Though an extremely important activity, cross-cultural communications has only recently received much attention as a direct object of investigation. The study of culture has not, however, been overlooked. Anthropology is directly concerned with the study of culture. Similarly, other social and behavioral sciences have looked at humanity’s cultural differences.
Cross-Cultural Communications gratefully draws from these other disciplines and contributes its own valid emphasis in a very practical way. How do cultural differences make a difference in the way people interact? How might one improve communicative skills in a shrinking world? This course attempts to help the student discover answers to these current problems. Perhaps the most important aspect of this course relates to the word mission.
This Study Guide and the textbook are dedicated to the special task of helping the person who would become a “sent one” to present Christ and His kingdom in an environment other than his or her own familiar culture. To do this, we address the relationship of communication and culture, how to reach people where they are, how different people think and express ideas across cultures and subcultures within a culture, and how the thought and expression of people affect their behavior.