Current Research Projects:
1) RANGE (NSF Growing Convergence Research)
2) Green Growth and Sámi Stakeholders
(Research Council of Norway)
3) Award-winning Research Group OU CHEPS
Questions for Discussion and Activities
Week 1:
1. What are the four areas and 15 elements of the expanded S&V framework?
2. What theories explain the differences between high and low context cultures?
3. What are the main differences between the high and low context?
4. How do Dutch and Belgian participants differ in their perceptions of ads?
In-class Activities:
Theoretical Reflection and Case Analysis
Read the assigned articles on how high- and low-context cultures influence communication behavior. Based on your reading, identify and explain which characteristics of media channels or communication messages you consider most representative and important for creating effective communication in different cultural contexts. You may justify your choices using real-world examples from advertising or PR campaigns that illustrate either high-context or low-context strategies.
Week 2:
In-class Activities:
Personal Communication Reflection
Reflect on your own communication behavior in light of Hall’s, Hofstede’s, and other cross-cultural theories. Do you find their country-based classifications accurate when applied to your personal style of avoiding or managing uncertainty in communication? Support your analysis with specific examples from your personal, academic, or professional experiences. Try to outline the main patterns of your communicative behavior using the conceptual framework provided by the assigned literature. How do your communication choices align (or not) with the cultural norms described by these theorists?
Week 3:
In-class Activities:
Interpretive Commentary:
Discuss how the two theories help clarify the cultural logic behind practices such as hierarchy, directness, task-orientation, or turn-taking in meetings. Are there examples in the articles that seem to challenge or complicate the theories?
Critical Reflection:
Reflect on your learning: What insights did you gain about culturally conditioned communication? Were there aspects that seemed ambiguous or unexpected to you, based on your own cultural assumptions?