Interesting

One of the most interesting concepts I found in this class was nonverbal communication. I found this concept intriguing because it is something we are doing all the time. I enjoyed learning about the nonverbal codes, messages, and cues. I related to the emblems because I see my friends and I using them often. Emblems are, as the book states, “kinesic behaviors whose direct verbal translations are known to all of the members of a social group, emblems are like silent words (pg. 115).” Examples are “what time is it?,” “shame on you,” “wait a minute,” “I cant hear you,” etc. I also enjoyed reading about the regulators, which “consist of head nods and eye and hand movements that allow us to maintain, request, or deny others a turn to talk (pg. 116).” I again use these all the time.
It is funny to think that everything we do gets analyzed in the communication field and than we get to learn about them. It is very interesting to read about things I have done or do and learn more about what I am actually using them for.

The Class

Wow, what have I learned throughout this class is a broad question. I have learned so much in such a short time it is unbelievable. I have reviewed the history of communication, some important people in communication and some concepts about communication. I have learned many new things, such as, more about group communication, organizational communication, how truly small and big our world is, factors of communication, characteristics of communication and so much more. I am leaving this class with a greater understanding of the study of human communication. I have many new theories under my belt and a great new addition to my collection of resources for communication.
My favorite thing about this class could also be my least favorite thing about this class, the class being online. I loved the class being online because I was able to read and get insight from everyone in class. It was nice to be able to go over everyone’s thoughts and opinions oppose to just hearing the select few who overpower people in a physical classroom. I also like the class being online because it helped me open up more about the concepts of the class through my blog. I enjoyed the teacher’s feedback and attitude and I especially liked that I was still able to have a summer while taking this course. I was able to travel while being an active student. :D
My least favorite thing about the class again is that the class is online. I like being able to put the faces to the words I read. I like being able to discuss things face to face and learn through nonverbal communication. But really that is the only thing I could say I disliked about the class. I really enjoyed this class and found it both interesting and challenging. Great class! I am glad I was able to add! ☺

Favorite Concept :D

My absolute favorite concept of this semester would have to be the idea of our world being a global village. It is my favorite because it rings so true in my eyes. I feel as though because of the technologies of our society we are able to connect to people all around the world in just seconds, thus us being a global village.
I agree with the book when it says that our world is “shrinking daily,” and that “intercultural encounters are commonplace (pg. 348).” An example of living in a global village is taking place right now. I am in Hawaii for a family vacation and it is very interesting to see all the different cultures around me. I hear many different languages all day that I am able to listen to as well as observe.
I also agree our sense of distance and place changes with the technologies of today. If I continue on the topic of my family vacation, I was able to be in San Francisco, CA in the morning and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Honolulu, HI in the afternoon. Due to this being a possibility our perception of distance and place has changed from years ago. As our technologies advance, our mind sets advance. We are able to physically go see where history was made instead of just reading it.
Living in a global village is very true. I love the concept and am happy to be able to share it with the people in my life. I know I will use this idea for the rest of my life and continue to revisit it on an every day basis.

Pragmatic Perspective

I do agree with the Pragmatic perspective to a certain extent. When the book discusses the interdependence of each other when communicating, I understand this analogy. I feel as though when communicating with one another we are dependent on the others moves. We read their moves, or cues, in order to continue the conversation or relationship, just as we read the moves of our opponent when strategizing for a game. Here our communication “consists of a system of interlocking, interdependent behaviors that become pattered over time (pg. 32).”
But there are more aspects to communication than just playing a game. A game is something we do to entertain ourselves for a certain length of time and than finish and continue with our every day life. We can use communication for the same way except the communication we use can affect our every day life in a greater way than winning or losing a game. This also brings me to the point of winning and losing a game. In life we are not communicating in order to win or lose, unless you have a goal such as a sales pitch, but we are communicating to understand or learn more about something or each other. How we communicate affects every aspect of our lives where winning or a losing a game does not. Communication may have some characteristics of a game but its long-term affects are much more broad.

Dilemas

Some moral dilemmas that ethnographers face occur with the idea of being “undercover.” Ethnographers face the dilemma of feeling as if they are lying to the group they are observing. As the book expressed, it may feel as if they are deceiving the, for lack of a better word, culture they are trying to belong in.
To resolve this issue, they just need to think about how they are not necessarily deceiving anyone. They have to think about how they are doing research for themselves and that if they are changing for the culture they are trying to belong in, they are just adapting to their surroundings. This is something that everyone does. We adapt to our surroundings and in many cases we change our actions in order to feel as though we belong. I feel as though most ethnographers are observing a certain group because they are interested in that group, they are not observing to make fun of or be mean to that group. But they are observing and researching because they are trying to make sense of that particular group. This is not something that everyone is willing to do, especially with an open mind. Ethnographers are not judging or putting biases on the group, but they are observing and analyzing. They should not feel as though they are doing any thing morally wrong, unless they are truly doing something mean.
Although our actions may change, who we are does not necessarily change. When adapting to our surroundings we can pretty much fit into a certain group or culture by still being ourselves, just adding little kinks to be able to make sure we are acting appropriate for that culture. This is not mean. It would be a harder situation if the ethnographer makes up huge elaborate lies about themselves and have people depend on them just to go away and deliberately hurt the culture. So in other words, Ethnographers can resolve the issue of feeling as though they are being deceptive by still being themselves just adapting to their surroundings. They need to realize they are doing the research to better understand, not to hurt, the culture.

Ethnography

Out of all the research methods listed in table 13.3 I find ethnography the most interesting. I got my first glimpse of the ethnography method last semester in my Comm100W class, and ever since found it interesting. I did not take the opportunity to research using the ethnography method because I was unsure of what it was, but once I learned (both in my Comm100W class and in this chapter) I have been intrigued. The idea of being able to be a part of my research and immersing myself into a new, or old, culture to observe is exciting to me. Having the option of taking one of two roles helps to not over stress one self in the researching situation. I also like the idea of conclusions emerging from the observations being made.
Assuming I want to study an aspect of deception I would ask, “What are the primary uses that deception is used for in a college classroom?” I would use ethnography for my method because I would be able to be a part of a classroom environment without disturbing the natural feel of the class. I would be able to observe and find my conclusions through taking part of the class.

Commonsense ways of knowing

I enjoyed reading the section about problems with commonsense ways of knowing. I didn’t realize the analysis of how we go about thinking or interpreting events on a day-to-day basis. But reading this section I kept saying in my head, oh my gosh that is so true. The section starts off by explaining how in everyday life we usually adopt the first plausible explanation as a final answer without looking further into it. This is true in so many instances, some people will just ask a friend or an acquaintance about an issue and if the answer sounds about right, they accept it without any further explanation. Next came the idea that “our everyday models of human behavior are often models of our own behavior (p.368).” This again hit me over the head how when discussing things with friends, if friends have not seen it with their own eyes, they are not wiling to believe. Lastly, the heuristics, “rules of thumb that allow us to avoid careful information processing (p. 369),” rang just as true. When reading the examples of the simple cues, the status cues, and formal aspects, I recognized each and every one of the sayings. I have said or heard those exact examples due to my simplistic ways of thinking. It was interesting to see in more detail the way in which we think on a day-to-day basis. It made me feel like I am too simple of a thinker.