Understanding Intercultural Communication

Book excerpt: Written in a conversational style, this book introduces students to the foundations of intercultural communication, a vibrant discipline within the field. Authors Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva Chung take a multicontextual, inclusive approach that balances international and intercultural communication issues against U.S. domestic diversity issues. In addition to emphasizing a value-oriented perspective on intercultural encounters, the text contains a robust ethical chapter, complete with specific guidelines that will help students become ethical intercultural communicators. By integrating current empirical research with lively intercultural examples, the authors ask thought-provoking questions and pose ethical dilemmas for students to ponder. The text offers a sprawling treatment of such topics as ethnic and cultural identity change, culture shock and intercultural adjustment, romantic relationships and raising bicultural children, global identity challenges, and decision-making choices in intercultural ethics.NEW TO THIS EDITION: * Two new special features, Blog Pic and Blog Post, which update all the photos and poignant personal stories found throughout the first edition * A greater focus on the impact of technology on intercultural communication message exchange processes * An updated discussion of multiracial and biracial identity in Chapter 4 * Updates to the popular Jeopardy Boxes BL More than 250 new references * Live-chat, a special boxed feature, which emphasizes the importance of adaptive code-switching in managing intercultural misunderstanding via lively dialogue SUPPORT PACKAGE FOR INSTRUCTORS: An Instructor's Manual / Test Bank that contains more than 500 pages of original exercises, activities, up-to-date media resources, classical and contemporary film lists, sample syllabi, and paper assignments. A password-protected Companion Website that features the Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint lecture slides, a Student Success Manual, and links to supplemental material and films.