5.5 Glossary Assignment for e-portfolio

5.5 Glossary Assignment for e-portfolio
 Portfolio exercise #5



These words are very important for your Cultural Diversity course and exam.

In teams,

• Download this glossary
• On your iPad or laptop create a Keynote or PowerPoint Presentation
• Choose images to explain each concept
• Do Not put the definition on the slide
• Grades:  C = 15 minimum; B = 20-21; A = 26-27 

GLOSSARY

Cross-Cultural Communication - (also referred to as Intercultural Communication) is a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds can communicate successfully and avoid conflicts.

Culture - The shared values, norms, traditions, customs, food, arts, history, folklore and institutions of a group of people.

Culture Shock - A state of distress and tension with possible physical symptoms after a person moves to an unfamiliar cultural environment.

                                                                                       

Discrimination (verb: to discriminate) – Any action that denies opportunities to a person on the basis of their race, gender, age, religion.  The term 'glass ceiling' describes the process by which women are not promoted because of an invisible barrier. Positive discrimination-Giving more opportunities to people who were discriminated against for a long time.

Diversity – Diversity concept means understanding that each individual is unique because of race, ethnicity, gender, economic status, age, physical abilities, religious and political beliefs.  Some of these characteristics cannot be changed e.g., age, gender, race.  Those that can be changed include educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, and work experiences.

Ethnic Group - Group characterized by cultural similarities (shared among members of that group) and differences (between that group and others). Members of an ethnic group share beliefs, values, habits, customs, norms, a common language, religion, history, geography, kinship, and/or race.

Ethnocentricity  (adj: ethnocentric) - the belief that one’s own culture is better than other cultures which are criticized and looked down upon.

Expatriate - Someone who has left his or her home country to live and work in another country.

Global Culture - One world culture.  Elements of culture that are shared by most cultures/countries in the world, for example Starbucks.

Glocal = Global + Local

Harmony (Social Harmony) – Peaceful co-existence of people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Human Rights - Human rights refers to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans irrespective of countries, cultures, politics, languages, skin colour and religions are entitled to.

Immigrant (migrant) – A person who leaves his/her own country to leave permanently in another one.

Indigenous People – People native to a particular territory, for example The Bedouin in the UAE.

Integration/Assimilation (verb: integrate/assimilate) - The bringing together of people of different racial or ethnic groups in society or an organization. For example, many colleges have an integration day for new students when they meet their older colleagues.

Multiculturalism (adj: multicultural) - A belief that people from different cultural and ethnic groups can live in peace without losing their distinctive cultural (and religious) identities, for example Australia or Canada.

Nation - A group of people sharing a language, (religion), history, territory, government.

Nuclear Family - is a household consisting only of parents and their children as distinct from the extended family where many relatives live together.

Peer Pressure - the influences that people of the same rank, age or group have on each other.

Prejudice - Over-generalized and oversimplified negative beliefs about a group of people.  These beliefs are not easily changed and are often irrational. For example: “Women are too emotional, so they don’t make good managers”.

Racism  (adj: racial) – Disliking other people because of their skin colour or ethnic group. Apartheid is an example of wide scale racism. It was a system of racial segregation used in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s.

Refugee – A person who is forced to leave their own country because of war, political oppression or religious persecution.

Reputation – How others in your social group see you.

Social Exclusion - The various ways in which people are excluded from society. Exclusion can be economic, social, religious or political.

Status – social position

Stereotypes – Generalizations about all members of a group, both positive and negative. “Italians are friendly”, “Women are bad drivers”. Stereotyping is a common cause of cross-cultural conflicts.

Stigma - Having an identity which is despised or disliked by others, for example physical disability or being divorced.

Taboo - Activity or social custom disapproved by a group of people or society and not discussed openly, for example holding hands in public.

Universal - Something that exists in every culture

Xenophobia - The belief that people and things from other countries are dangerous.

Adapted by Dr Ewa Gajer, from: Dictionary of Cross-Cultural Terminology,  http://www.dot-connect.com/Dictionary_of_Cross-Cultural_terminology_Inter_cultural_terminology.html