Intercultural Communications Test Two Study Guide

Why is religion important to culture?

• Answers the big questions

• Social control

• Relieves stress/shares burdens

• Globalization tends to be secular

• Increases in violence

• What are the similarities among the religions we discussed?

- "Golden Rule"

- The existence of a higher power or spiritual reality, and structured practices for devotion such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage.

- Other shared features include sacred texts, concepts of an afterlife or divine judgment, and similar

• What is valued in the Christian perspective?

• Community

• Individualism

• Doing orientation

• Future orientation

• Courage

• Heaven and Hell

• What is the oldest major religion in the world?

Hinduism

• What is the role of humanity in Judaism?

Act as partners with God inTikkun Olam(repairing the world) by upholding moral, ethical, and spiritual responsibilities.

Human beings are born neutral, with both a good or altruistic impulse (yetzer tov) and an evil or selfish impulse (yetzer ra).

• What is valued in Judaism?

• No divine humans

• Humans have free will

• Humans are the pinnacle of God's creation

• The goal is to serve God and improve the world

• We need to be obedient to God's will, the Torah and assume personal responsibility

• Learning is central

• Justice is to "assure moral treatment of all"

• What is the fastest growing religion in the world?

Islam

• What are the 5 pillars of faith?

1. There is one God, Allah, and everything proceedsfrom his will

2. God communicates with people through prophets,and Muhammad was the last prophet

3. Divine revelation is used to guide people

4. Angels are everywhere

5. There will be a final judgment leading to the afterlife

• What are the 5 pillars of practice?

1. Creed: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah"

2. Prayer: 5 times daily

3. Almsgiving: 2.5% to help Muslims in need andsupport the faith

4. Fasting: Ramadan

5. Pilgrimage: visit Mecca at least once in life

• What is niah and why is it important?

The Niah National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Famous for its massive limestone caves, archaeological findings (including 40,000-year-old human remains), and ancient cave paintings.

• Explain the two types of jihad.

- Personal/inner: the battle all individuals wageagainst their own baser nature

- Societal/outer: activities that defend Islam orfurther its cause

• What is Mecca, what happens there?

Mecca is the holiest city in Islam, located in the Ṣirāt Mountains of western Saudi Arabia.

It is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the destination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, attracting millions of Muslims worldwide who visit to perform sacred rituals, including circumambulating theKaaba, a black cube-shaped shrine.

• What is the Islamic belief of what happens when we die?

• Every person is followed by two angels who record every action (good and bad)

• There will be a Day of Judgment

• Each person will be judged

• Paradise or Hell depending on your life

• Who is the leader/founder of Hinduism?

Hinduism has no single founder or leader

• What are the veda?

The oldest and most sacred scriptures of Hinduism,

• What are the Upanishad?

The Upanishads are ancient Sanskrit philosophical texts

Literally meaning "sitting down near,"

• What is the Bagavada Gita?

The Bhagavad Gita, meaning "Song of God,"

A 700-verse Hindu scripture within the Mahabharata

Who/what is Brahman?

The ultimate, formless, and unchanging reality in Hindu philosophy, representing the supreme cosmic energy, consciousness, and essence that underlies all existence.

• What is Nirvana? What does it represent?

The ultimate spiritual goal in Buddhism and Indian religions representing the final liberation from suffering.

It signifies the "extinguishing" of the fires of desire, hatred, and delusion, resulting in supreme peace, wisdom, and absolute cessation of personal identity.

• What are the types of Yoga? Why are they important?

- Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, and Iyengar

- That combine physical postures, breathing, and meditation to improve flexibility, strength, mental clarity, and stress reduction.

• What is dharma?

A foundational, complex Sanskrit term from Indian religions referring to cosmic law, righteousness, duty, and the "way things are".

• What is reincarnation and what is its purpose?

The philosophical or religious concept that a nonmaterial essence—often called the soul or consciousness—survives physical death to begin a new life in a different body

• What is the caste system? How does it relate to Hinduism?

A 3,000-year-old, rigid social hierarchy in India that divides Hindus into four main hereditary, occupational categories, plus a marginalized group outside the system (Dalits).

• Know the basic rules and insights of Hinduism

Ethical living, karma , reincarnation, and pursuing four life goals: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.

It centers on the soul's evolution toward unity with the supreme reality through reincarnation, shaped by karma and guided by dharma.

• Who is the founder of Confucianism?

Confucius -- also known as Master Kong (Kongzi)

-Most influential person inAsian history

-551 BCE

-Teacher

• What is the goal/focus of Confucianism?

Create a harmonious and stable societyby cultivating individual moral character and promoting ethical behavior in personal and social relationships.

• What are the Analects?

-The text for Confucianism

-20 books

-Sayings, proverbs, etc.

• What are the five ideals of Confucianism?

-Humanism

-Perfect person

-Ritual-Power

-Arts

• What are the primary concerns of Confucianism?

Achieving social harmony, fostering virtuous character, and maintaining proper relationships.

• Be able to explain the basic ideas of humanist secularism.

A comprehensive, non-religious worldview that emphasizes human reason, ethics, and scientific inquiry over dogma or supernatural beliefs.

• What are the differences between spirituality, secularism and religion?

- Religion is an organized, communal system of beliefs and dogmas centered on the divine

- While spirituality is a personal, inward quest for meaning and connection with the sacred.

- Secularism, conversely, is the absence of belief in the supernatural, focusing on material, worldly, or rational perspectives.

• What are values?

Shared ideas about what is important/unimportant, right/wrong, fair/unfair, ethical or unethical

• What is important about cultural values?

Cultural Values: relatively stable and enduring, help protect the culture

• What are the functions served by cultural values?

- Identity

- Explanatory

- Motivational

• Define attitudes

Learned predisposition that influences our thinking patterns

• What are in groups and out groups? How are they determined?

- Us versus Them

- Ignorance of their norms and values can lead to fear

• Explain individualism

- Personal rights

- Personal achievement

- Personal needs

- "I"

Values of Individualism

-Freedom

- Honesty

- Social recognition

- Comfort

- Hedonism

- Personal equity

• Explain collectivism

- Group rights

- Ingroup rights

- Relational interdependence

Values of Collectivism

-Harmony

-Face saving

-Filial piety

-Equality of reward distribution among peers

-Fulfillment of others' needs

• What is power distance; how does it manifest in society?

The extent to which members adhere to the ideology of equal power distribution and the extent to which members adhere to unequal power distribution

• What is uncertainty avoidance and why is it important?

The extent to which members of the culture do not mind conflicts or uncertain situations or seek to avoid them

• Explain ambiguity and its role in society.

The presence of two or more possible meanings in a single word, phrase, or situation, causing uncertainty or multiple interpretations.

It is used in law to allow interpretation of contracts, in literature to create depth or poetic nuance, and in business/politics to offer flexibility or avoid commitment.

• What are feminine and masculine values?

- Social gender roles are more fluid

- Connection with ecological quality of environment

- People are supposed to be modest, observant, tender

- Gender roles are distinct and complimentary

- Men are assertive, masculine, tough andfocused on task and material achievement

- Women are modest, feminine, tender, concerned with quality of life

• What are the two components of masculine and feminine culture

- Gender egalitarianism

- Assertiveness

• Explain Doing orientation

Achievement Oriented

• Explain Being orientation

Emotional Vitality and Relational Connections

• Explain Being in becoming orientation

Focus on Spiritual Renewal and Regeneration

• Identify the 3 types of people/nature orientation

- Controlling/mastering nature

- Harmony with nature

- Yield to nature, subjugation by nature

• Know Minkov's monumentalism and flexhumility-what are the characteristics of each?

- Self-pride/promotion

- Consistent self- concept

- Absolute truth

- Absolutist cognition

- Religion important

- Interpersonal competition

-Lower value on education

- Difficulty adapting

- Suicide taboo

- Tipping expected / prevalent

• Explain the elements of Kohl's values Americans live by: what are they and how are they demonstrated?

- Personal Control over Environment

- Change

- Time Control

- Equality,

- Individualism/Privacy,

- Self-Help

- Competition

- Future Orientation

- Action/Work Orientation

- Informality

- Directness/Honesty

- Practicality/Efficiency,

- Materialism.

• What are Hall's high and low context orientations?

Describes how cultures differ in the amount of information that must be explicitly spoken versus understood through shared background, tone, or gestures

• Explain Hofstede's value dimensions

A framework for understanding national cultural differences across six key dimensions:

- Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism

- Masculinity vs. Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance

- Long- vs. Short-Term Orientation,

-Indulgence vs. Restraint

• What are tight and loose cultures?

- Refers to norms and tolerance

Represent the strength of social norms and tolerance for deviant behavior within a society

• What do we learn about our culture from history?

- Formal vs. informal government

- Sense of community

- Political system

- Key historical figures

- Geography

The primary historical lessons from Islamic

- Nomadic life=valuing poetry, language Lack of line of succession=split between Shiite and Sunni

- Seljuk Turks expand=pressure on Byzantium=Crusades

- Fall of Ottomans=western domination and fragmentation

The primary historical lessons from India

- Diverse terrain=variety of social groups, languages,etc.

- Rise of Buddhism and Hinduism=religious tolerance

- Raids by Muslims=enmity between Hindus and Muslims

- English colonization=social disparity, destruction ofearlier society

The primary historical lessons from Mexico

- Ancient, well-developed civilizations=pride in history

- Conquistador arrival=death and subjugation of native

-Colonization=implementation of rigid social system

- Mexican American War=loss of land and prestige, distrust

- Revolution=rejection of European model

The primary historical lessons from Japan

- Isolation=homogeneity= disscomfort with strangers

- Civil wars=desire for peace and structure=rigid castesystem

- Benevolent leadership=strong loyalty, discipline,sacrifice, conformity

- Labor intensive agriculture=cooperation, collectivist perspective

- Collectivist perspective=exclusion as punishment

- Devastation of WWII=pacifism, military only for defense

The primary historical lessons from China

- Recorded history covers 3500 years=value history

- Isolation=sense of superiority

- Large distances=creation of bureaucracy

- Forced by West to open=sense of humiliation, victimization

- Labor-intensive agrarianism=collectivist and patriarchal government

The primary historical lessons from Russian

-Large, northern territory=desire to curl up by hearth and socialize

- Large, open borders=war and persecution=desire for strong army

- Autocratic rule=acceptance of dictates and endurance of hardships

- Huge numbers of unwarranted deaths=sense of fatalism - State support of Greek Orthodox Church=support of arts

• What are the ongoing cultural challenges faced by these cultures?

- Immigration

- Ideological differences