In intercultural communication, the term stereotype refers to some inflexible statements about a category of people, and these stereotypical statements are applied to all members of the group without regard for indivi...In intercultural communication, the term stereotype refers to some inflexible statements about a category of people, and these stereotypical statements are applied to all members of the group without regard for individual differences. It assumes that everyone from a group has certain characteristics and allows no room for individual differences, so it is by no means the same as information about another culture. Although stereotypes can be positive as well as negative, both types are equally distorting and destructive. So in this paper, the authors discuss what stereotypes mean, how they arise, why they are often inaccurate and even dangerous, and how to avoid and eliminate stereotypes in interactions with people from other cultures, so that people can carry out intercultural communications in a more effective way.展开更多
Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant （FLTA） program has aimed...Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant （FLTA） program has aimed to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. educational institutions by establishing a native speaker presence. As one of the first group of Fulbright Chinese Language Assistants, the author worked at the College of Wooster in the United States from August, 2005 to May, 2006. At the beginning of the paper, the author gave a brief introduction of Fulbright FLTA program. Then the author described five cultural activities that Fulbright FLTAs could employ in foreign language learners＇ learning process： giving presentations, teaching songs, watching movies, organizing free tea or coffee breaks, and holding free talks. The following section discussed two phenomena that FLTAs should avoid, that is, ethnocentrism and cultural stereotyping. The author pointed out in the conclusion that Fulbright language assistants should make efforts to be qualified cultural ambassadors.展开更多
文摘In intercultural communication, the term stereotype refers to some inflexible statements about a category of people, and these stereotypical statements are applied to all members of the group without regard for individual differences. It assumes that everyone from a group has certain characteristics and allows no room for individual differences, so it is by no means the same as information about another culture. Although stereotypes can be positive as well as negative, both types are equally distorting and destructive. So in this paper, the authors discuss what stereotypes mean, how they arise, why they are often inaccurate and even dangerous, and how to avoid and eliminate stereotypes in interactions with people from other cultures, so that people can carry out intercultural communications in a more effective way.
文摘Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant （FLTA） program has aimed to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. educational institutions by establishing a native speaker presence. As one of the first group of Fulbright Chinese Language Assistants, the author worked at the College of Wooster in the United States from August, 2005 to May, 2006. At the beginning of the paper, the author gave a brief introduction of Fulbright FLTA program. Then the author described five cultural activities that Fulbright FLTAs could employ in foreign language learners＇ learning process： giving presentations, teaching songs, watching movies, organizing free tea or coffee breaks, and holding free talks. The following section discussed two phenomena that FLTAs should avoid, that is, ethnocentrism and cultural stereotyping. The author pointed out in the conclusion that Fulbright language assistants should make efforts to be qualified cultural ambassadors.
