Expanding knowledge of different cultural traditions
It is my pleasure to have worked with thousands of students face-to-face and online through the years. I consider this book’s readers to be part of that group and have received many questions and comments from them via e-mail that have helped improve each edition. Thank you for reading this book and for participating in this learning community to appreciate and to become more effective in intercultural encounters.
New to the 10th Edition
The world has changed dramatically in the past few years: Attitudes toward immigration and refugees, attitudes toward gender identifications, awareness of social class identity, and awareness of religious identity are just a few of the changes our society has experienced in recent years. As in previous editions, these major regulators of human life are the core themes that run throughout the book.
The chapter content has been updated throughout to address current international developments and communication challenges, such as the relationship between DNA testing and cultural identity, negotiations between North and South Korea, the refugee experience in Europe, and the introduction of the idea of “glocalization.” Additionally, I have removed the dated terms subculture and subgroup and replaced them with community, added coverage of nonbinary gender identities, and rewritten the chapter on nation-state cultures (Chapter 6) to highlight the objections and alternatives to Hofstede. Chapters 2 and 3 were significantly reorganized to move intercultural communication competence and ethics earlier in the text and to have barriers to effective intercultural communication, perception, and an extended discussion of high- and low-context cultures follow.
Pedagogical Features
Many of the most successful features from previous editions—those that really enhance student engagement and learning—are still here, updated for the new edition. These include the following:
Focus on Skills boxes that challenge students to apply the key concepts they have learned in each chapter to a “real-life” intercultural communication scenario
Focus on Technology features that explore contemporary examples of intercultural communication on the Internet, social media, and mobile devices
Focus on Theory boxes that call students’ attention to communication theories
Focus on Culture features, which help students understand cultural practices within their own and other cultures
Global Voices boxes that use brief, provocative quotes to introduce students to a range of perspectives on global intercultural communication
Learning Objectives at the start of each chapter that identify what students should expect to know or be able to do after engaging with the chapter material
Charts, graphics, and photos that convey information in a visually engaging way
Maps that help readers better understand the geographical and cultural locales discussed
Case studies of specific cultures that connect key concepts to real-world examples
Discussion Questions that spark in-class conversation and encourage students to reflect critically on what they have learned in each chapter
Glossary with Key Terms highlighted in each chapter
Author’s Note
The production of this edition was concluding as the COVID-19 situation was developing, hence the pandemic is not mentioned in this edition. The author recommends that faculty work with students to consider the impact of COVID-19 on nonverbal communication and on U.S. relations with China, both having been affected by the pandemic.
Acknowledgments
Through the years, many people have reviewed previous editions, and I have thanked them in each and every edition. That list has grown so that I can only thank previous reviewers collectively and list the new reviewers for this edition. This group of reviewers has provided extensive critical comments that have made this the best possible edition.
Donna S. Acerra, Northampton Community College
Mo Bahk, California State University, San Bernardino
David Bashore, College of the Desert
Kay L. Colley, Texas Wesleyan University
Joseph A. DeVito, Hunter College, City University of New York
John Dyer, Becker College
Meredith Marko Harrigan, SUNY Geneseo
Catherine Levitt, College of the Desert
Megan E. Morrissey, University of North Texas
Andrea Ané Pearman, Tidewater Community College
Shawn Queeney, Bucks County Community College
Anne Randerson, California State University, San Marcos
Aimee Richards, Fairmont State University
Jeremy Walden, Auburn University
Zuoming Wang, University of North Texas
Ralph Webb, Purdue University
Over the years, the professional staff at SAGE has done so much to make this book such a success. Matthew Byrnie, associate director, guided the revisions for the seventh and eighth editions with sensitivity and foresight. Lily Norton, communication acquisitions editor, enthusiastically took over that role for this new edition. Jennifer Jovin-Bernstein, content development editor, shepherded the project through production and supervised the development of the digital materials for this edition. Sarah Wilson provided needed and much-appreciated assistance throughout manuscript development. Thanks to Melinda Masson, copy editor for this edition, and very special thanks to Tracy Buyan, senior project editor, who guided this manuscript and others for me through the production process with such experience and attention. The team at SAGE has done so much to make this edition the best, and I am deeply appreciative.
About the Author
Fred E. Jandtwas born of second-generation German immigrants in the multicultural south-central region of Texas. After graduating from Texas Lutheran University and Stephen F. Austin State University, he received his doctorate in communication from Bowling Green State University. He has taught and been a student of intercultural communication for more than 40 years, developing his experience through travel and international training and research projects. While professor of communication at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, his reputation as a teacher led to his appointment as SUNY’s first director of faculty development. He has retired as professor and branch campus dean after having been named outstanding professor. He has also been a visiting professor at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. He has extensive experience in the areas of intercultural and international communication, negotiation, mediation, and conflict management. He was one
