Intercultural Communication

Definitional

According to Tubbs & Moss culture is defined as “ A way of life developed and shared by a people and passed down from generation to generation”. Because cultures are so vastly different, effective communication between different types of cultures is essential to being a collective group such as a city, state or country. The main things that make each culture individual is their rights that are associated with the culture, their values which are very often implied and lastly their needs which are very often needs that aren’t noticed or talked about. These three things make each and every culture different and give each culture their own unique identity. Identifying is essential when there are disputes, as humans we tend to identify with those who are similar with us and we tend to contrast or negatively compare ourselves to those who are different from us or who have different cultural backgrounds. As far as relationships between different cultures or different people within cultures, there is always a sense of reality that is deeply rooted in power relationships; this often deals with who is on top in terms of politics. An important thing to note when studying intercultural communication is the issue of stereotyping. Stereotyping is defined as a generalization about an individual’s connection with others, and they are typically culturally bound. The good things about stereotyping in intercultural situations are that they can very often help predict behavior as well as allow for some positive communication. They do however usually aggravate power relationships as well as help to create negative cultural norms. Stereotypes can be considered mostly a good thing however with some limitations. Also when studying intercultural communication mass migration and diasporas play a role when discussing the physical locations of a group of people. Mass migration deals with the displacement of a large group of people and diaspora is a scattering of people from their home land. There are 4 elements of diaspora they are the scattering of people which can be either voluntary or not but it must be to at least 2 locations, there must be some type of relationship to a homeland, the group being displaced must be aware of their similarities as a culture and lastly for it to occur there must be at least 2 generations going through the process. These topics are all considered important when studying intercultural communication which is studied mainly to recognize the difference between cultures and within cultures.

Application

For my application section I have chosen to link a clip from the movie The Last Samurai. This movie is a great example of intercultural communication because it tells the story of a man who was hired to train an army of a foreign country, was captured in the process and forced to work for the other side to tell their enemies secrets. Tom Cruise's character is quite hesitant when he first is captured and then the emotion really sets in and he begins to understand that he can communicate and relate with this new culture he is forced to reside with. He learns many things such as the specifics of non verbal communication in their culture because he cant speak their language so non verbal communication because a useful tool for him. He learns the power structure of the village that he is living in and realizes how men are the workers for the village and the women are meant to take care of the men. It is interesting to see in the movie how he interacts in the home is living in because he stays with a woman and her kids who have no father, during the time he spends there he uses only non verbal communication because he can't speak their language but nevertheless he is still able to convey his emotions to her and her family by gestures. Towards the end of the movie the woman who is taking care of him gives him her husbands armor to wear in battle and the entire exchange is done without speaking, this is an interesting scene to watch due to the heavy emotions as well as the intercultural and non verbal communication being used. During his time spend with the village I think he is able to truly determine the 3 things that make up the identity of the culture, he sees their rights associated within the village, he understands and adapts to their values and lastly but most importantly he is able to see their needs and do everything he can in his power to help achieve their goals.

Personal

For my personal application I would like to talk about my experience with intercultural communication back home in the international relations club that I was in at my high school. This club was mainly a politically driven organization however by looking beneath the surface it is not easy for me to see how much of a role intercultural communication played in many of our discussions. We often talked about issues such as problems in third world countries for example, we as a country have identified that these problems do exist in the world and the cultures are in need of our help, however because we are so tied up with other issues in other countries these have been pushed aside for the moment. Intercultural communication is essential to international relations because of the fact that we can not have relations with other countries internationally if we are not able to communicate in any way with people from those cultures. However by understanding things such as their rights, values and needs we are able to identify with that culture and help solve problems or assist in helping them obtain their needs. Furthermore by studying a culture to a certain depth we are also able to understand much more about their power structures which is one of the main things that we looked at in my organization-- various political power structures in countries around the world and how they are similar & different. By truly taking an in depth look at a society and by noting many things in regards to their intercultural communication we are able to further understand cultures that are different from ours and hopefully interact better with them in the future.

Mass Communication

Definitional

The mass media is a specific section of the media that is designed to communicate to a very large audience such as the public or a specific large group audience; television, radio or print media such as newspapers are great examples of mass communication. The phrase mass media was coined in the 1920s when these technologies were first introduced and began to be used on a much larger scale. Mass media has the ability to form its own society with its own unique audience usually being the group that will not be socially connected with the rest. The problem with mass media communication is that we become so accustomed to being in touch that when we finally lose that social connection that is provided for us we become much more prone to propaganda. One of the troubles when interpreting messages from the mass media is that it becomes hard to decipher what is true and false because of bias from the source as well as the fact that we don’t know specifically who is sending the message (on a personal level) and we don’t have a great understanding of how the message is mediated for its audience. Messages that are mediated differ from personal messages because the sensory input for the receivers is limited; this means we are only able to receive these messages from an indirect source (by reading, watching tv or listening to the radio). Another tricky thing with mediating mass communication messages is that the senders have very limited control over the sources of feedback as well as that the sources of mediated messages are either known in a very limited way (impersonal) or are only imagined. Wright has defined mass media communication in the following ways: the message is being sent to a large audience, the receiver is heterogeneous/diverse, the audience is anonymous, it is a rapid experience in a public manner and is constantly fleeting. He believes the source works through a complex organization, does not work well in isolation and that media and public are interchangeable terms. According to Tubbs & Moss there are three types of media: interpersonal meaning that you have control over your own audience, there is more power in the relationship and it is equally balanced. Network media is used to make connections (facebook, fax machines) and it is used to form a new social network of relationships. Lastly is mass communication, which communicates directly to a large audience, which is anonymous to the sender. The important fact to know about mass communication is the role it plays in society on a day-to-day basis. Technologies are improved everyday and are currently the most important tool for distributing the message to such a large audience. Institutions which are large scale entities that embody a range of social relationships and functions are created by human beings in order to perform essential functions in society (examples are the church, film or the internet). Lastly there are the cultural forms which are how the products and organizations of media technologies are structured with codes & signs and are made in order to express and better communicate our realities. Further improvements within the world of mass communication will depend solely on the humans ability to keep up with technology as well as to what effect they put these technological advances to use in their daily lives (Tubbs & Moss 550).

Application

The clip I have chosen as an application for mass communication is something I found online that I think shows some great examples of how the media is able to influence it's audience in many different ways. My generation has grown up with the same technologies that are around today and I feel this has drastically changed the way we are able to be influenced. With computers, more advanced print media, television and radio the media is able to portray just about any message they chose to any audience they chose and in many cases this can be an instantaneous transaction. One example I found interesting when watching this video was the photo of the cover of Star magazine that states, " Did Tom dump Penelope for Nicole?". This to me is a perfect example of how the media is getting into our heads and is able to create ways to interest the public and to convince them to buy the magazine, in actuality the average person really wouldn't care what Tom Cruise's love life is at the moment but because the media has made that information available to us we are drawn to it and in many cases people obsess over the everyday lives of celebrities. Along these lines is another example which is the cover of People magazine which states "Pressure to be Thin", this cover is an example of how the media has caused many people to relate to celebrities so much that they want to be just like them, wear the same kind of beauty products, dress the same and in some cases even try to make their bodies similar to celebrities. This has again been made available to us by the media because it sells their magazine and creates popularity over those kinds of issues. The media is not solely a negative thing but when not interpreted correctly or when not thoroughly looked into many people today fall into the media trap and end up being changed into someone they.

aren't.

Personal

For my personal application I have chose to talk about the role that the media plays in my life everyday as a college student and how it affects my life. I would consider myself like many other students today to be a fairly technological person and I think this slightly influences the way that the media affects my life. I grew up as a child watching television all the time, even as a young child the media influences our decisions. TV programs are made to help develop kids into respectable human beings and are aimed at teaching children good things at a young age and in a way that they can understand. This is what I would consider a positive effect of mass media communication but it is not always so. I never really noticed when I was a kid but I am not able to notice the fact that on television channels that are predominantly aimed at children there are commercials and advertisements that only relate to children. Toy companies develop commercials and advertisements that target kids in such a way that even if they can't go out and buy there product they will be watching TV, see a commercial for a toy they like and then immediately beg there parents until they buy the product. This is not completely negative because it is an example of good advertising but often times parents have to see through the advertisements from the media and convey that message to their child. Currently as a college student the media is around me all the time, I watch TV, listen to the radio when I am in my car and most prominently spend time on the computer. Pop up advertisements on the computer play a large role in trying to get teens to buy products or partake in scams as well as the new ads on popular social networking sites such as facebook or myspace. During the last presidential election the media played a large role in influencing the young vote by communicating issues that affect us and although they were often bias or false messages, these were proven to be effective during the election. The media is not always a negative thing in my life and I believe that the media will only play as big a role in your life as you let it.

Group Communication

Definitional

Small group communication typically occurs in a group of 3-12 people and takes place during the interactions because of the presence of the group. There are several types of small groups there are casual or social groups which usually include friends, family, neighbors etc, there are also learning or education groups which come together in an attempt to teach or lean something about a given subject. There are also work groups which are groups designed with specific goals to achieve within the context of a job. Lastly there are groups that are considered self directed meaning that they are formed naturally, usually have minimal supervision, weak leadership and everyone is considered an equal within the group (Tubbs & Moss 388). In order for group communication to occur there obvious has to be the group present but they must also have a purpose, the group usually then functions in the following manor: interdependence develops over time, the way the group communicates eventually becomes predictable, there is an emergence of roles and norms, the group begins to serve its function, the group should be rewarding for each member and lastly all members consider themselves as contributors to the group to be considered “in” the group. One of the most important factors that needs to be considered when dealing with small group communication is the group think factor, this is when a majority decision is made by the group without seeking any alternatives. This usually results in a poor quality decision when the group is under pressure or has to deal with a strict time constraint. The negative outcomes of group think extend to: the group not seeking alternative solutions, the members aren’t critical enough of each other’s ideas, they don’t seek out an expert opinion if it is available and they do not have a contingency plan. Groupthink can often be foreseen by communication experts because the tend to use the following trend: illusion of invulnerability (they think they are stronger than they are), the members begin to rationalize all decisions, the group shares stereotypes that guide their decisions, exercise pressure on other group members and the last symptom is usually that all opinions are sacrificed by the stronger voice who’s opinions usually result in the group’s decision. To avoid groupthink the group must first decide who the leader could be, divide the group into smaller groups if necessary, bring in outside experts, throw in the devils advocate for the sake of argument and lastly they must have more than one group meeting. By avoiding groupthink the group will most likely function smoother as well as be able to reach a much higher quality decision resulting in better group cohesion as well. What it all really comes down to is that if a group truly wants to be effective they must approach their decision in such a way that ensures commitment to the decision by all members of the group (Tubbs & Moss 418).

Application

Link to clip from episode of LOST:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cpp-XOBwt4

The application entry I have chosen to use fro Group Communication is a clip from the ABC show LOST. Although the clip does not appear to be group communication because only 2 people are talking it is an example of group communication. Before this actual clip started in this episode the group of about 9 was deciding whether or not it was appropriate to go out into the jungle at that time in search of Walt, a lost boy. The general censuses of the group is that they don’t really want to go because although it seems morbid, at this point they don’t think it is useful to look for him because he has been gone for so long. John Locke the bald man in the clip immediately takes on the role of group leader, by using propaganda saying that he saw Walt in a dream and that he needs to be saved it is much easier for the group to want to follow because they are emotionally touched by the group leaders experience. If John Locke had not taken the leadership position in this situation with the group most likely they would not have gone out to find Walt who is eventually saved. In all group situations a leader must emerge for the group to reach a quality decision, if this fails to happen the group may begin to travel down the path towards groupthink which will lead to a less quality decision.

Personal

For my personal application for Group Communication I am again going to relate this back to my theater experiences. As a stage manager I am constantly in a group communication setting, the cast sizes that I just recently dealt with was 9 actors with 3 faulty advisors and then separately a few designers. In my situation when dealing with group communication although it is not directly an education setting in a classroom I would consider college theater to be an educational setting. None of us are professionals yet and thus we are all still learning, this means that communication needs to be carefully worded so that no actors are offended by criticism but at the same time honesty is a big part of our job. When dealing with the cast I am the group leader (stage manager) dealing with all logistical aspects of the show, I did find it interesting that at the beginning of our experience I felt like it was a more formal setting and as the show went on and we became a much closer group, the setting became more casual and thus the communication varied. Our common goal is to put on a successful show which can be a stressful task, at times the group disagrees on common issues but in the end through mediation as the leader they are eventually resolved (hopefully by avoiding group think) and a successful show is put on stage.

Health Communication

Definitional

Human communication is categorized into five main categories: doctor-patient, parent-child, therapy, media (ads) and communication displayed on signs or logs. The purpose of studying health communication is to educate people how to be more effective when coping with diseases or other health related problems. If successful this would eventually save lives as well as improve the health of the general population. Because it is not the most obvious type of communication it is often referred to as a sub disciple of communication because it incorporates several types of communication that can be portrayed through various mediums. More specifically the things that contribute to health promotion and disease prevention are: doctor-patient, the individuals search for information, the individuals response to clinical diagnosis, public health campaigns, dissemination of health issues, visual images of health and the health care providers giving information. If these various promotions and preventions in health communication are successful, health communication is able to raise awareness to risks of diseases and solutions to those risks. Through the use of professional skills, prevention strategies and future implications, it may be possible to not only prevent the spread of various diseases but also help find cures to treat the people who are already infected. To allow ourselves to better understand these health concerns there are three models which have been developed: the planned behavior model which is born out of persuasion and portrays how we can think of behaviors, the health belief model which portrays how our behavior is completely depend on our vulnerability and lastly the stages of change model which deals with how we can specifically deal with a problem that has put us in a situation concerning our health.

Application

For my application blog I have chosen to use As The Band Played On as my model for health communication. One of the major things that appears in the movie is the mass media and the role that it plays in altering the general population’s opinion of the disease. Throughout the movie several clips from news stories are shown and are often blown out of proportion. The media felt that in order to portray the true danger of the disease they must make the story more interesting/appealing to the viewer. For example, in the beginning of the movie it was shown that AIDS was mostly appearing in gay males. The news stations took this possible fact and translated it into calling the disease gay cancer, this turned out to not only be false but also caused many problems within the gay community. Several other health communication examples were shown in the movie, for example the entire movie was focused around the research being done by the Center For Disease Control. This was an example of organizational communication between the doctors/researchers which where using horizontal communication to attempt to find a solution to the problem and then there was downward commutation between the manager figure of the organization who had to keep his researchers on task and prevent fighting that only got in the way of solving the problem. Doctor-patient commutation was also quite prominent and it was interesting to note that because the disease was proved to be so fatal it was quite difficult for many of the doctors to have to tell the patients that they were a positive match for the disease. Although there were several types of health commutation displayed in the movie I do believe that the most prominent example was media and the role that it played in mass commutation. The media was the main driving factor that led to each individuals perception of the disease which in turn altered their perceived threat and led to their action. According to the health belief model, an individuals likely action is based solely upon their perception of the diseased which is based upon their demographic, sociological, psychological and structural factors that lead to their perceived threat and severity. However, before the individual has decided on an action they are altered by the cues to action which mainly includes the media that can have a strong lasting impact before they decide if their action is likely. According to the Corcoran article, “ As with the criticisms of highlighted in the cognitive models, when dealing with the media people do not necessarily act in a rational or logical manner, and do not process information in a logical way” (25). Luckily in the end the team of scientists were able to correctly identify the disease even though no cure was developed. However I do find it interesting to note the way in which we communicate about disease now in our society compared to the past when not much was known about the vast amount of fatal diseases about and that today in our society we are able to much easier cope with them compared to other third world countries.

Personal

For my personal application I have chosen to discuss the way in which advertisements and drug companies have began to alter the way in which doctors treat their patients. We really can’t go a day without seeing some type of drug advertisement, whether it be on the TV, internet, billboard etc… Drug advertisements are everywhere and although we often notice them and immediately disregard them, they are changing the way in which the patient is viewed in the doctors eyes. Now a days doctors are so heavily influenced by incentives put forth by drug companies because there is a great deal of money involved in the pharmaceutical business. Personally I have encountered an experience when I have visited the doctor in search of medical health for an illness and been suggested a prescription that was outwardly suggested because it was currently “the hottest pill on the market”. Even the most basic medication such as cold or allergy medication is now seen as a commercial comity and will be pushed hard by the doctors because they know that the more they push certain medications the better their will be seen in the eyes of the drug companies. I do not think that this is particularly a good thing in the health industry, although it does promote the general well being of good health, it is being done in the wrong fashion. Doctors used to be individuals that you could look to in search of help, they are now being used by the drug companies (and mass media) as another medium to market medication for the sake of selling the pills rather than promoting the general well being of the patient.

Chapter 14- Organizational Communication

Definitional

By deffiniton organizational communication is “communication that occurs within the context of organizational culture” (Tubbs & Moss 468). Examples of an organizational culture could be businesses, clubs, religious organizations, military or really any social setting that has an organized chain of command. Within an organization there are usually different departments that all have different tasks as well as varying levels of authority. These components within an organization can include: individualism, power distance, dominance, time and uncertainty avoidance. Within these organizations Deal and Kennedy (1984) identified several different types of cultures: the “Tough-Guy-Macho” culture which usually occurs in high risk situations, the ‘Work-Hard-Play-Hard” culture which typically occurs in a business situation that focusses on sales as well as meeting the needs of the customer, “Bet-Your-Company” culture is also high risk but usually involves a large investment up front that will eventually be gained back over time, lastly is the “Process” culture which is both low risk as well as slow feedback and its main focus is on the process of the task that rarely gives feedback to its members, this type of culture would be heavily regulated environments such as the government or medical professions. Communication is absolutely essential within any type of organization and is often the number one sought skill when applying to any job, other skills that are deemed necessary when applying to a job are almost always various types of communication. Conrad (1985) believed that communication can be broken down into 3 main functions in any given organization: command is the essential coordination among the members of the organization, relationships often alter an employees job performance especially when it is crossing the lines of the chain of command, lastly the ambiguity management function whose outcome is clarity and explanation. Communication has been broken down into 3 main types that depend on the level of authority. Downward communication which occurs when a person who has a high position communicates with someone below them on the totem pole, upward communication occurs when someone of a lower authority communicates with someone above them such as a boss, lastly there is horizontal communication which occurs between people on the same level of authority such as co-workers in an office. Within all of these 3 types of communication it has been proven more effective to use a combination of oral and written messages such as email to communicate effectively with your boss, worker, or co-worker. Besides these types of communication between people in an organized setting informal communication can often be used and is proven to be both effective and ineffective depending on the message and situation. Rumors are often spread through word of mouth and most likely cause distractions in the workplace. Informal communication can also be good in some situations such as informal conversations relating to work, social activities that bond groups together or meetings with middle managers to help resolve issues between high and low end workers.

Application

For my application entry I have chose a clip from an episode of this season's show "The Office". The office is a great example of both the positives and negatives of organizational communication. Their office contains a hierarchical structure which starts with the low end sales representatives to their assistant manager, Michael the regional manager and then upward to their corporate office. Michael is in charge of their office and is a somewhat dysfunctional boss to his employees. In this episode he is returning from leave where he tried to start his own company. Upon his return he did not communicate effectively with his new and old employees and is then stuck in a conundrum that he has to lie his way out of by manipulating the situation. This is a negative example of downward communication however he does resolve the issue in the end. An interesting thing to note when watching The Office is the way in which Michael communicates to his employees, he uses very informal oral speech and very often deals with written forms of communication. This makes for a much more relaxed environment in the office, his casual fridays is an example of this. The other interesting thing to note in this episode is the way in which his employees communicate with each other in a horizontal communication setting. Because Michael communicates so informally this trickles down to the lower levels on the totem pole and often causes problems between his employees such as the conversation between Toby and Meredith about her outfit. Although the show is a comedy and is not meant to examine the levels of organizational communication it is really a brilliant representation of the good and the bad that occur as a result of organizational communication.

Personal

For my personal application of organization communication I have chosen to discuss my experience working in an organization culture and the communication used in that setting. The theatre is a great example of an organization that requires very precise communication because there are often many people involved each with their own task to complete. As the stage manager I am the middle man that is responsible for ensuring communication between my director, the assistant direction and all of our designers is clear and that my director's vision is fully conveyed in the technical aspect of the show. To ensure this is done correctly I often meet with my director in an downward communication exchange where he tells me his plans, I then hold a production meeting every Friday afternoon where our entire design team and directors are present, I put all of the topics into a schedule and we thoroughly discuss each topic and make sure that my directors vision is being conveyed but also ensure that it is technically possible with the materials we have and then check with our coordinator to ensure it is safe and doable for our actors. It is a very complex organizational structure because their is often communication across all levels of the organization and well as gossip that occurs and often hinders the performance of our design team.

The Nonverbal Message

Definitional

One of the most unrecognized areas of communication is nonverbal despite the fact that 65% of all exchanges are nonverbal. Nonverbal messages must be interpreted, the types of information that we receive through them must be understood as well as observing the interaction with the communicators that are using nonverbal communication. There are 3 types of nonverbal communication: verbal non vocal which involves words that are not spoken, nonverbal vocal which involves sighs or sounds made but there is no conversation, lastly there is non verbal non vocal which is the message you convey by your dress, face, hands and body appearance. These messages are conveyed through cues or hints that help to convey your message to the receiver. Nonverbal communication has three main purposes it can either: replace verbal communication, re-enforce or enhance it, or it can also contradict verbal communication. When looking closely looking at nonverbal communication one must understand the various studies that are under the umbrella of nonverbal communication. Kinesics is the study of the body movement usually referring to the head and face and the part that they play when used in a communication exchange. Similar to this is haptics which is the study of touch between the communicators. Oculesics is another study of nonverbal communication and deals with the study of eye contact. Eye contact is an extremely crucial part of nonverbal communication and deals with: regulating the flow of the exchange, monitors feedback, expresses emotion, communicates the nature of interpersonal relationships. Proxemics is another important part of nonverbal communication that deals with the study of space between each communicator. The study places various distances into categories that help to enhance each exchange: personal space (1.5-4'), intimate distance usually used for friends and family (18" or less), social distance (4-12') and lastly public distance used in large communication exchanges which is (12-25'). Besides the obvious parts of nonverbal communication there is the area of paralinguistics which deals with things beyond the basic language such as the quality of the voice, volume of the conversation, pitch & range as well as resonance. When dealing with the study of nonverbal communication it is important to note the difference between cultures and how their exchanges vary. Many cultures are considered high contact cultures such as many places in Europe. These cultures tend to touch each other more often, sit or stand closer to each other, make more eye contact, and speak louder (Tubbs & Moss 112). Low contact cultures tend to not touch each other when communicating, stand further away, use less eye contact and speak quieter (Tubbs & Moss 112). One of the most important uses of nonverbal communication in society is in the area of deception. People who are experts at studying nonverbal communication become very good at being able to detect deception through cues and hints given off by the sender.

Application

For my application I have chosen to link a clip of the Charlie Chaplin movie titles City Lights. This film is a silent film therefor it has an excellent display of nonverbal communication because they do not speak. Throughout the clip the viewer finds themselves truly studying every body movement that each character makes to convey their message as to how they are feeling and what exactly they are trying to do. Without the verbal message the nonverbal becomes the message and requires much more interpreting than just straight speech in a conversation. Because this film doesn't use speech it is very easy to understand how each character feels by their body language. For example towards the beginning of the clip when Charlie is walking down the street it is very evident he is not in a good mood and is most likely upset. We can come to this conclusion based on his body language: he is walking slowly, his head is down, sad expression on the face etc... Later on in the clip you can see the emotional shift when he visits the lady. His body language changes to be more upbeat and he begins to take part in an exchange with her by holding hands. It is interesting to note that before they held hands she pulled him in much closer to what would be considered an intimate distance. By watching silent films such as this it becomes much more apparent to us how much we rely on nonverbal communication to enhance our conversations as well as communicate our thoughts and feelings, sometimes while we don't even know we are doing it.

Personal

For my personal application I want to focus more specifically on one area of nonverbal communication that applies to my work in the theatre that I have found to be an essential part of any performance on stage. Whether most people realize it or not when they go to see a show on stage one of the strongest pieces of nonverbal communication being conveyed is the actor's costumes. Many would just consider them to be nice looking clothes that would most likely be worn by the character they are playing. However what many don't realize is the amount of time and thought that went into each costume idea specific to that character. Costumes do not only need to reflect what type of clothes their character would wear but they must give a deep insight to that character. Every little detail on a costume is there for a reason and is meant to help tell that persons story more efficiently. As an audience this is sometimes picked up on but for the most part the surface is only skimmed. Color choice is a strong and efficient way to communicate nonverbally with the audience and as a society we have our own set of established norms for the mood that each color conveys to us. Other things such as how formal the outfit is, sizes, fabric choice etc... All these things are used by costume designers in the area of performance theatre to help nonverbally communicate to the audience who their character really is and not just their choice of clothes but every little detail in between.

Communication and Gender

Definitional

To begin studying gender communication one must first understand the major differences between sex and gender. Sex is your biological makeup when you are born whether it be male or female. Sex is stable, unless you get a sex change but you still technically remain the same sex that you are born with. Sex is also seen to influence many laws or policies and it has the ability to normalize intimate interactions between people. Gender on the other hand, is socially constructed and learned over time. Gender defines whether you are a "boy" or "girl" according to society. Gender defines whether you act feminine or masculine and it is based on our norms that are put in place by society such as the influence of the media. We study gender communication to see how it evolves over time as well as see the positive and negative influences that the our norms put in place by society have on gender communication and discrimination. The overall scope of gender communication encompasses a system of social meaning that we have constructed to understand gender communication as an organized way to study how gender communication affects our daily encounters. Gender communication also affects our personal identity because it alters our own perception on how we see ourselves. According to Lugones & Spelman (1983) their are 3 actual reasons that we student gender communication: to see how parts of one's life fit together, to locate oneself concretely in the world and lastly to enable one to think about the extent to which one is responsible for being in a particular situation at a given time. Gender communication studies have further gone into detail to notice the changes of the norms such as how women were once seen as being the ones who would stay at home and cook & care for their family, now a days our norms have changed so women are seen as being able to stay at home or go out and work in just about every field of work that men are able to. These different types of actions we associate with male or female are called social roles- "a set of behavior patters that define the expected behavior for individuals in a given position or status" ( Stewart 23). Studying all the specifics of gender communication makes it easier to notice the differences between male and female communication behavior but much more importantly by studying gender communication we are able to provide more accurate descriptions of human interaction as a whole rather than the effects of just male and female communication (Stewart 34).

Application

This clip of That 70s Show that I have chose to use for my gender communication application is a great example of a friendly interaction between friends (male & female) as well as how the different sexes discuss the same exact topic in a very different way because of their gender. Technically speaking because they are discussing the same topic there is no reason as to why the two sets of friends would be able to have the discussion in the same manner. The pair of females that are located in the top portion of the video are obviously friends who are discussing the relationship of one of the males located in the lower portion of the video. I found it interesting how the actual choice of words in the conversation are so different, the males are using what society could see as "bro" language or language that two guys having a conversation about girls would use without girls around. It is likely that if the girls were present in the same room they would use different word choices as well as perhaps try to present themselves in a different manner. The girls are using their equivalent to "bro" talk which appears to be a much more gossipy form of conversation that once again would be a completely different conversation than if the guys they were talking about were there in the room. This conversation is a great example of the findings of Jacklin and Maccoby (1978) in which they discovered that there are two categories that gender differences exist: verbal versus the visual-spacial as well as aggression. The aggression seems to be more present in the guys conversation because thats normally a "guy" thing to do in conversation which is very different that the girls more "gossipy or ladylike" conversation. It is interesting to study various applications of gender communication over time because it does change greatly, for example it is unlikely that this clip of a modern day TV show could be seen on a TV show that aired in the 1940s because the norms established by society were much different than those that exist today.

Personal

For my personal application of gender communication I chose to focus on the effects that gender communication and discrimination have played a role in my life. Because I am heavily involved with the arts I have noticed the stereotypes that society has placed as the norms for what males involved with the arts should be like. For example for the past few years I have been involved with theatre and it is a common stereotype that males who do theatre are homosexuals. It is not uncommon that many of the males who are involved with theatre so happen to be gay but because many of them are it becomes the norm for society to portray that everyone who does theater must be gay just because thats what society sees. Furthermore because the population of artistic males is so much less than that of males involved with business or scientific fields, society seems to associate a stereotype with artistic males. Society seems to see them as "less grounded" due to the nature of their work. This is most likely associated with the nature of their work being much more abstract that that of a male who is found working in the business work field. The study of gender communication helps to understand why these stereotypes are put into place and how these societal norms will change and evolve over time.