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.

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