Description
Book SynopsisPractical in focus, grounded in social interaction, and written in a strong narrative style replete with concrete examples,
Intercultural Communication: Pathways to Better Interactions provides readers with an examination of diverse cultural practices that can be used to support successful communication.
Author David Boromisza-Habashi's approach is grounded in theory, yet relevant and highly accessible for students. Using vivid and relatable anecdotes, he deftly explores the primary challenge of effective intercultural communication in our globalized world: the ability to properly coordinate interactions to achieve shared meaning.
The vital importance of understanding cultural communication, and how it relates to being a responsible member of society, is stressed throughout the book. The weaving of scholarly work and everyday encounters highlights the role of inquiry as not just an academic endeavor but as an everyday practice. Strategies for coordinating intercultural encounters in the real world encourage readers to take action and recognize that this work and learning doesn't end when the course ends. Rather, it is a process, one that should be an ongoing part of their lives.
The pragmatic, thought-provoking approach of this book is timely, useful, and relevant.
Intercultural Communication: Pathways to Better Interactions is the ideal textbook for students of intercultural communication who wish to create and foster meaningful social interactions.
Trade ReviewDavid's approach to intercultural communication (ICC) is steeply grounded in theory, yet it is also practical and accessible for students. Using vivid and relatable anecdotes, he delves straight into the challenge of effective ICC interactions in our globalized world: the ability to properly coordinate interactions to achieve shared meaning. I also appreciate his openness and and vulnerability in sharing his own cross-cultural/intercultural experiences as an 'outsider within,' an international scholar who now calls the U.S. his home. I look forward to bringing his fresh perspective on this important subject matter to my classes!" —Sunny Lie, Assistant Professor of Communication, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
"The concept of 'making culture' is a unique approach that I feel can appeal to undergrad students. I find Boromisza-Habashi's 'how-to' approach, that is, examining the inner workings of cultural interaction, to be particularly helpful in understanding larger systemic information/configurations." —Cheryl L. Nicholas, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Berks
"The theoretical approach of Boromisza-Habashi is very consistent with my own, so I would feel quite at home teaching undergraduates from this perspective. I find ethnography of communication to be the most solid foundation for intercultural communication instruction, and I believe it is highly respected in the field by enough people that this view would be widely shared. I also found the consistent through line particularly easy to follow. This would be an enormous advantage for a beginning teacher, so if I had a novice TA to supervise, I could hand them this textbook, a template syllabus, some draft assignments and exams and feel quite comfortable that they would do well in their first semester of teaching. Also, if I were developing an entirely online version of intercultural communication I could see using this textbook because it’s easy to follow, coherent, and intellectually solid, requiring very little supplementation from me to make a complete course. I would feel comfortable that students in both cases would find the writing style clear and engaging and would want to, as I did when I read it, keep going." —Kristine L. Muñoz, Professor of Communication Studies, University of Iowa
