About the workshop:
Few countries have fascinated the Western mind the way China does. Limited cultural contact prior to the country’s opening and the economic boom are fueling our curiosity. Yet, the thresholds to cross when communicating with Chinese are high and quite often one finds oneself without the communicative tools to negotiate the differences. Hardly any cultural spectrums seem more opposed than those of East and West.
Analysing critical incidents we will take a look at the seemingly vast differences between China and the West as far as those norms and values underlying communication are concerned, become aware of possible areas for misunderstandings and come up with explanations for these situations. Based on this we will discuss ways out of communicative deadlock and have some fun!
BIO:
Dr. Ines Böhner studied English and German. She teaches for the Language Centre of the University of Stuttgart, where she also has courses on intercultural communication and media studies. Intercultural communication has been at the heart both of her academic research and life for a number of decades.
