For this assignment, you will create your own list of co-cultures with which you

Question

For this assignment, you will create your own list of co-cultures with which you identify and then write an expository essay explaining how these cultural groups influence your communication with those who may be outside of your co-cultures.

To begin your Assignment, think about the co-cultures with which you identify. For example of co-cultures by a woman named Anna who identifies herself as an American, a Native American, a Navajo, a Midwesterner, a married woman, a mother, a lawyer, a person with a yearly income of over $100,000, and a Catholic.

As you think about your co-cultures, think about the following questions:

1. To how many cultural groups do you relate?

2. Does one take prominence in terms of personal importance?

3. Would you be comfortable limiting yourself to only one co-culture?

4. Why/ why not?

4. How we describe ourselves and the groups that we identify with is a significant aspect of understanding intercultural communication since we do not belong to just one cultural group. It is also important to note that culture is not just a racial or ethnic designation.

Once you have identified your co-cultures, you can begin writing your expository essay explaining how these cultural groups influence your communication with those who may be outside of your co-cultures. Your essay must include the following:

1. List the co-cultures you identify with and would use to describe yourself.

2. Explain which co-culture is the dominant one; the one you would use to describe yourself the most.

3. Explain why you would or would not be comfortable limiting yourself to one co-culture as a description.

4. Briefly explain how these co-cultures might influence your communication with those outside of your co-cultures,

Explanation / Answer

> The cultural groups I relate to are American, a son, a married man, someone with a low annual income, patriotic, successful baseball player, party animal and a Christian.

-> Yes, one of the cultural group takes prominence, however, most of it is situational. At the end of the day, the cultural group I most relate to is the fact that I am an American who loves to party. My social and outgoing nature is dominant and I use this (party-animal) adjective with me most of the times.

-> There are different situations in a day and I cannot limit myself to one cultural group. For example - When I am at work I need to focus on my work and stop thinking about being a party animal. As described above, the dominance of each cultural group is dependent on the situation. If I start limiting myself and act with characteristics of just one cultural group, sooner or later I will run into troubles.

-> The co-cultures have a strong influence on my communication with those outside of my co-cultures. My sports-loving side ( baseball player) and outgoing (party lover) side try to keep convincing others to try both even if they do not belong to such a cultural group. Further, my cultural groups lead to the formation of judgements and perceptions about people outside of my co-cultures. For example - Anyone who is not as outgoing as me is a boring person and does not know how to live life to the fullest. These perceptions and judgements again influence my way of speaking with them. Sometimes I am not so open to people who are outside my co-cultures as I feel a little awkward discussing things others do not relate to.

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