The semester essay requires two types of research: data obtained from ‘field work’ (primary research) and collection of data (i.e. books, journal articles etc) from library databases and catalogues (secondary research).
The ‘field work’ involves conducting an interview, preferably with a classmate, and making observations of the interview. The following is a guide for conducting the field work and writing it up as an essay.
1. Choose an essay question of most interest to you. Within this essay question there is room to narrow your focus to a particular country and area (e.g. particular value, role, practice, religion, context etc depending on the question you have chosen). As a general rule, it is wise to narrow your focus as much as possible so as to avoid trying to discuss too much and only being able to deliver a superficial/descriptive coverage as a result. You will be in a better position to demonstrate your analytical skills by examining a ‘smaller’ problem in-depth.
2. Locate a person to be your interviewee, preferably a 1009IBA classmate or other Griffith University student, from the Asian country that you have selected. Ask your interviewee to set aside half to one hour in which you would like them to tell you about themselves, family and their culture. The interviewee will need to sign the consent form located in the Assessment folder, L@G and this must be retained by you and destroyed at the end of the semester. Reassure them that if they are not comfortable with any question or the interview itself they do not have to respond and that they may terminate the interview at any time. You will need to ask permission to take notes during the interview or to record the interview. If permission is not given you will need to take notes from memory immediately after the interview.
Social science has a tradition of anonymity, of not revealing the identity of the people you interview. You must make this clear to the interviewee. Do not use your interviewee’s real name, even in your notes. Do give your interviewee a pseudonym or simply refer to them as ‘interviewee’. When you do the interview, reassure the interviewee that you will not be recording their name or passing on their name to anyone else, that the interview material will be treated as confidential and used only for this assignment.
3. Read about the culture and society of the country that your interviewee comes from. Pay particular attention to areas most relevant to your question. Many Intercultural Communication and Cross Cultural Communication textbooks (in the library) contain brief but useful material or case studies on specific countries and they will also likely assist you to identify course appropriate areas/theories/concepts to narrow the focus of your essay and strengthen analysis. Textbooks are a good place to start your research and they may provide lists of recommended readings at
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the end of the chapters. In addition, search the library catalogue for ethnographies on their target country and for journal articles on family life, social change and so forth in that country.
Background reading is required to enhance the understanding needed to formulate astute questions and analyse your interview (more information will be provided on this in class and Learning@Griffith).
4. Formulate a series of questions to ask the interviewee.
(a) Social background questions. It’s important to gain some idea about where your interviewee stands in the society from which s/he comes: their ethnic (cultural) background, age, education level (selves and parents), relative income level, rural or urban background, religiosity, and occupations of those in the parent’s generation. This information helps you interpret responses to your questions on values and therefore, where relevant (only), should be incorporated into your analysis (rather than being written up into a separate section, which is a more descriptive approach).
(b) Value and Value change questions. Prepare questions pertaining to your particular essay question, which focus on or reflect values that are important. Ask about differences between your interviewee’s values and their parents’ values regarding these areas, and about what may account for the difference (or similarity). Keep in mind the description of people and value change in that culture based on your reading – this will help you design questions and also allow you to critique the perspective, accuracy or thoroughness of the written reports.
5. Conduct the interview, paying particular attention to the need for close observation and listening skills. In addition to recording interviewee’s responses for your essay, observe and reflect on the interview itself. Think about elements such as the environment or location you chose, the verbal language, silences, the body language of the interviewee, your responses to misunderstandings, your relationship with the interviewee and so forth. How might your style of communication have impacted on the interview and in retrospect what might you do differently in the future and why? You might contextualise your observations and reflections by considering these in light of relevant theoretical material discussed in the course. The application of theoretical ideas to better understand and explain what happened in the interview provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of key course themes or concepts, and your analytical skills by shifting the discussion from description to analysis. Your reflection on the interview process and your communication skills constitutes a separate section (i.e. ‘Critical Reflection’) in the essay, before or after the Conclusion.
6. Write up your essay examining the evidence in the case you analysed for a change in values over time in the “target” country and also examining the similarities and differences between what you read and what you learned from your interviews. Show how your interviewee’s answers illustrate values and value change.
Be sure to state an argument or thesis AND an essay plan in your introduction. The plan outlines how your argument will be developed (e.g. initial theoretical discussion/outline of concepts, main areas of evidence, case study discussion etc).
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When you make generalisations from your case (e.g. “the younger generation expected parents to have less say in their choice of partner”), be sure to illustrate this with excerpts from your interview. Introduce your excerpts by saying something like, “For example, Ms X’s mother always told her that…” or “Thus Amin complained that his parents put too much pressure on him to….,” and so forth. The interviews provide some of the evidence for the conclusions you draw. Your reader wants to take a look at that evidence and see how convincing it is. At the same time, you need to demonstrate your analytical abilities by explaining and/or interpreting the interview and literature findings. Do not rely on quotes or literature summaries to make your point for you, rather they should be used in such a way as to back up your argument. In so doing, the material becomes incorporated into your discussion.
Note that interviewing just one or a few people does not give you very reliable findings. Your interviewee cannot be regarded as representative of the entire population, so avoid sweeping statements about all people from that culture or co-culture.
Your written paper should include the following:
1) a brief introduction (including a statement of relevance or clear indication of the focus of your project; argument or thesis statement; essay plan)
2) a brief profile of your interviewee (e.g., age, nationality, ethnicity, gender, reasons for coming to Australia)
3) if relevant, a brief description of your interviewee’s preferred self-identities, identity shifts (see Jackson) and sense of belonging in the new environment
4) if relevant, a brief discussion of your interviewee’s struggles and triumphs in an unfamiliar land (e.g., culture shock and adjustment, identity awakenings)
5) your analysis (e.g., relate your interviewee’s experiences to ideas and theories presented in the texts and your further research)
6) conclusion (summarize the key findings used to support your argument)
7) your critical reflection in a separate section before or after the conclusion (e.g., evaluate the interview: what worked well and what did not; try to explain, why. Discuss what you have gained from carrying out this project with regard to your intercultural communication skills and new ideas about preparing for or making the most of international/intercultural experience)
Pay particular attention to 5 and 7 (your analysis and critical reflection). In your analysis, be sure to include short excerpts from your interview to illustrate and provide evidence of important points.
Recommended reading: Jackson, Jane 2014 Introducing language and intercultural communication, Routledge, New York, chs 6 & 7. (ebook available from library)
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Important points to consider in researching and writing your essay
The purpose of your essay is to explore in depth a topic in intercultural communication that is of particular interest to you, applying what you are learning in the course.
1. Draw on appropriate readings (e.g. articles, book chapters, books, websites), which: describe research on the selected topic; summarise the findings of several studies; or analyse the nature of the topic itself. Any of these and perhaps other forms could contribute to the development of your essay. Your readings should include a minimum of six academic sources that are directly related to your topic.
2. In the introduction provide a clear statement of YOUR argument (in no more than one or two sentences) and a concise essay plan (i.e., an outline of your main points, those that constitute the making or evidence for and development of your argument– its basis). Generate interest in your topic; consider using an initial statement of relevancy. In the body of your paper, avoid a catalogue style of review. That is, try to show that, even when authors have been focusing on a common theme, they have given it individual treatment. Attempt to integrate your summarisation of these reports, and bring your critical and analytical thinking to bear on the literature you have chosen. Use paragraphs beginning with topic sentences to guide the reader. Strive for clarity and conciseness in your writing.
3. Provide a concluding paragraph in which you tie what you have written to the thesis statement (argument) you articulated at the beginning. The conclusion should be concise, precise and relevant.
4. Your paper should provide evidence of critical reflection. This is highlighted, but not restricted to the final section of the paper that explains what you gained from doing this research in terms of your own cultural knowledge and intercultural (communicative) competence.
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APPENDIX 2: FORMAT
Students MUST do all of their own fieldwork and retain a copy of their handwritten field notes &/or audio recording until the end of semester for submission to course convenor if requested. Failure to produce this evidence of fieldwork will result in a fail for this assessment item.
The Title Page must include:
1. course code and name
2. student name and student ID
3. full essay question
4. a word count exclusive of the ‘References Cited’ list and any footnotes.
The text of the essay must be:
1. double spaced and 12 font
2. text pages must be numbered
3. an empty line (return/enter) must separate paragraphs, rather than indenting the first word
The referencing style for this course is Harvard. A style guide can be found in the GBS Resources folder on Learning@Griffith.
References Cited list must begin on a new page and contain all (and only) the references cited in the text.
The essay will be assessed on:
Content and argument—evidence of research, familiarity with material, effective use of sources, integration of interview material, understanding of the concepts and issues, strength and logic of argument; and
Presentation—structure of the essay, standard of English expression, punctuation and grammar, effective and correct use of citations, title page, list of references
Additional information will be provided in the Week 6 lecture and in the Assessment folder.
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APPENDIX 3: ESSAY QUESTIONS FURTHER EXPLAINED
1. What has been most responsible for altering or sustaining one specific role or ideology (e.g. maternal role/motherhood, fatherhood, eldest son) OR practice (e.g. ancestor worship, circumcision, division of labour, dating practices) constituting an aspect of the ‘traditional family’ in X country?
Select a) a country and b) a specific familial role, ideology or practice, based on your interest and collection of adequate resources (i.e. academic books and journal articles).
From the literature identify whether there has been any change over the past 50 years or so. Has the change been significant or minimal?
o How do you know—where / what is the evidence?
What factors are likely to have contributed to the change or lack thereof?
A strong response will evaluate a range of relevant factors (e.g. factors likely to facilitate change may include urbanisation, migration, science, economic development, poverty, affluence, communication technologies, media, popular culture, political environment, international political activism and advocacy of non-government organisations. Factors likely to reinforce existing roles, ideologies and practices may include religion, social values or structures such as hierarchy and respect for the elderly, perceptions of cultural threat, historical tensions).
2. To what extent do beliefs in the devil/ heaven/reincarnation (or other religious beliefs or practices (e.g. priest’s blessing of objects, regular attendance at religious institution, religious festival) continue to shape community life and affect communicative behaviour in X country.
In answering this question, consider demonstrating that the belief shapes community life and communicative behaviour by breaking it down into sub-questions such as the following examples:
How does the belief manifest within the community (e.g. through dress, symbols, rituals or other practices)?
o What/where is the evidence that the belief exists?
What values or ideas are communicated to others through the expression or manifestation of the belief or practice
Evaluate the social impact of the belief or practice. Does the belief/practice impact on the whole community equally or are there differences between particular social groups or sectors (e.g. age, gender, urban/rural)?
In terms of religious practice, it may be useful to consider and possibly differentiate between, spirituality and social custom.
A strong response will pay particular attention to the question of measuring social impact. Consider issues regarding evidence (e.g. how strong or pervasive is the belief?
Consider evidence to the contrary. How might you gather evidence to support your argument? It is likely you will want to illustrate your argument with very specific examples. Can these be generalised?) Also consider the ways ‘impact’ might be defined.
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3. The report Women Matter: Gender diversity, a corporate performance driver suggests that ‘companies where women are most strongly represented at… top-management level are also the companies that perform the best’ (McKinsey 2007, p.1). The report’s focus is on institutional or structural barriers inhibiting the rise of women in management. In contrast, McKinsey’s 2012 report Women Matter: An Asian Perspective emphasises cultural arguments to explain the lack of gender diversity in top management. This perspective is in broad alignment with the work of Geert Hofstede and others who focus on differences between feminine and masculine values in leadership. Evaluate this debate between cultural and structural arguments concerning gender diversity in management, with a focus on one Asian country to illustrate. Pay particular attention to questions of social change and assumptions concerning the universality of values.
You could tackle this question in a number of ways, but you should demonstrate understanding of the differences between structural and cultural explanations for gendered representation in management and leadership styles. On this basis, develop YOUR argument: which explanation (or combination) is the most persuasive and appropriate in explaining your selected Asian case study? Evaluate the strengths AND weaknesses of both sides of the debate.
You might also consider the reasons for the different approaches in the two McKinsey reports and evaluate those reports (and other reference materials). Are stereotypes perpetuated or an ethnocentric orientation evident? Is the evidence for the assertion of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ values adequate and are the terms appropriate? Are there any problems incurred in using these terms?
4. ‘Femininities’ and ‘masculinities’ describe gender identities that are shaped by socio-cultural processes—not biology. Cultural ideas about what constitutes appropriate feminine and masculine behaviour are shaped in part by observations of what men and women do. What are the dominant ideas about gender identities and their associated values in X country today and to what extent have these changed since the 1950s? Account for the changes and/or continuity.
You might find it helpful to start by reading ethnographic work on the country of your choice from the 1950-1970s or works that examine gender from a historical perspective. Try to identify social expectations and stereotypes of gender roles pre-WWII, pre-colonialism, pre-socialism, pre-affluence, or pre-Islamisation of society or other political shift relevant to your country. Have such factors been the agents of change? Conversely why might particular values or behaviours be resistant to change?
Consider possible objects of ‘observations’; how might we come to understand dominant ideas about gender. The representation of gender in advertising, parenting practices, gendered language usage or education and employment patterns may be useful areas to explore. It might also be useful to think about diversity within gendered identities (i.e. there are many forms of femininity and masculinity) and resistance to dominant ideas (e.g. compare rural and urban expectations of gendered roles/behaviours, the difference that age, class, caste etc makes. Youth culture or sub-cultures may foster alternative visions of masculinity or femininity and thereby highlight what is perceived to be dominant).
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What are the particular values expressed in the roles, activities or behaviours regarded as specifically appropriate for a man or a woman in X country?
o Are they representative of an ideal or tradition?
Have the values changed—and how do you know?
Are new values reflected in new types of roles and social expectations? Or, do behavioural changes (e.g. women entering the workforce, engaging in further education) continue to reinforce the same values, but perhaps in different ways (e.g. gendered work i.e. women are encouraged to enter the nurturing professions while men are encouraged to enter the sciences and engineering)?
Try to recognise your own assumptions and stereotypes. In some East and Southeast Asian societies women have always worked and been in charge of family finances. Wearing the veil for some women may be a marker of status. In egalitarian Southeast Asian societies men share child rearing responsibilities though this may be reduced with industrialisation and urbanisation. Masculine status may be expressed in reserved communicative behaviour and conversely in contrast the repertoire of appropriate feminine behaviour may include the expression of overt ‘dominance’ and ‘aggression’.
5. Evaluate the transformative impact of any particular form of popular culture in terms of value change in X country.
You might consider baseball in Japan, manga in Indonesia, anime in Australia, Korean soap operas/cinema in Hong Kong, Japanese pop music in Taiwan, Japanese fashion/design in Korea, gaming in Korea, karaoke in Japan, fast food, sushi, internet dating sites. Watson (1997, chapter 2 of Golden Arches East) outlines a great many value changes resulting from the introduction of McDonald’s in Hong Kong.
A strong response may include a consideration of definitional issues such as what is ‘popular culture’ and the difference between change and transformative impact. How might this be measured? Is transformation or change uniform throughout society? Why/why not?
You might also consider the possibility that the particular form of popular culture may reinforce rather than transform societal values. The impact of the same popular culture might be quite different in another country (e.g. reading manga might be mainstream in Japan but regarded as subversive in China, rap music in Burma may be an overtly political act while something quite ‘harmless’ in the Philippines).
6. Evaluate the extent to which a particular historical event has shaped specific cultural values in X country.
Consider forces of change, which might include war, socialist victory, experience of the atomic bomb, colonialism, aspects of globalisation such as mass migration, rapid economic growth, extended periods of poverty, extended period of political stability.
A strong essay might also consider forces of continuity (e.g. religion, family beliefs, customs and practices, geographic or political isolation). Take care to consider questions of evidence (e.g. are the ‘facts’ clear or are reasonable assumptions made on the basis of limited information). Provide clear examples to illustrate and support your argument.
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