MSU as an International University: Communicating Across Cultures

1
MSU as an International University Communicating
Across Cultures

• Peter Briggs, Director
• Office for International Students and Scholars

2
MSUs International Community

• 3,315 international students
• More than 130 countries
• More than 50 come from 5 countries Korea,
  India, China, Taiwan and Japan
• 1,250 visiting international faculty
• All are legally guests in the U.S.

3
Our Changing World

• The world of the future will not resemble the
  world we know. Could my father have foreseen the
  internet? What is next?
• Mass communication, mass transportation and the
  globalized economy The world is coming together
  with more frequency
• More frequency means more contact and more
  opportunity for misunderstanding

4
Setting a Context

• International students present great
  opportunities to learn about the world. Their
  sacrifices to pursue education are inspirational
• They also take more time and their issues are
  often more complex
• It is understandable that they bring their
  culture with them
• Part of being an international university means
  interacting with a growing number of
  international students

5
Preparing for the Future

• We need to develop appropriate skills to survive
  in this changing world
• Humankind adjusted to the wheel, steam engine and
  computers
• We must also adjust to understanding cultural
  differences as an increased part of daily life
• Any training starts with self awareness of our
  culture

6
MSU is an International University

• Largest study abroad program in the U.S.
• Teaching of less commonly taught languages
• There are many other indicators that shows MSU to
  be among the top international institutions in
  the U.S.

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What is MSU Doing to Internationalize?

• Accreditation issues
• Internationalizing the curriculum
• Faculty development
• More foreign languages
• Hosting a significant number of international
  students is one part of a larger mission to
  internationalize the university

8
What happens when people from different cultures
meet?

• Contrasting greeting rituals
• -Kiss?
• -Bow?
• -Shake hands?
• Contrasting values and beliefs

9
What are Cultural Differences?

• Non verbal behaviors Culture is in our muscles
• Beliefs and assumptions we take for granted as
  true and are often out of our awareness Culture
  is a learned way to see the world common to your
  group
• The world is something we perceive through our
  lenses and people often perceive things
  differently
• This is difficult to talk about because we dont
  really teach it we teach written language

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Understanding Ethnocentrism

• Humans create cultures that determine right
  ways to do things
• The right way to do things in one culture might
  be different in a different culture
• There is no problem if one never leaves his or
  her own culture everyone knows

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Intercultural Encounters

• Problems only come up when one encounters someone
  who is not from their own culture and there is no
  longer a shared assumption about the right way.
• Intercultural communication is needed to judge
  others from a different point of view and not
  hold people from different cultures to the same
  expectation

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Assumptions that are Often in Contrast between
Cultures

• Individualism or collectivism?
• Change or tradition?
• Materialism or spiritualism?
• Informality or formality?
• Orientation to the future or the past?

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More Cultural Contrasts

• Doing or being?
• Proud or humble?
• Egalitarianism or social hierarchy?
• There are many more

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Contrasting Communication Styles

• Linear or circular
• Direct or indirect
• Attached or detached
• Procedural or personal

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How Does This Play Out Every Day?

• We evaluate others based on our own perceptions
  of what is right
• When we tolerate ambiguity, we have less
  certitude on right and wrong
• This can lead to a loss of confidence if my way
  is not the right way, what do I know?

16
Open Discussion

• How can we be a healthy international community
  when we face so many cultural differences every
  day?

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Strategies for Handling Conflict Across Cultures

• Denial or suppression
• Power or authority
• Third party intermediary
• Group consensus
• Open confrontation