Cross-Cultural Blog

It was a great quarter of collaboration! The Stanford students are now scattered across the U.S. and the globe, back with their families to celebrate the holidays. They definitely enjoyed their experience this quarter connecting with the students from Orebro and Uppsala ... especially in the last two video conference sessions.

This picture was taken during our final party, and does a great job of capturing all the students -- and instructors-- who participated in this project on the Stanford side.

Here are a few comments about their experience that our PWR students shared with Alyssa and I during their final reflections:

"I felt that by interacting with people from other cultures I became more open-minded and accepting of other opinions and ideas. The video conferences truly opened my eyes to consider and appreciate the differences in the values and opinions of other cultures."

"It was exhilarating to be talking to people across the world, both of whom had never been to the US before. Astonished as I was by this knowledge, I realized that I had not been to Sweden either and so such disbelief seemed undue; this was only the beginning of challenging my own preconceived stereotypes."

"I felt as though I connected with [the Orebro students], and the butterflies that first existed at the initiation of the videoconferences dissipated, and I realized that they were just like us, regular college students trying to learn and enhance their understanding of the world and its everyday happenings."

"It was fascinating to see how different we are in terms of values, beliefs, traditions,religions, and also to learn how our culture defines us."

"Over the course of the project, I felt my bond with my group grow stronger. We became extremely comfortable with each other, and I think everyone enjoyed our collaborative spirit. We were always careful to include everyone in the conversation, so our end work was always a true collaborative piece."

"Collaborating with students from Orebro and Uppsala university was an awesome experience that not many students get to experience. It was such a big privilege for me to electronically interact with people from all walks of life and to learn how they live and understand things."

"The experience to meet students from Orebro and Uppsala was very positive. I learned a lot not only about cross-cultural communication, but also about myself. It is hard to put your own culture and identity into perspective when you don't have the opportunity to learn about others. It was great to be able to walk away with the knowledge that no matter where you come from or who you are speaking to, you can always find some common interests to shre. I hope this is not my last experience with global communication. It is both fun and fascinating to learn from and about others by sharing common academic interests and activities."

I know that Alyssa and I also felt that this was a particularly productive quarter. We are so grateful to have had such great student participants in the groups -- on both sides of the globe -- and to have had such amazing collaborators on our instructional team. In the winter, we'll be bringing these video conferences to a variety of different writing classes as one-time workshops, so keep your eye on this blog to see some of the great work that future CCR students will be doing in the months to come.

Happy Holidays!!

Posted by Christine Alfano at 10:46 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I choose to do my analysis on Gibson’s Wallace freedom speech because it’s very famous and powerful.
1) William Wallace seems extremely self confident, motivated to fight and determined. We feel an impresion of strengh and pride. IT also seem to be an intense moment. His facial expression tells us a lot about his persona.
2) The intended audience for the speech is all the warriors, the ‘Sons of Scotland’ who are here to fight for freedom. Maybe we can imagine that the second audience might be the english, to show them that theyre ready and motivated to fight.
3) Wallace is trying to motivate a whole army to fight, to engage them in battle. So he must be very convincing and manage to motivate everybody through the use of the freedom argument, which is very important for Scottish people . He must convince the audience to fight, that’s the big exigence for the speech. The speaker must make a very effective speech.
4) I don’t think there are any rethorical problem in this speech except that he needs to be very effective and really prepared to motivate the troops using the argumant of freedom.

5) The only constraint is that he must convince them to fight, he should be effective.
6) The main idea of the speech is to convince the sons of scotland to fight again the british for freedom and independance. Most of men are afraid of dying, and the thing is that Wallace convinces everybody that it is better to die when you fight for freedom than to run and live longer under the ennemy oppression. So So the main idea is ton convince them to fight because there is a need for freedom, that’s really important for scottish people.
7) Wallace is shrouding at the begining of the speech. He must attracts attention and being convincing and effective. There is an image of strengh that Wallace carries, he is very brave and courageous. So that makes him credible. The way he adresses his audience is also really convincing and motivating. His facail expression too helps to make him in a position of a convincing and brave person All those elements constitute the ethos of the speaker.
8) The persona of the speaker is really proper to a particular situation. Here, it is adapted to the situation of motivating and convincing troops to fight for freedom. The cultural context is specific, proper to Scotland. If it were Napoleon making a speech at the Waterloo battle, the persona would be totally different. So the speaker woud have to change his appearance, his way of adressing people… .

Posted by at 05:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

1. Purpose - selling swedish merchandise to a Berlin audience by familiarizing it to it's audience.

2. Serious audience- Definitely targets German and in particular a Berlin audience. cultural/educated/
metropolitan/mature. The age targeted could be a more young/middle-age crowd. The fact that it is
displayed in a museum allows the ad to reach more of the intellectual and historically-aware
3. Argument: connection to symbols Germans can relate to on a historical, informational, and emotional level. Relate the product, vodka, which is emotionless, with the emotions that were felt when the wall came down. Celebration and feelings of freedom were felt when the wall came down, and the ad attempts to recreate these feelings through the vodka. Jubilation. Also attempts to remove the negative stigma
typically associated with alcohol. Instead of depicting a rowdy, vulgar crowd it portrays the vodka more for socializing purposes than for the typical idea of "getting wasted."
3b. Pathos- drawing an emotional response through the portrayal of the Berlin Wall as well as a patriotic one through the German flag. (unification under one flag)
Ethos- placing the ad in a museum an attempt to relate the Swedish drink to the German audience through knowledge of German culture (flag, wall, language).
3c. triangular division of the ad with bipolar parts: first, the form of product and the wall
second, the name of product and synoymous meaning of absolut
third, the place Berlin
4. Bending and connecting two things that were not initially connected- Swedish vodka and German audience, oppression of the wall and freedom of choice. The wall no longer keeps things out.
5. Kairos- placing events in context, the knocking down of the Berlin Wall is recent, it's a current event, so it makes since to address it. Challenges cultural norms- puts alcohol into a cultivated place
like a museum, and gives it emotional and historical connection. A move towards unification, not only between East and West, but on a larger global context.

Posted by at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

We chose to do our analysis on William Wallace’s speech where he is addressing the Scottish people and motivating them to embark on the impending battle with the British. Here, he has to motivate an entire army instead of just informing them. He is charismatic which helps him be persuasive and use their emotions. There is a dual audience- the Scottish army and the people in the audience who is watching the movie. The reason for the speech is to motivate the "soldiers" to beat the English soldiers who were on the way. The rhetorical problem that William is trying to overcome is how to make the people patriotic while knowing there is a possibility that they might die in the battle. He had a time constraint because the other army was approaching and he did not have much time to give his speech.

The main idea of the speech is to give the people hope, to motivate them, to give them a purpose, even if they die. He also tries to quell their fears of dying. He has established himself as a leader, which gives him ethos. He is also 7 feet tall and has the ability to shoot firebolts. William takes advantage of the myths about him and uses them to his advantage. He shows goodwill towards the people and wants what is best for his people and his country in the longterm. He deemphasizes any fear he might be feeling seeing as he is going to battle and could lose his life. Instead of showing that side, he plays up his braveness, his "Braveheart".

He's dressed like a true Scottsman, kilt and all! He concludes his speech by relating to and addressing his audience in colloquial Scottish saying "Alba gu bra," which means "Scotland Forever!"

Posted by at 06:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Link to speech: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/specialengagements/moviespeechbraveheart.html

The picture accompanying this speech portrays the pride and intensity of the speaker. His dress and face paint connect him to the cause of Scottish independence. The warriors serve as the primary audience and the villagers serve as the secondary audience. A triple audience could be the English, with whom the Scottish are fighting. The audience affects his speech because he needs to show the warriors and villagers to be brave and not run from the enemy. The speaker addresses this audience to inspire his men for battle. The speaker first has to speak very loudly because he has no microphone. Additionally, the speaker must be very convincing because he needs to convince his audience to go into battle, a situation in which they might be killed. This might not be a difficult rhetorical problem because by their very nature, the warriors are willing to fight. The thesis of the speech is that one should die for one's freedom instead of living a life under tyrannical rule. The ethose of the speaker include his preconceived bravery and courage. aka "The Legend of William Wallace." He increases his ethos because he says, "I am Willaim Wallace." This inspires the audience to trust him. The speaker would definitely need to change his attire to communicate with another culture. In another country he would also need to reestablish his ethos because they would not know the story of William Wallace. He also might need to use softer language. However, the things he says are also multi-cultural.

Posted by at 05:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

1. Language- reached out to local south africans by cheering with Zulu words such as "amandla awethu" which means
"power to the people" or "power is in our hands." It was a political slogan, to boost the moral of
people and the audience. Africa has 11 official
languages, and the Dutch only allowed locals to speak Dutch (Afrikaans), if you were found speaking another
language you were imprisoned and possibly killed.
he used english as his speech language however, is because it is a universal language. After his
release, Africa added english as one of the former languages. Government is encouraging local use of
english in the education system. Sign of freedom and move towards democracy.

2. Picture- fist further demonstrates power to the people. call for unity, let's stand together, strong, embrace
happiness and freedom. Smile demonstrates warmth. connection to "amandla awethu"
3. Intended Audience- a global audience, mostly to the fellow south africans, but the rest of the world was
watching, after his release from prison. He salutes several people, organizations- thanking people and
encouraging them to keep fighting for their cause- freedom.
4. Rhetorical problems- the slow pace and long speech might not have been ideal for a crowd who wanted more
enthusiasm and celebration because of his release from prison, but he uses in order to demonstrate the importance and significance of every word and every person mentioned in his speech.
5. Main Idea/Thesis- thanking everybody who has supported him and freedom, asking for their continued support,
persuading and leading towards an ideal of freedom. Words of encouragement to the people, making people feel
important, influential in the struggle. Attempts to engage several dichotomies; black and white, leaders and
workers. "Apartheid has no future."
6. Ethos- he's been arrested for his passion towards the goal of freedom and equality. He portrays himself as a
simply as an instrument for the people. They are the drive behind the struggle towards freedom; he is a "humble
servant" rather than a "prophet." He proves his loyalty and self-lessness by addressing the pain and suffering
of others involved in the movement rather than concentrating on his own perils behind bars (27 years). He recognizes the
controversial views of armed struggle but defends and is in "full agreement" with strategies employed in order
to end the violence of apartheid.

Posted by at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Physical appearance:
-tall, imposing
-confidence, power, dominant, condescending, authoritative, statemanship

Audience:
-primary: Russian Parliment
-secondary: Russian people
-rhetorical situation: Clinton stresses that he is knowledgable about their situation (visiting 5
times), using simpler english, slower speaking

Exigence:
-defend the U.S. cause in the missile defense system (ensure Russia that the U.S. system was not a
threat to Russia, but a defense system against hostile countries)
-addressing the audiance to keep Russian-U.S. relationship stable
-also pusing for Russia's future (This is the time, when Russia's economy is growing and oil prices are
high, when I hope Russia will create a more diversified economy. The economies that will build
power in the 21st
century will be built not just on resources from the soil, which are limited, but on the genius
and initiative
of individual citizens, which are unlimited.)

Rhetorical Constraints:
-must overcome the Russian perception of U.S. relation towards Russia (see the U.S. as controlling)
-must overcome the fear that the U.S. is trying to take over the world

Main idea/Thesis:
-Russia, although you have faced many hardships your future is bright (economy!). However, we must work
together to defend our freedoms.

Ethos:
-speaks about friendship, freedom, democracy
-physical strength: well put together (suit), tall
-slow and somber mood -> not pretentious, "I feel what you feel"

Cultural factors:
-speaks in slow, easier to understand English
-fault: he doesn't take into account Russian ideals, but instead appeals to American ideals

Posted by at 10:20 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Facebook Friends Forever
Group C
Stephanie, Yu Xian, and Katie

Bill Clinton

Intended audience-Russian people, as well as
Americans. Had to be sensitive to both parties,
great effort not to offend anyone. Prove
credibility of his persona with the Russian
people (mentioning personal examples, talking
about positive events and advancements)-*ethos,
shows humble quality.

Exigence-avoid second Cold War, establish
peaceful and productive relations...eliminate
possibility of conflict with such a powerful
nation--maybe establish economic, political
communications, diplomacy

*Timing of breaths needed more work (at beginning
of speech)..crucial moment needed powerful,
sincere voice, but trailed off instead

If the speech were to be listened to by many
Russians, it is not clear whether they would
fully understand--learning English is not
stressed very much. (Very little oral practice in
school, American tv is dubbed) *very interesting
=)

situation is very delicate, incredibly important
to say exactly the RIGHT thing at the right time.
Had to simultaneously please the Russian
diplomats and normal citizens.

Ethos established by connecting to the audience
through his persona (strong posture, but
sympathetic tone of voice). Character,
competence, knowledge, goodwill ALL established.
Helps build ethos by saying "I know," and "I
understand"

Main points: it would be easier for the U.S. to
persuade Russia if they became democratic (easier
for cooperation).

Cultural factors: Tried to make the speech easy
to understand, with a very deliberate, simple
tone and speed of voice. Cultural sensitivity
needed to address "shortcomings" of the nation
while praising what the national community has
accomplished. Connected to the culture by not
showing extreme emotion. (In Russia, politics
exists in a sphere far from the regular people,
not many speeches are given that go "right to the
heart" of the population..there is a disconnect).

Posted by at 10:16 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Intended audience-Russian people, as well as
Americans. Had to be sensitive to both parties,
great effort not to offend anyone. Prove
credibility of his persona with the Russian
people (mentioning personal examples, talking
about positive events and advancements)-*ethos,
shows humble quality.

Exigence-avoid second Cold War, establish
peaceful and productive relations...eliminate
possibility of conflict with such a powerful
nation--maybe establish economic, political
communications, diplomacy

*Timing of breaths needed more work (at beginning
of speech)..crucial moment needed powerful,
sincere voice, but trailed off instead

If the speech were to be listened to by many
Russians, it is not clear whether they would
fully understand--learning English is not
stressed very much. (Very little oral practice in
school, American tv is dubbed) *very interesting
=)

situation is very delicate, incredibly important
to say exactly the RIGHT thing at the right time.
Had to simultaneously please the Russian
diplomats and normal citizens.

Ethos established by connecting to the audience
through his persona (strong posture, but
sympathetic tone of voice). Character,
competence, knowledge, goodwill ALL established.
Helps build ethos by saying "I know," and "I
understand"

Main points: it would be easier for the U.S. to
persuade Russia if they became democratic (easier
for cooperation).

Cultural factors: Tried to make the speech easy
to understand, with a very deliberate, simple
tone and speed of voice. Cultural sensitivity
needed to address "shortcomings" of the nation
while praising what the national community has
accomplished. Connected to the culture by not
showing extreme emotion. (In Russia, politics
exists in a sphere far from the regular people,
not many speeches are given that go "right to the
heart" of the population..there is a disconnect).

Posted by at 10:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Persona: passionate, confident,magnetic, dominant, determined,

Audience: The Scots.
William Wallace addresses his people in order to rally
them using his appeal to emotion. He tARGETS THE
PYSCHOLOGICAL NEED OF THE OPPRESSED-LIBERTY..
There is a sense of urgency because the Scottish are
being subjugated by the English. He compels fellow
Scottish to counter English attacks and overcome their
authority-achieve Scottish independence.
About to go into fighting, fears that audience does not
want to fight, opposed to it.
Constraints: Must convince audience to fight
Attempts to eliminate fear of death.

Main idea: It is better to die having faught for
freedom then to give your freedom up to live.

Ethos: Nationalistic pride in Scotland, embraces
scottish identity, his role as a
fighter, leader, he relinquishes all fear in front
of Scottish soldiers, colors of warpaint.
Scottish independence very important cuturally unties
them.

Posted by at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/bonoharvardcommencement.htm

Analysis

1. Appearing in tinted shades, a camouflage cap, and army fatigue-like dark green suit, Bono presents his persona as laid-back, unconventional, and youthful. The explicit visual reference to the military may be tied into his militant call for the urgency to change and fight indifference.

2. The audience is definitely aimed towards students. particularly the Harvard students present with references to different institutions on campus, their college life. At least in the first five minutes, Bono is entirely focused on establishing his ethos with the students in mind.

3. The exigence of the speech turns on indifference to world affairs and the plight of others. (at least in the beginning.)

4. Bono's rhetorical problems are primarily the stereotype of a singer = he addresses this directly and humorously.

5. There are many constraints in the proposed situation - indifference is not easily combated. Plus, in the example of the Congolese embezzlement, a political solution would need to be involved in the case.

6. It's difficult to say what the thesis is after only five minutes, but it seems like Bono's main point is "I am rebelling against the idea that the world is the way the world is, and there's not a damned thing I can do about it."

7. The ethos of Bono is developed as he demonstrates that he can make fun of himself, that he does not take himself too seriously and is relatable to the students. Although he is wealthy and famous, he is not perfect. His persona is primarily focused on being one that young people will like and feel connected to.

8. Bono would likely be required to be more serious or formal in a speech not directed to college students. Commencement speeches tend to be representative of and celebrate college culture - casual humor, more carefree.

Presentation

In his commencement speech to Harvard in 2001, Bono presents the serious issue of indifference to world affairs in a casual and informal manner that appeals to college students. Appearing in tinted shades, a camouflage cap, and army fatigue-like dark green suit, Bono presents his persona as laid-back, unconventional, and youthful. The explicit visual reference to the military may be tied into his militant call for the urgency to change and fight indifference. Through humorous self-deprecation, Bono, however, turns the exigence of his speech into a positive endorsement of activism and awareness, rather than a criticism of the students in the audience. In his words, "I am rebelling against the idea that the world is the way the world is, and there's not a damned thing I can do about it."

Posted by at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

A short analysis of the speaker William Wallace

1. Stating his authority as a warrior. Brute strength and power are project through
his facial expression of anger and pride.
2. The Scotish army is preparing for battle. He is trying persuade his army to go
into battle.
3. He adresses them because he knows there are insecurities within the
audience. They have doubts of their capabilities. He addresses these doubts through
examples of glory and pride for the Scottish nation.
4. There is really no rhetorical strategy problems because he is
effective in his delivery of adressing the problem at hand.
5. The constraint is that he's adressing the audience right before battle so there is
he must make sure that he is effective in presenting his argument. This can be seen
when he addresses the specific comments made in regards to fleeing from the battle.
6. He relies on the necessity of freedom and the alternative of opression to instill
emotions within the soldiers, prompting them to fight. The main idea is to get his
audience excited about battle and to highlight the importance of why
they're fighting.
7. He has a reputation known for strength and courage so he applies that inorder to
promote this within the individual soldiers. He relies on his reputation and devotion
to his country in order to encourage the soldiers. If he were just an ordinary man,
his argument would not be as effective.
8. He would have to change his entire persona in order to address a different
audience. He would need to change his appearance and expression of his ideas in a
different manner in order to appeal to another audience.

Posted by at 10:00 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Promoting socialism and solidarity of all communists.
-everyone should be equal
-propoganda

Eastern part of Europe. All countries were occupied by Russia.

People who don't understand: Americans,people who don't speak Russian and who are not familiar with the history.

Pathos based. It's not the rational response, it is mixing emotions with propoganda, which can influence people.

The cultural context of the ad is rather strong. Speaks of ideology. More focused on that than anything else.

The faces in the noticably red flag of Marx, Engels, and Lenin are strong cultural symbols of communism.

The ad is making an attempt to shape the culture. It is trying to promote socialism. *

The government was trying to create a norm. Is it what the people wanted, or what the government wanted?

Posted by at 09:12 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)