Date of Award
Summer 8-2015
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Communication Studies
First Advisor
Charles Tardy
Advisor Department
Communication Studies
Abstract
Globalization and modernization have changed the world in which we live, bringing intercultural communication to the forefront in our daily lives. Cultural values vary around the world, and these values impact the way people communicate with one another. This study focused on the cultural value of individualism-collectivism and how it impacts intercultural, interpersonal communication and the way it is presented in film. The aim of this study was to conduct quantitative analyses of data gathered from intercultural films to identify the way in which nations' individualism-collectivism tendencies are displayed in film in comparison to a cultural value dimension scale and in relation to intercultural conflict and miscommunication. A sample was created of nations and films by using a country comparison scale of individualism-collectivism and an intercultural film database. The data were analyzed quantitatively. Ultimately, films were shown to portray nations in alignment with their cultural value dimension of individualism-collectivism, and interpersonal, intercultural interactions were shown to most often highlight the differing views on the value dimension. As a result, this study contributes to the field of intercultural communication by contributing to the way we understand how films portray cultures and how individualism-collectivism plays a role in intercultural interactions.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
McMullan, Courtney J., "The Representation of the Individualism-Collectivism Cultural Value Dimension In Film Portrayals of Intercultural Communication" (2015). Honors Theses. 337.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/337