Interest in early means of communication and in the uses and kinds of media that existed in ancient cultures is starting to grow among communication scholars. Conversation analysis of these cultures is obviously impossible, so that the emphasis must rest with material cultural artifacts. Many ancient cultures used non-verbal codes for dyadic…

This paper examines the implications of "Afrocentricity" for intercultural communication education. The paper's task is fourfold. First, it provides the meaning of Afrocentricity as an interpretive and corrective episteme; next, it examines Afrocentricity as context for civility in intercultural communication education; third, it provides a brief…

Although psychologists, sociologists, family scientists and communication experts are making important contributions to the study of personal relationships, discussion of the gender differences that often create barriers to intimacy, and how these differences are reflected in the communication process, is notably absent from much of this work.…

Although slave narratives have enjoyed critical attention as literature and autobiography, when presenting them to undergraduates, there is some confusion--usually centering on the dissimilarities between the narratives and traditional autobiography. The narratives are not as linear, not as focused on personal development; the narrators are not as…

The workbook is an English vocabulary development text focusing on words associated with traditions, customs, and background of holidays celebrated in the United States, and in some cases also in Canada and elsewhere. The special vocabulary is presented in seventeen readings, written in repetitive style so the student can learn the definitions of…

The notion of "textual norms" refers to sociocultural conventions that define the "well-formedness" of a text. Because well-formedness in texts is characterized by convention, different conventions may exist in a community and lead to norm conflicts when used in actual text generation. In this article, two types of norm conflict are described. In…

Historically, the definition of culture has been a much debated issue for anthropologists. While some anthropologists define culture as being invisible to the subject, others have conceptualized culture as knowledge and symbol. This study explores the ways in which culture reveals itself to another culture. Subjects (N=24) were first generation…

American literature has served not only to help establish, define, and reinforce the American Myth, but has been used to question, to challenge, and to redefine it as well. The dialogic relationship between the literature and the myth thus can become the starting point for a course that encourages closer examination of the process of…

A study investigated the effect of cultural background on reading comprehension, specifically examining content knowledge (schemata) and overall familiarity with the setting. It tested the hypothesis that when a setting is familiar to readers, the text will be most readable, and will yield the shortest time to read, the best comprehension, and the…

Freewriting, according to Peter Elbow, is based on an equal affirmation of the student's experience, and his or her right to ground behaviors and writing in those experiences. Insofar as the term "free" in freewriting can be linked to a notion that expression is an event which occurs between a socially and culturally autonomous subject…

Demographic trends reported in "Workforce 2000" by the Hudson Institute in 1987 demonstrate a need for organizations to develop opportunities for individuals to better understand their own discourse patterns and the patterns of others. Human resource executives surveyed in 1990 were concerned about (1) the ability to motivate diverse…

A recounting of the author's experiences after becoming a gay activist at Kent State University. (JH)

Illustrates how a number system in a foreign language can be taught and learned in a cultural context. (PMP)