International and Global Communication
- Exam preparation -
Important concepts and examples from the lectures
Week 1:
Globalization = compression of time and space
The world as one?
o Pakistan floods -> death toll surges past 1200
o Hundreds in India’s Kolkata celebrate Hindu festival’s UNESCO status
o Protest all over Europe against Russia’s six-month invasion of Ukraine
o Fires ravage Brazil’s Amazon rainforest
o Protest at Japanese Embassy against dolphin kill
o Heavy hail storms in Spain
o Tourists in Paris Mourn Princess Diana’s death
o Fighting intensifies in Baghdad after Sadr quits politics
Understanding of each other?
o Frozen clip (language and image)
• Color
• Places
• Contextualization
o Cultural dimensions of Hofstede
1. Power distance
2. Individualism vs. collectivism
3. Masculinity vs. feminity
4. Uncertainty avoidance
5. Indulgence/restraint
6. Pragmatism
Stereotype = to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are
the same
o Emily in Paris
Francis Bacon: system of logic (Novum Organum)
• Idol of the tribe/false mirror = tendency to anthropomorphize and project our human
condition onto the world.
• Idol of the cave/echo chamber = our culture, upbringing, and education define how
we experience reality.
• Idol of the marketplace/we often use words we don’t understand = we believe our
reason govern words.
• Idol of the theatre/my experience is better than facts = current fads or “systems now
in vogue” also influence how we see the world
,Cognitive biases = mental shortcuts used by human brains to simplify information
Unacceptability bias = a systematic difference in response rates or uptake of tests due to
their “unacceptability”
Confirmation bias = confirmation bias occurs when an individual looks for and uses the
information to support their own ideas or beliefs. It also means that information not
supporting their ideas or beliefs is disregarded.
Blasphemy = irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
Belief = conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or
phenomenon
Cognitive dissonance = the mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are
contradicted by new information
o Sinterklaas/Santa Claus
Fairytale
o Wedding Harry and Meghan
o Picture Dutch royals
Fairytale = wonder tale involving marvelous elements and occurrences, though not
necessarily about fairies. The term embraces such popular folktales (Märchen) as
“Cinderella” and “Puss-in-Boots” and art fairy tales (Kunstmärchen) of later invention, such
as The Happy Prince (1888), by the Irish writer Oscar Wilde.
Legend = traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place.
Formerly the term legend meant a tale about a saint. Legends resemble folktales in content;
they may include supernatural beings, elements of mythology, or explanations of natural
phenomena, but they are associated with a particular locality or person and are told as a
matter of history.
Myth = a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that
ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. Myths
are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or
circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from
ordinary human experience.
• Monomyth = all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story
Functions of the myth:
• Metaphysical function = awakens a sense of awe and wonder before the mystery of
being
• Cosmological function = explains how the universe works
• Sociological function = gives a sense of belonging, validates and supports the existing
social order
• Pedagogical function = guides the individual through the stages of life, connects us
with people of the past who encountered similar problems or situations
Hero = a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
, o Gandhi
o Pope John Paul II
o Mandela
o Martin Luther King
o Harry Potter
o Kim Kardashian
Civilization = a place that has comfortable living conditions -> human society with its well
developed social organizations, or the culture and way of life of a society or country at a
particular period in time
Ideologies = a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as
prominent as theoretical ones. A system of ideas that aspires both to explain and change the
world (Britannica)
Woke = aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of
racial and social justice)
o The video of the actor slapping the one at the award show
Week 2:
Strategic Mass Communication = organized and planned communication targeting large
audiences using media to influence and change behaviors
Auto-da-fe = act of faith -> burning something because you do not agree with the content
o Sevilla 1481
o Mexico 1850
o Nazis
o Harry Potter books by Polish priest
Streisand effect = efforts to suppress a juicy piece of online information can backfire and end
up making things worse for the would-be censor
Hyper information = information overload
Misinformation = to inform wrongly with no intention to mislead
o Wikipedia
Disinformation = lies are being spread on purpose
• False information presented as true
• True information presented as false
• Part of information presented as its globality
o The Art of War (book by Sun Tzu) about the control of information
Maskirovka = misleading the opponent with regard to one’s own intentions, causing the
opponent to make wrong decisions and thereby playing into one’s own hand
o Operation INFEKTION (1985)
o COVID-19 pandemic and China
- Exam preparation -
Important concepts and examples from the lectures
Week 1:
Globalization = compression of time and space
The world as one?
o Pakistan floods -> death toll surges past 1200
o Hundreds in India’s Kolkata celebrate Hindu festival’s UNESCO status
o Protest all over Europe against Russia’s six-month invasion of Ukraine
o Fires ravage Brazil’s Amazon rainforest
o Protest at Japanese Embassy against dolphin kill
o Heavy hail storms in Spain
o Tourists in Paris Mourn Princess Diana’s death
o Fighting intensifies in Baghdad after Sadr quits politics
Understanding of each other?
o Frozen clip (language and image)
• Color
• Places
• Contextualization
o Cultural dimensions of Hofstede
1. Power distance
2. Individualism vs. collectivism
3. Masculinity vs. feminity
4. Uncertainty avoidance
5. Indulgence/restraint
6. Pragmatism
Stereotype = to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are
the same
o Emily in Paris
Francis Bacon: system of logic (Novum Organum)
• Idol of the tribe/false mirror = tendency to anthropomorphize and project our human
condition onto the world.
• Idol of the cave/echo chamber = our culture, upbringing, and education define how
we experience reality.
• Idol of the marketplace/we often use words we don’t understand = we believe our
reason govern words.
• Idol of the theatre/my experience is better than facts = current fads or “systems now
in vogue” also influence how we see the world
,Cognitive biases = mental shortcuts used by human brains to simplify information
Unacceptability bias = a systematic difference in response rates or uptake of tests due to
their “unacceptability”
Confirmation bias = confirmation bias occurs when an individual looks for and uses the
information to support their own ideas or beliefs. It also means that information not
supporting their ideas or beliefs is disregarded.
Blasphemy = irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
Belief = conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or
phenomenon
Cognitive dissonance = the mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are
contradicted by new information
o Sinterklaas/Santa Claus
Fairytale
o Wedding Harry and Meghan
o Picture Dutch royals
Fairytale = wonder tale involving marvelous elements and occurrences, though not
necessarily about fairies. The term embraces such popular folktales (Märchen) as
“Cinderella” and “Puss-in-Boots” and art fairy tales (Kunstmärchen) of later invention, such
as The Happy Prince (1888), by the Irish writer Oscar Wilde.
Legend = traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place.
Formerly the term legend meant a tale about a saint. Legends resemble folktales in content;
they may include supernatural beings, elements of mythology, or explanations of natural
phenomena, but they are associated with a particular locality or person and are told as a
matter of history.
Myth = a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that
ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. Myths
are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or
circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from
ordinary human experience.
• Monomyth = all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story
Functions of the myth:
• Metaphysical function = awakens a sense of awe and wonder before the mystery of
being
• Cosmological function = explains how the universe works
• Sociological function = gives a sense of belonging, validates and supports the existing
social order
• Pedagogical function = guides the individual through the stages of life, connects us
with people of the past who encountered similar problems or situations
Hero = a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
, o Gandhi
o Pope John Paul II
o Mandela
o Martin Luther King
o Harry Potter
o Kim Kardashian
Civilization = a place that has comfortable living conditions -> human society with its well
developed social organizations, or the culture and way of life of a society or country at a
particular period in time
Ideologies = a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as
prominent as theoretical ones. A system of ideas that aspires both to explain and change the
world (Britannica)
Woke = aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of
racial and social justice)
o The video of the actor slapping the one at the award show
Week 2:
Strategic Mass Communication = organized and planned communication targeting large
audiences using media to influence and change behaviors
Auto-da-fe = act of faith -> burning something because you do not agree with the content
o Sevilla 1481
o Mexico 1850
o Nazis
o Harry Potter books by Polish priest
Streisand effect = efforts to suppress a juicy piece of online information can backfire and end
up making things worse for the would-be censor
Hyper information = information overload
Misinformation = to inform wrongly with no intention to mislead
o Wikipedia
Disinformation = lies are being spread on purpose
• False information presented as true
• True information presented as false
• Part of information presented as its globality
o The Art of War (book by Sun Tzu) about the control of information
Maskirovka = misleading the opponent with regard to one’s own intentions, causing the
opponent to make wrong decisions and thereby playing into one’s own hand
o Operation INFEKTION (1985)
o COVID-19 pandemic and China
