There is a saying which we Swedes think and say about ourselves. The saying is: “Swedes are afraid of getting into arguments”, and especially with strangers or people we don’t know well. Therefore, to be able to communicate with Swedes in a successful way, there are a few things you probably need to know.
Continue reading "Sweden says: Sure... (but do we agree?)" »
by Liza Shokhina, Anton Nishchev
“Globalization is not the only thing influencing events in the world today, but to extent that there is a North Star and a worldwide shaping force, it is this system.”
Tomas Friedman
Intercultural communication between peoples is an integral attribute of the human society development. Not a single country, even the one considered most powerful in political and economic aspect, can meet cultural and aesthetic requests and needs of the humankind without applying to the world cultural heritage, spiritual heritage of other countries and peoples. The modern world is developing towards globalization. In this regard, the issues about the role and the place of international communication become an integral part of life both for the humankind in general, as well as for the individual.
Continue reading "Intercultural Communication in the context of Globalization" »
This post has been created by Global Learning students from Khabarovsk, Russia, for the Stanford-Orebro-Khabarovsk exchange. The exchange is aimed at raising intercultural competence and global awareness of students and faculty
Hi, everyone! Abbreviation AIM stands for Always In Motion, the phrase that reflects the lifestyle of everyone in our group!
We all studied abroad and found out lots of interesting things! Currently we are doing reserach about Gender Relationships before marriage in different countries!
This post has been created by Global Learning students from Khabarovsk, Russia, for the Stanford-Orebro-Khabarovsk exchange. The exchange is aimed at raising intercultural competence and global awareness of students and faculty
Alisa Kandyba (left), Gleb Scherbina (middle), Natalya Che (sitting)
In our research we are trying to study the aspects of leadership – in general, and connected with some particular spheres of our life, using the examples of sport and fashion
Alisa: Leadership is comprehensive conception, which is rather difficult for understanding and it is culturally loaded
This post has been created by Global Learning students from Khabarovsk, Russia, for the Stanford-Orebro-Khabarovsk exchange. The exchange is aimed at raising intercultural competence and global awareness of students and faculty
Hello students from Stanford and Örebro! We are group of the Far Eastern State University of the Humanities. We all study to become translators. We study different languages, but English is our main language. Our future profession presupposes that we should have the ability to get along with people from other countries well, so it’s very important to break our stereotypes and be tolerant to others.
We are a group of 5 students. We are all different, have different interests, so we hope that you like our post as well as communication with us.
We are from left: Katya, Ilya, Alyona, Alyona and Aleksandra
By Ekaterina Vlasenko, Marianna Sidorenko and Ksenya Pekar
People from different countries always have stereotypes about each other. It is absolutely natural as each culture always contains secrets. It is often covered with mystery, unreal stories and subjective attitudes. But some of existing stereotypes are correct and others are wrong. Stereotypes can prevent us from learning some aspects about the country and understanding a different culture in a more appropriate way.
Although sometimes stereotypes can reveal certain tendencies or attitudes, existing in the culture. Therefore we have chosen this topic as our research and we hope to clarify some points and to contribute to breaking certain stereotypes about Russia
Continue reading "Cultural Stereotypes: The Way We See Them" »
This post has been created by Global Learning students from Khabarovsk, Russia, for the Stanford-Orebro-Khabarovsk exchange. The exchange is aimed at raising intercultural competence and global awareness of students and faculty
By Dmitry Galenko, Galina Trotskaya, Olesya Stadnik
Names of people constitute an important part of culture.
Name means a lot for every person and it is his first identification in the society. Names are culturally bound and names are used accordingly in each country. It is important to understand the difference each culture treats names.
Our research is devoted to Russian names, their forms, influence on personality
What is the name?
Galya: When we think of somebody we remember not that particular person but his or her name. When we speak to somebody we communicate with a name. When there are only two people communicating and there is no need to call your interlocutor by the name, still we do it. We call our interlocutor by his or her name.
The globalization increases. So does the importance of knowledge and understanding for other cultures. Knowledge about how cultural resemblances and differences affect our behavior, and understanding for another cultures attitude, norms and values. This is of outermost importance in business related situations between people from different countries.
The foreign trade between Sweden and Switzerland has increased rapidly in recent years.
Both countries are competent and they have a strong internationalization and a well functioning cooperation.
Due to the evolving relation between Sweden and Switzerland, and my curiosity in the Swiss culture from living in the country for a period of time, I chose to compare the two national cultures with each other.
I asked myself which cultural similarities and differences there are between the countries. I used literature to try to find an answer to this question, but I mainly used Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions to compare and study how the countries related to the four dimensions, Power distance, Individualism, Masculinity and Uncertainty avoidance.
I did an interview with Jacob Wahlberg who is a jurist at Assa Abloy. He is in daily contact with executives from Switzerland and has been collaborating with them for many years. I was interested in how the national cultures influence on a negotiation between the countries. Does Jacob find it different and more complicated to negotiate with Swiss people and if so, what are the differences and resemblances? What is his opinion about the extremely diverted sight on women’s roles in the society, and does it affect the business relation? In addition to the interview, I collected the empirical data from my own experience from living in Switzerland. I also did an interview with Laura Wey, a girl that originally comes from Switzerland but she now lives and works in Sweden.
As a result, after studying the cultures I would say that there are obvious similarities but also many differences between them. They are both two individualistic cultures where you strive for independence and self- reliant. There is no hierarchy and the organizations are constructed with flat decision-making. We have the same sight on work, relations and career, and the fact that we have similar organization structure is a great advantage when we are making business with each other.
There are differences as well. The most evident one according to me is the high masculinity index, and the strong uncertainty avoidance in Switzerland. A woman is not seen and treated as we are used to in Sweden. This might cause a problem in a business situation, because there is a big awareness about men and women’s equality in Sweden.
After doing my study, I realized that it is almost impossible to draw conclusions about the differences between two national cultures because they are dynamic and changes all the time. Also when you compare two cultures, you have to generalize on a national level and assume that a whole nation thinks and acts in the same way. It is difficult because it is a fact that people are not handling conflicts and problems in the same way just because they belong to a specific culture. Hofstedes study; Cultural Dimensions was made many years ago and that makes it even more complicated because a lot has happened since then.
I did compare the national cultures, but one has to keep in mind that my conclusions are generalizations and also a sampling of the total of a culture at one certain moment in time.
Therefore, it is important to adapt to the individual and the specific situation you are in.
Anna Quist Örebro university
Communicating with strangers can to some people be scaring and instead of trying they avoid it. But sometimes you can’t avoid it. When it comes to communicating in business related situations you can’t avoid it. If you are working with an international company, the chance that you are interacting with people from a different culture or country is relative big. The chance that the meeting will go smoothly is also big, but there is a small risk that there will be problem or culture relative difficulties. There are different ways to succeed in such situations and to overcome obstacles that can be in the way of a successful piece of business.
One of the weakest things about mankind is the fact that we get scared when we’re facing something unfamiliar. We systemize and interpret our surroundings, in order to deal with everyday life. This is the reason for us making stereotypes and being prejudice. Every time we meet an individual that doesn’t belong to our own culture we feel some degree of uncertainty and anxiety. In a globalized business world this may even be the reason for big business deals going to waste. William B. Gudykunst has constructed a theory of how to overcome this fear. It’s called Anxiety and Uncertainty Management.
Continue reading "How to manage intercultural meetings in a globalized business world." »
- An intercultural analysis regarding sport and marketing
In our modern, developed community sport has become very important, which means that sport has created its own community area with social, cultural and commercial functions. During the twentieth century a strong growth with different sports, whose practician are professional or amateur, takes place. At competitions, for example The Olympic Games or The World Championship, the national identity grows stronger. The grandstands fill with people wearing different, national symbols and national anthems sings diligent. Feelings like; pride, happiness, anger and sorrow gets an outlet in these situations. This points out how strong people can feel about sport and its context. Sport fills people with interest and compassion. A central perspective, for my description, is the significance of physical activity on an individual level. Training is, for a lot o people, an important element for everyday use, which pave the ways for a commercial market.
Привет!
Мы студенты из Стэнфордского Университета в США и мы очень рады иметь возможность с вами общаться!
Hello, students from Khavaborsk and Oerebro!
This is Chris, Melissa, and Simon and we’re from Chicago, Los Angeles, and South Korea respectively. We are all sophomores at Stanford University! Chris is an economics major who likes to breakdance on his spare time. Melissa is pre-law and likes to play tennis! (And penguins!!) Simon is a materials science and engineering major and he likes to play soccer.
We would like to share with you a bit about Stanford culture. Stanford is a very liberal college and people feel very free to just talk to strangers on campus. Stanford has a wide-range of student groups, such as fraternities, minority groups, and pre-professional clubs. Because Stanford is a private institution and is smaller than public universities, there is a greater amount of interaction between students in classes and in extracurricular activities. Stanford is also a community devoted to service related activities, and so we have a lot of students interested in volunteer and non-profit groups.
Christophe:
What are the first words you think of when you hear the name “Bill Gates?” For the overwhelming majority, the words “rich,” “wealthy,” and “genius” come to mind. At the same time, philanthropic foundations in the United States are known for being wasteful and ineffective. For my research project I explored the context and strategy of the rhetoric of Bill Gates in regards to his recent work from the Gates Foundation. How does Bill Gates’ use his almost mythical success as an entrepreneur and his newfound identity as “the next Carnegie” to build partnerships in the world of philanthropy and export his vision of using business approaches to philanthropy? In exploring this thesis, I contrasted Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” and Bill Gates’ first “Annual letter from the Foundation.” This gave me real insight into using different styles of speech (high vs. middle) and how to collaborate with people who may have large egos (other billionaires). It also allowed me to partially construct Bill Gates’ personality and his extreme acuteness when dealing with people and building partnerships.
My research ends on an optimistic note, urging private citizens to take note that philanthropic foundations should be accountable to the tax-paying body. This paper has led me to be very interested in the multi-billion dollar industry of private philanthropy, and I have high hopes that Bill Gates can use his ethos to urge many of his fellow foundation heads to take responsibility for their effectiveness, or lack thereof.
Melissa:
First of all, I think one of the most important things I’ve taken away from taking this amazing rhetoric of leadership class is the preparation that goes into giving an effective presentation. Before I didn’t realize that transforming a research paper into a speech/presentation takes a lot of work and creative energy! My research paper discussed changes in feminist rhetoric through time, specifically exploring the rhetoric used by Gloria Steinem and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I found that the reason Stanton’s speeches still remain so powerful today is she uses the basic philosophical idea of individualism that appeals to a universal audience and transcends time. On the contrary, I found that Steinem had generalizations and logical fallacies in her speeches that weakened the power of her rhetoric. Thus, I feel that feminists today should learn by Stanton’s example and promote gender equality by using rhetoric that has a universal appeal and includes men, instead of alienating them.
I would love to hear you thoughts on my research and would be happy to answer any questions you have! =)
Simon:
There is only one nation on earth where you can still see the living examples of the Cold War. Ever since 1950, the Korean peninsula has been in war, and to this day it still remains to be divided.
My research on presidential rhetoric for Korean unification came to a conclusion that the rhetoric despite its long history over half a century has actually not changed ever since the beginning of separation. The ‘one-people, one-nation’ argument has been the impetus for the unification rhetoric, and I found its limitations in different historical cases of presidential rhetoric. Former President Kim Dae-jung, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his efforts of promoting democracy and reconciliation with North Korea, employed rhetoric of democracy and freedom in East Asia, and my conclusion supports his rhetoric with more global and universal basis for the fundamental argument of unification.
At the end, what I realized was that it is no longer an issue only concerning Korea but the whole world. I hope to see the two Korea’s united and come together finally through global communities support and love for peace.
Continue reading "Cross Cultural Leadership Rhetoric- Chris, Mel, Simon" »
Salam, muraho!
(that’s hello in Arabic, Kinyarwanda :))
Sarah: I am originally from Jordan and this is my second year at the fabulous Stanford University. My long-term goal in life is to return to Jordan, and using the skills and connections I have made here in the US, help my country go from a developing to a developed nation. Originally, I thought the best way to do this is to become involved with the UN or non-profit work, but last year, I read a book called The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C. K. Prahalad that completely blew me out of the water and made me question all my presumptions. This book argues that the best way to improve a country’s welfare is to start a for-profit and treat the lower class population – or the ‘bottom of the pyramid’, as the book refers to them – as consumers, and not charity cases. By engaging them as discerning consumers, and providing them with the products and services they need, you can greatly improve their standard of living.
Questions for the students in Örebro and Khaborovsk, out there in cyberspace:
What do you think about Prahalad’s proposal? Do you think his business/consumerism model is a better model for development than philanthropic work?
What about ethics? Do you think that it is unethical to make a profit from those in the lower class?
Ingrid: It is really interesting that you post your age in your intro! Where I am from in Rwanda, it’s quite normal to include your age in your intro, just like you guys did, Contrary to here in America, where it is not that common to have age as relevant in a introduction; so talking of intercultural, this is something!
My research topic was analyzing the rhetoric of raising awareness for social justice, specifically the rhetoric that Dr. Paul Farmer, the founder of Partners in Health (a non-profit organization that provides medical services to the poor- see pih.org) uses to raise awareness for social justice. I was interested in this topic because I had a suspicion that raising awareness about social justice has become an end in itself instead of it being a tool to have Social Justice. I found that the reason why raising awareness becomes an end in itself is because the term “raising awareness” is ambiguous; as a leader whose goal is Taking action and creating change, your rhetoric has to always emphasize the start point and the end point- the problem at hand and the transformation that you are working for. A leader has to thoroughly understand the problem he/she is dealing with and the transformation that needs to occur, most of the time, to understand these things means learning from the people concerned with the problem you want to solve; their culture, customs, beliefs, their suffering, their ideas…
Questions:
Is activism for Social Change is something commonly done in Universities in Sweden?
Continue reading "Sending you good vibes from Stanford ;)" »
(From Left: Jesse, Elissa, Kelcey and Grant)
Kelcey: Hi there! I am 19 years old and I am originally from Seattle, Washington. I am studying International Relations and French. In my free time I like to travel, hang out with my friends, and dance. I love it here at Stanford, though I wish the tuition was free like it is in other countries. The campus is absolutely beautiful and the sun is finally coming out again! We have one week until our final exams so students are beginning to pack the libraries. One of my friends works in marketing for Starbucks (a coffee company). She walked all over campus this weekend passing out free Starbucks double shot drinks, which are very caffeinated and will be helpful for the long nights of studying ahead (I may want to find her before I head to the library this afternoon!).
What are your school schedules like? How often do you have class and for how long?
Do you travel in the summertime?
What are your favorite foods? Any traditional dishes?
How many languages do you speak?
I’ve never been to Sweden or Russia; if I were to travel there, which cities should I visit?
Through this class, I have found that I am even more interested in rhetoric than I originally thought I was. My research concerning George Mitchell, President Obama’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, has left me fascinated with how other nations perceive America. The American government has created a negative reputation for itself in the last few years, arguably one of arrogance which threatens our relations with other countries. Do you believe it is possible to reform America’s reputation through speech? If so, how?
I tend to think optimistically and I believe rhetoric is essential for effective leadership. I would love to hear about how you believe American leaders can successfully communicate with other countries. Would this mean the elimination of religious allusions?
Elissa: Hello everyone! My name is Elissa Flandro and I’m a sophomore majoring in Architectural Design within the Civil Engineering Department at Stanford. I’ve lived in Boise, Idaho my whole life. In Idaho, I like to spend my time skiing during the winter and relaxing in the great outdoors during the summer. I am part Native American, and my research for this class was centered on the leadership of my tribe, the Kalispels.
During this quarter, I really enjoyed learning about the general characteristics of leaders as seen through different cultural perspectives. While blogging with Uppsala, Sweden, Jesse and I found that we had completely different views on what an effective speech incorporates, compared to the students in Sweden. The two students from Sweden were shocked to hear a speech given by Bono, which contained many religious references. The students explained that a political speaker would never think to include religious themes in his speech, as it would be offensive and out of place. For me, this goes to show that leaders must adapt their strategies to the needs of those they lead.
Stanford life definitely fosters the creation of great leaders. I think the diversity within the Stanford community is its best trait. Before coming to Stanford, I really didn’t know many international students. My knowledge regarding culture and religions was pretty limited, as I went to private Catholic school for twelve years….! I’ve loved learning about the diverse lives of my friends over the past two years. It’s broadened my thoughts about global leadership and made me more open minded.
Why would Americans include religion so much more frequently in their speeches?
How did Obama do this during his campaign?
Jesse: Hi everyone! My name is Jesse Peters and I’m a sophomore from Martinez, CA. In my free time I like to sing with my acapella group, chill with my friends, listen to music, and play basketball and soccer. This quarter, we learned about the rhetoric of leadership. I became interested in leaders who had brought their nations in dark and dangerous directions and how this sort of leadership could be avoided. I ended up focusing my research for the quarter on George W. Bush, seen through the lens of Adolf Hitler—focusing on their emotive rhetoric.
Grant: Hi guys! My name is Grant Newsome. I’m a Junior at Stanford majoring in Sociology. I’m from the Southside of Chicago and am a die-hard cubs fan. In my free time, I work on producing music and extracurricular social work. In PWR 2, I conducted research about the rhetoric of African-American development that was extremely valuable to me as an aspiring public speaker and teacher. Particularly, the most valuable aspect of this research that I acquired was methods of analyzing rhetoric. I was better able to break down my own style of delivery in presentations and seminars and breakdown the styles of others to understand what works and what doesn’t with my target audience. Furthermore, the class was very engaging and taught extremely well my our committed professor Alyssa O’Brien. The process that I undertook to construct my eventual research-based argument was very detailed, which was arduous at first, but ended up producing a finished product that I feel legitimately addresses the questions of the project. What I really looked for in PWR 2, however, was more training with presentation and my usage of multimedia or visual aids to supplement my oral delivery. I spent a good deal of time on my presentation and making sure that I put in material that would engage my audience but not take away from the power of oral delivery. Overall, I felt this class really helped me become a better researcher and presenter. I hope to be able to incorporate what I learned in this class into any social service work I do in the future.
Greetings-
Our names are Jisas and Tom, and we are currently sophomores at Stanford University. We are from in Samburu, Kenya and Kensington, Maryland, which are both quite a ways from Stanford and Sweden and Russia. Right now, we are just coming to the close of our winter quarter, which means the weather is getting nice and it's difficult to study for finals. We had a great time in our rhetoric class studying the oral techniques of different leaders, from Barack Obama, to ordinary people who posted videos on Youtube. Our class focused on the different aspects of rhetorical communication and presentation, and below our reflections on the class are posted. We are excited to be sharing this blog with you guys, and look forward to hearing from you. We're very curious to learn about how your views on the art of oral persuasion.
Jisas's Reflection:
Hi, my name is Jisas Lemasagarai. I was born in a very remote part of north Kenya called Samburu district. This is where I grew up until my 14th birthday when I moved to Nairobi for my high school education. My time in this district was a love hate affair. While I love the place because it is my home and the place where people I love reside, it is also a place where I witnessed the effects of armed tribal conflict. It is also the place that sent me to the best High School in Kenya and consequently Stanford University.
Now as a sophomore planning to major in either Mechanical Engineering or Management Science and Engineering, I have had a different experience of life here. Stanford and its culture is nothing that I have ever imagined in my wildest dreams. I have met many people from different corners of the world and each of this people has a different story and background. The thing that I love most about meeting people from different parts of the world is that you get to learn so many different views on day to day events.
Taking a writing and rhetoric class this quarter (Global Controversies and Practical Rhetoric for Leadership), has been very satisfying for me. First of all, I had one of the best teachers of my short Stanford career. Dr. Alyssa O’Brien was always positive about my research (The Rhetoric of gunrunning) and she really helped me focus and re-focus my argument. What started out as an expansive topic that in her words could make up an eight chapter book turned out to be a nine page research-based argument. I can’t thank her enough for this. I loved the fact that she guided me towards my own realization of how to focus my argument, something that made the experience a lot satisfying. I mean, have you ever met someone that reads a paper that you have written and then goes ahead to tell you how to put your argument instead of guiding you to bring it out the way you intended? That was the difference for me while doing my research; Dr. O’Brien guided me to bring out the ideas I had in my mind.
Although my classmates come from different countries, all of them are unified by the Stanford culture that makes it easy for people to engage intellectually about different perspectives and cultures while respecting the different viewpoints. The end product of my research could not have been possible without the input of my classmates. This may have been in form of peer review, expanding on my ideas or just learning about their views on my topic as well as providing a great academic and friendly atmosphere for research and learning.
I therefore feel like I have been enabled by this class. While I have researched how one man used rhetoric to hide a hideous gunrunning business that caused the loss of lives of millions and how this reflects on a failure of global leadership, I have also come to the conclusion that my class embodied the kind of leadership that I would like to see in the world. Though only on a small scale, there was a great sense of purpose and energy in the class. It was especially great listening to all those inspiring presentations with great ideas about leadership and global controversies, all guided by some cool multimedia.
Everyone touched on some really important aspect of leadership and its rhetoric. In general the message was either lauding positive leadership or espousing on negative use of rhetoric and how we can learn from these different scenarios. I think recognizing the different use of rhetoric is leadership in itself.
Tom's Reflection:
Greetings! My name is Tom Kramer, and I am sophomore at Stanford majoring in Political Science. I also live about ten minutes from Washington, D.C., and so I have had a lot of exposure to politics and government by living so close to the nation’s capital. Attending a school like Stanford is a tremendous experience, as it has exposed me to numerous viewpoints and an intellectual atmosphere unlike any I have been involved with before.
I think that what I have learned, more than anything else in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric, is the value of preparation, to which I am sure you can relate. This applies to both oral and written projects. My project for my class, named Global Controversies and the Practical Rhetoric of Leadership, dealt with the rhetoric surrounding Guantanamo Bay and the treatment of U.S. military prisoners. It required a significant amount of research, and it was necessary for me to plan out my research and writing well in advance. I believe that good planning contributed greatly to well-crafted essay. On a similar note, my oral presentation required a great deal of planning as well. The process began as early as two weeks before the presentation, as I converted my written argument into an oral script. After that, I gave my speech in two practice sessions, which enabled me to revise certain parts and make my oral argument much stronger. I think the amount of time spent preparing and practicing such an oral speech is directly correlated to its strength and persuasiveness.
By going through the process of learning how to craft an oral argument in this class, I think that I learned something very important about leadership. That is, the ability to lead, persuade, and motivate does not come easily. It requires preparation and dedication on the part of a leader, to the point where they spend a lot of time developing and practicing their rhetoric, both written and oral. I also learned that the amount of preparation for oral presentations has much to do with the type of style that the speaker employs. In my presentation, I used a very high style of rhetoric, and I realized that making sure my presentation was well-organized and devoid of any problems was especially important. When using a high style, the speaker becomes very serious, and this characteristic does not lend itself well to any problems, issues, or mishaps with the presentation. For example, if in a presentation using high style the projector suddenly cuts out, the speaker’s credibility is damaged by a perceived lack of preparation. This contrasts with the use of low style, which I believe can adapt and react very well to any problems encountered in a presentation. In the same situation, the incident may be taken much more lightly and the speaker may be able to maintain the attention of the audience by the use of a low style of rhetoric.
Continue reading "Rhetoric of Leadership - Closing Remarks" »
Micheal Ortiz, Mike McGhie, and Steve Ziegler
Comprehensive Reflection on the Rhetoric of Leadership
March 9, 2009
Hey guys, we're three Stanford students who have just finished Dr. Alyssa O'Brien's Global Controversies and the Rhetoric of Leadership Class. We've had a lucky group of students who have made the class dynamic exceptionally fun, but more importantly we've learned a lot about what it takes to be effective leaders.
Micheal Ortiz
Biography
Hello everyone, my name is Michael Ortiz and I am a sophomore planning to major in Computer Science and minor in Economics. Without a doubt, coming to Stanford is the best decision I have ever made. Stanford is a special place not only because it stimulates intellectual growth, but personal growth in general. I’m humbled by the achievements and passions of my peers and to even be considered a peer is an honor. What has perhaps struck me the most about Stanford culture is the dedication of its students to philanthropy.
This philanthropic influence combined with my interest in environmental economics prompted me to enter a start-up idea called Cap-and-Save into the Stanford Social Entrepreneurial Challenge. Cap-and-Save is a carbon offset project that uses a cap-and-trade model to provide economic incentives for individuals to lower their energy consumption and adopt clean energy. I have used this research project to immerse myself in the language of the field and to learn the proper rhetorical strategies to market my own cap-and-trade model.
Reflection
The European Union has implemented a cap-and-trade system, the most economically efficient carbon emissions reduction scheme, since 2005 in order to fight climate crisis. Meanwhile, the United States has done nothing. For my research, I analyzed the rhetoric of Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment, to gain insight into what rhetorical strategies the United States could adopt to establish a cap-and-trade system. I found that Dimas was successful in implementing a cap-and-trade scheme, because he implemented four key rhetorical strategies: 1) urgent tone, 2) optimism, despite the urgency of climate crisis, 3) appeal to US leadership and 4) appeal to economic opportunity of cap-and-trade.
These four rhetorical strategies are successful because they speak to the audience. Knowing your audience is perhaps the most important indicator of successful rhetoric. I analyzed President Obama’s rhetoric in an address to a joint session of Congress to see where he could improve his rhetoric. I found that he successfully applied the first three factors to his rhetoric. However, Obama should know that his audience responds, sadly, above all, to one thing: money. If Obama is to swing public perception of cap-and-trade, he must speak to what the American people are willing to listen. He must emphasize, less eloquently and more clearly, the economic advantage, not sacrifice, of renewable energy and how cap-and-trade will help stimulate renewable growth. If Obama learns how to better speak to the American people, they will listen.
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Mike McGhie
Biography
Mike McGhie is sophomore majoring in Economics at Stanford University. His interests in the global community stems from his Jamaican and Japanese heritage as well as his experiences living in Japan, Germany, Holland, England, and the United States. In high school Michael used the internet to place students looking for internships and jobs with employers. Last summer, Michael combined his interests in technology and globalization to cofound a venture that sold websites to local businesses then outsourced the labor to Indians. Michael is currently conducting research for Arijit Sengupta, the CEO of BeyondCore, in the BPO industry through the Global Entrepreneurial Marketing class at Stanford. After Michael graduates, he hopes to tackle the problem of fully utilizing human capital all over the world as a business technology consultant or as an entrepreneur. In his free time, Mike plays rugby for Stanford, and loves to have philosophical conversations with friends and snack on wheat crackers after crazy nights of debauchery around campus ;-).
Reflection
Mike’s thoughts about the rhetoric of leadership: The research I did on the outsourcing industry gave me a lot of insight on how to get people to buy into your vision. I found that companies separated by cultural barriers and thousands of miles can still overcome these boundaries by building their ethos, creating rapport, and clearly communicating the benefits of their vision. So much of leadership has to do with clearly communicating the vision you have--and a person or organization's ability to do this will literally shape the world. My topic focused on an industry instead of an individual leader and was a lot narrower than a lot of the other topics, so I faced challenges in communicating how an entire industry could be seen as a leader and why my research was important to the class. During my presentation, I learned how to move my research beyond technical jargon into something that is meaningful and beneficial to the entire class. It's super cool how technology is allowing us to communicate over the internet with you guys. What do you think the world will look like 15 years from now when new technology and globalization have torn down many of the boundaries separating people from different countries?
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Steve Ziegler
Biography
My name is Steven Andrew Ziegler. I was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in the suburb of Broomfield roughly twenty minutes north of downtown. I have a brother, Joe (24), two sisters, Sarah (26) and Anna (28), and two wonderful parents. I have been told I have an extremely dry sense of humor; I love sarcasm, and am typically easy to get along with because people interest me. Since I was ten years old I have aspired to be a professional golfer, and am currently following my dream through the footsteps of my idol, Tiger Woods, by playing golf here at Stanford. My dreams are to be able to make a kid’s day by simple interactions, i.e. giving a lesson, or inviting them under the ropes of an event. I aspire to make a difference in our youth: our future leaders.
Reflection
For this class, I decided to analyze the rhetoric of Tiger Woods and Andre Agassi’s educational foundations to see how these men have transferred success from their respective sports into making a positive difference in education. Throughout my research and with the help of my colleagues, I noticed two reoccurring themes in quality leader’s messages: empathy and gratitude.
So, it is not a leader’s superior determination, or intelligence, or talent that makes them influential. Effective leaders are exceptional communicators, and my experience in this class suggests that those who lead gain their audience’s attention and respect through empathy and gratitude. Think about any time someone has thanked or acknowledged you for your contribution, and how you receive that person afterwards. It may not always easy to be gracious, as author Nate Booth describes, “we tend to neglect the practice of gratitude because it involves an admission of our vulnerability and dependence on other people,” but wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where cultural norms were founded on sharing respect for others?
I believe acknowledging others build teams, much stronger than the individual. Empathy and gratitude filled messages breed effective leaders that work to improve our society, like Woods and Agassi have done by directing attention to education. I too want to make a positive difference in the future generations of this world, and I feel this class has given me the tools to accomplish my dream.
We invite you to read our research further.
Sincerely,
Micheal Ortiz, Mike McGhie, and Steve Ziegler
Hi all!
I imagine this to be a global truth, but man do things suck right before finals! As the quarter draws to a close, we all become increasingly busy, and as such my poor group was unable to meet this weekend! But worry not; we wouldn't dare forget our dear friends in Khabarovsk and Örebro. I only insert this disclaimer to explain the format of the following entry. Rather than one large reflection, we have each written one independently, which means triple the fun! Pardon my giddy enthusiasm, by the way; I stayed up all night working on an assignment and a paper, so I'm tripping out a little bit. I digress. Without further ado, Kavita Shah!
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Hello! Our names are Crystal Espinosa, Atziry Gutierrez, and Bruce Hernandez. We are Stanford students and we just finished taking a class called Global Controversies and Practical Rhetoric for Leadership. The goal of this class was to strengthen our writing and to develop good presentation skill that we will be able to use the rest of our careers. We all lived in California prior to enrolling in Stanford. Our campus is located in the suburbs in between San Francisco and San Jose California. This makes our community a little secluded from the city life, but it creates the opportunity of a united community on campus. An awesome component about our community is its diversity. There are people from all different backgrounds, interests, and from all over the world, making Stanford an environment where we can all learn a little about the world from the comfort of our “home.”
[What we learned about Rhetoric]
One of the elements that were very important to our class was the tree rhetorical appeals:
1. logos, appeal to logic, “proof”;
2. pathos, emotional appeal, putting audience in an emotional state; and
3. Ethos, appeal to the speakers’ character.
In an interesting video conversation with students from Uppsala University in Sweden, we discussed how different cultures have different priorities on the use these three rhetorical appeals. In our conversation we found out that in Sweden people respond more to logos, whereas here in the United States we respond more to pathos. What is most persuasive in your culture, the appeal of logos, pathos, or ethos?
In class we also had the opportunity to engage in a video-conference with John Paval; who is a professional who works to prepare people to give effective presentations. One of the things he stressed was “All practice of oratory is the practice of putting meaning into action.” In the course we learned a lot about structuring presentations according to the addressed audience. This included fun skits, mimicking our professors to get a point across, and such activities. Our professor also had us practice voice projection, tone, body language, different styles of decorum, pace, and voice fluctuation. For example, during our voice projection activity, Dr. Alyssa O’Brien had half of the class stand outside while we watch practiced saying our name and favorite color out loud. If the student on the outside were able to hear us, those individuals practiced lowering their voice. One of our favorite class activities was forming groups of three or four and sharing our research ideas with our group members on a 40 to sixty second elevator ride. We called it the “elevator pitch. The goal for this activity was to condense our research topic to ten words, engaging the listener by intriguing them to ask a question about our research, and leaving them with the desire to learn more, all within that forty second elevator ride. If you were in this situation and you were telling us about your academic interests, what would your ten word elevator pitch be?
Rhetoric is an essential component of effective leadership. Both past and current leaders utilize the art of effective persuasion to address the problems that society has faced and express their visions, from social justice to product marketing.
Mike McGhee, one of our classmates, emphasized that no matter what your leadership role is, there are three things that are necessary for effective leadership:
1. Establish your ethos by gaining other’s trust
2. Communicate your vision effectively- that’s where practical rhetoric comes in
3. Emphasize the gains of following your vision; address the WHY
In the last quarter, we observed our peers utilize rhetoric effectively as leaders facing global issues, such as the AIDS epidemic, drug trafficking violence, indigenous inequality, global warming, job outsourcing, and education. Others researched the rhetoric of past leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Walt Disney, and Ronald Reagan.
To learn a little more about us, please click here:
Continue reading "Practical Rhetoric for Leadership: Closing Remarks" »
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your posts so far!! Our names are Angelina, Stephanie, and Mai. Our group all did similar rhetorical analysis of political leaders in relation to pertinent issues that affect their respective countries. Hope you enjoy!!
Examining the Rhetoric of Leaders
Reflections by Angelina Cardona, Stephanie Caro, and Mai El-Sadany
I am a sophomore at Stanford University studying International Relations with a minor in Urban Studies. I was a devoted volunteer to the Obama campaign during the 2008 Presidential Election; I knocked on doors, called undecided voters, put up flyers, registered voters, organized carpools, and traveled to four different states to help Obama win. From the first time I heard Obama speak in Reno in the spring of 2007, I was moved by Obama’s message and ability to connect with the audience. Since, I have developed deep passions for politics, public service, and human rights.
I chose to examine the rhetoric and tools Obama used throughout his successful campaign because I was intrigued that he used consistent rhetoric from country to country, never altering his message to fit varying cultural and societal norms and expectations. In my research, I questioned whether or not there were common themes that the people of world could rally around, especially in light of a world facing war, genocide, economic recession, an endangered environment, and poverty. Most importantly, I examined the implications of this rhetoric of global citizenship as to shed light on these tactics for future leaders/anyone with a vision to share to the world, and explore the effects of this positive and progressive rhetoric for international relations.
Working on this project, I realized the important of rhetoric as a catalyst to convey a message. In the first class session, Dr. O’Brien, “when you speak, realize that you are sharing a gift with the audience and that gift is the message you want to convey to them, so when you are up there do not feel nervous because the presentation is about your message.” Her words stuck to me throughout the quarter and empowered me to deliver my message to our class about my research but more importantly the message that was within Obama’s rhetoric—a call for service, of participation by all the citizens of the world, realizing that we all have a stake in one another. I feel blessed to be living in such a dynamic and changing time, and look forward to finding a career one day in public service and continuing to share my messages with the world.
- From Angelina
I began this research project when I was in the process of applying to study abroad in Madrid next year. As I began to craft what I imagined my experience to comprise of—learning the language, traveling throughout the country, experiencing student life in a different culture, living in the cultural and political hub of the country—I found myself wondering what niche of Spanish life I would become involved in. Taking this research opportunity to start learning about Spain here at Stanford, I began with my academic interest: politics. Because Spain is a relatively recent democracy (making its transition from dictatorship in the 1970s), I used Spain as a case study for the use of rhetoric, specifically ethos, by leaders of post-conflict countries. Spain became an increasingly interesting case because you see the way in which rhetoric surrounding their amnesty policy shaped a culture of silence and forgetting.
A lot like Angelina and Mai’s research projects, you see the way that the rhetoric of leaders has profound cultural consequences for their audience and in our cases, an entire nation. However, one lesson that my research and especially the dynamic of our class have taught me is that the relationship between the speaker and audience is not one way. Establishing one’s ethos is very much dictated by the audience—the cultural or socioeconomic background, historical experience, or personal biases—because legitimacy and goodwill is redefined with each culture or time period. At the same time, a leader who bends too much to the perceived will or sentiment of an audience, loses legitimacy, this applies especially to new democracies. I think the way to strike a balance between these two is to really understand why you believe in the opinions you’re presenting your audience. For me, this understanding came through a long process of critical thinking, really allowing the research to inform my opinion. The research projects that stood out the most to me were ones in which I felt the speaker’s objective stance in the beginning strengthened his or her persuasive argument in the end—a process of discovery. What this meant for my research, was challenging the typical “good guy” “bad guy” template of human rights cases and mastering the intricacies of Spain’s policies at the time.
- From Stephanie
As someone who grew up in the United States but was born in Egypt and to two very Egyptian parents, I was raised to appreciate all the aspects of my culture and background, whether the Egyptian, the Muslim, or the American. This open-mindedness has led to my interest in human rights, hates crimes, diversity and more. My research project stems from the urge to make sure that our leaders use culturally sensitive and respectful rhetoric that further the unification of the people of the world. I decided to study the effect of Bush’s post-9/11 rhetoric on the negative perception of Muslims and Islam by Americans.
Working on this project, I realized the importance of being passionate about what you study. In addition to that important lesson, I learned a lot of tips about effective rhetoric. Having usually conducted research using books, I let myself out of my comfort zone this time and ended up analyzing speeches, YouTube comments, blogs, videos, and even interviews. This variety of multimedia and material allowed me to be exposed to a number of sources and also provided for excellent engagement with my audience. When speaking, I also realized the importance of taking breaths in between my statements to let the audience comprehend what I was saying and also, to force myself to go slower, which would eventually lead to more eye contact with the audience. I’m still working on this, but at least this opportunity gave me chances to work on my weaknesses and go from there. Additionally, I learned how distracting and how beneficial hands can be. When I played with my scarf, I distracted the audience- but when I used my hands for certain motions to get a point across, they were often quite useful. Finally, I also learned the importance of balancing the use of facts and statistics to build my ethos, while also inserting colorful anecdotes and personal accounts to increase my pathos. Effective rhetoric balances these two and gets a strong message across.
- From Mai
We would love to hear all about your experiences with research, what global issues are you passionate about? Please comment on our blog and let us know what you've been working on and what you think of our projects.
Continue reading "Examining Rhetoric of Political Leaders" »
Hi, everyone! So great to be posting on this blog and get introduced to students from all around the world. We are a group of sophomores taking a “Writing and Rhetoric” course on global controversies and practical rhetoric for leadership at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA.
Our group has three members. The first member of our group, Shrestha Chowdhury, is a student from New Delhi, India. She just completed her research paper on female leadership in the Indian subcontinent with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as the main subject of her research. She is excited that her research will help inspire her to become a leader some day, and thrilled about the insights her research has given her about the politics of the Indian subcontinent!
The second member of our group, Fidel Hernandez, is from Miami, Florida. He just completed his research on Walt Disney and his use of creative and motivational rhetoric to inspire childlike qualities of boldness, curiosity, playfulness, and innocence within society. He hopes that his research will demonstrate the enduring value of creativity in effective leaders.
The third member of our group, Matt Cook, is from Los Angeles, California. He completed his research on the humor of Ronald Reagan. In his paper he wrote about the ways in which Ronald Reagan used humor as a rhetorical tool to charm media, disarm adversaries, inspire optimism, and gain a following among people of multiple parties.
We are very proud to be a part of the Stanford community and hope to learn about other universities and cultures throughout the world. Here at Stanford, there is a big focus on entrepreneurship and initiative, which drives people of all majors to be active in doing what is practical. Instruction supplements theory with a heavy emphasis on practical application. Something else that defines Stanford is the emphasis on individuality. Rather than feeling like a “collective,” we celebrate the diversity, differences, and cultural roots of every single student. Something that demonstrates this is our band. Rather than having a band that marches around all wearing the same uniform and walking to the same beat (as our rival, University of California at Berkeley, does), our band members all wear something different! Every member is unique and individualistic. We love this attitude. Go Cardinal!
We’d love to hear about school spirit at your universities. How do students demonstrate school pride? Are sports games exciting? Also, with regards to academics, are you more theoretically oriented or practically oriented?
Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts. We’ve had fun on this blog!
Best wishes,
Shre, Fidel, and Matt
Continue reading "Shre, Fidel, Matt reach out to students in Russia and Sweden!" »
Hello everybody in Khavaborsk, and thank you for your very interesting questions and answers and comments on our latest entry! We enjoyed reading about your country very much and would like to know more.
A little bit of Group 4 (G4)
We are at the moment sitting on the top floor in one of the many houses on campus and looking out on all the snow, waiting for spring and the birds to return. Our winter this year is extremely snowy and cold and we can't do much more than stay inside and watch tv. One of the biggest television events in Sweden is the "Melodifestivalen", that is our competition when we decide who will compete for Sweden in the Eurovision song contest. We have several semifinals and it is a long process that goes on for about two months, and more than a quarter of our population watches the show. It is very democratic and we all have to call in and vote several times.
This is the smallest of the groups and just like the other groups we are attending the rhetoric programme at the University of Örebro in Sweden. At the moment we are studying intercultural communication, which we find very interesting since we all come from different cultural backgrounds and has different experiences. With this blog we would like to get a better understanding of your culture and learn a few new things.
Us in the picture, from the left:
Bengt is the tallest in the group, he is of Swedish origin and was brought up in a little bandy-crazed town called Sandviken also known for its steel company Sandvik Inc. There he worked in production of special-pipes for a while before moving to Örebro for studies in media and communication. Currently he works in telemarketing and studies Rhetorics. During his spare time he likes reading, listening to music, watching the shows House MD and Dexter he also trains in the martial art of Taekwondo.
Hannes is 22 and has Finnish origin. He is a trained chef from one of the smallest villages in Sweden, which means everybody is bullying him for his accent. He has worked in England for two summers before starting his studies. He plays the guitar and various instruments and likes the martial art of Taido, cooking and metal music.
Maria is the only girl in the group. She is all Swedish but has lived and worked in France a long time, and her family is spread out all over Sweden. Before she started the rhetoric programme she studied political science. She is 24 years old and besides studying she works as a tour guide at the castle in Örebro. She likes horseback riding, dancing and partying with her friends.
The odd one in our group is Ronald. He is of Lebanese decent but has spent most of his life in Sweden. He is 22 years of age and has spent 16 of those years in Sweden. Originally from one of the coast cities in Sweden, Gothenburg, he moved to Örebro to study rhetoric’s. In his spare time he is either with his girlfriend at home or partying the night away.
David is 23 years old. He was brought up in the Swedish countryside outside of the nice town of Karlskoga. Karlskoga is known for being the home of the famous scientist Alfred Nobel. A quarter of David’s blood is italian and he often visit his relatives in Italy. His main interests are sports and Sergio Leone movies.
We also have some questions for you…
• Which sports are the most popular where you live?
• How would you describe your relationship which your neighbouring countries?
• Do you have interaction with people from other countries? What kind of interaction (outside school)?
• What is your view on homosexual, bisexual, transsexual and queer people?
• What is your view on abortion?
• Is Absolute Vodka any good compared to Russian vodka?
• Is your part of Russia very different from western Russia? How?
• Is it ok to make fun of Putin?
• Do you have an active student union?
• What do you know about Sweden?
We are really looking forward to hearing from you and reading your answers! We have many things we would like to know about Russia. And please ask us anything no questions are off limits.
Until then, your truly
Group 4.
Hello students at Khabarovsk University!
We are group 3 in the cross-culture rhetoric course at Örebro University. Örebro is situated in the middle of Sweden and it has almost 125 000 inhabitants which makes it to Sweden’s seventh largest city. The city is just a five minute bicycle ride from the university so you can easily go in to town for lunch or just to take a nice cup of coffee. Örebro is a beautiful city that offers shopping, nice restaurants and a lot of cozy cafe´s.
Örebro University was formed in 1977 and is now going through its most expansive phase. It strives to create a campus that gives the students, staff and guests an excellent, intellectual, social and physical enviorment. The university is taking an active part in the development of the region with strong contacts with industry and the community. It’s also a national and international center for knowledge.
Örebro university is for the moment the most expanding university in Sweden. It has over 14500 students. The university got more than 80 study programmes and offers 800 single subject courses, that cover 50 different subject areas.
The majority in our small group is a part of the Rhetoric programme, and this is our second term. The programme is brand new, and we are the first students on it. Rhetoric has been a forgotten art in Sweden for almost hundred years, but the interest has raised within the last 20 years. The programme focuses on leadership and cross cultural communication, but it’s based on the classic rhetoric. Since the programme is new, our future is not really certain. By that we mean that our three years is not going to give us an exact role or title. It might sound a bit odd and strange but as we see it, it opens up a sea of possibilities and we’ll be able to create our own market. In the modern information and globalized society, we believe that communication is the key to everything!
In our group there are 3 guys and 4 girls. We are from left: Jenny, Cosmin, David, Dan, Ida, Mathilda and Susanne.
We are group 2 of the 4 groups in our course studying intercultural rhetoric at Örebro University
We are seven people in our group and so far we have only met a couple of times to discuss the rhetorical differences between countries. The idea is that we meet one time a week to discuss what we have learned during the classes, these meetings are completely led by ourselves. We also try to come up with answers which might have come up during the lessons.
David: I am 22 years old and have been studying in Örebro for almost 2 years, before I started on this course I studied Media and Communication. At the moment I am only taking this course and not the whole program. On my spare time I go to the nearby town of Västerås and support the local hockey team, or see my friends.
Cosmin: Privjet! My age is 25 and I am born in Romania. My plan with this education is to get more job opportunities international. The studying life in Sweden is fun and the course is free, with means that you only have to pay for your living and books. In my spare time I like sports and gambling. Hope to hear from you!
Dan: Hi there I am Dan, 49 years old and come from south Sweden (Skåne). I have been studying in Örebro for about 3 years: I have study Literature - science and I start with Rhetoric studies one year ago. My interests are photo, painting, making music and writing poetry on poetbay.com under my name; Dan Cederholm. I have worked with PR and on newspapers since I was 17 years old. I love music, both listen and writing, I play guitar, bass and keyboard and I also have my own little recording studio at my home. Some of my favorite bands are: Pink Floyd, Nightwish, Muse, AC/DC, Metallica, Deep Purple and most of Classical music . . . Some of my favorite painters is Monet and Chagall. Some of my favorite photographer is Ansel Adams and Viktor Hasselblad. Some of my favorite poets is Shakespeare, Dante, Sapho, Vergilius and W.H.Auden. You can find me on facebook as Dan Cederholm and there are a lots of my picture published.
Jenny: Hi. I´m a 29 years old woman from Örebro. Right now I study the Rhetoric program, and before that I study Special pedagogic, professional writing, politicialcourse and some other stuff. I´m married and have three children in the years between 2-4 years. In my sparetime I do Stand up comedy and are involved in politics (I´m a communist). I also write poetry and novels.
Ida: Hi! I am 21 years old. I don’t know what I want to work with in the future so I’ve studied an english course and now I study this course, Intercultural communication. In spear time I like to be with my friends, play the violin etc. I like travelling and meet people from other cultures. Take care!
Susanne: Hello! I am a positive 23 years old woman from Örebro. In the future I like to work with people as a coach. In my spare time I like sport a lot. I also like to write. Have a nice day!
Mathilda: I am 22 years old and have lived in Örebro for a little more than 1 year I grew up in Karlskoga. I have studied at Örebro University for 3 terms, economics, English and pedagogics. On my spare time I like to work-out, watch movies and spend time with friends and family. I have traveled a bit and have lived and worked in Ireland for 8 months.
To start somewhere we have some Questions:
What do you do on a day off in Khaborovsk?
How big is your city?
What type of groups do you have? Religious, cultural etc.?
What kind of music do you like?
What do you want to do in the future?
What do you know about Sweden and Swedish people?
What do you usually eat? Do you have any special dishes?
What do you think of politics?
Is Khvaborsk famous for anything?
We’d love to hear from you soon!
In our group there are 3 guys and 4 girls. We are from left: Jenny, Cosmin, David, Dan, Ida, Mathilda and Susanne.
We are group 2 of the 4 groups in our course studying intercultural rhetoric at Örebro University.
We are seven people in our group and so far we have only met a couple of times to discuss the rhetorical differences between countries. The idea is that we meet one time a week to discuss what we have learned during the classes, these meetings are completely led by ourselves. We also try to come up with answers which might have come up during the lessons.
David: I am 22 years old and have been studying in Örebro for almost 2 years, before I started on this course I studied Media and Communication. At the moment I am only taking this course and not the whole program. On my spare time I go to the nearby town of Västerås and support the local hockey team, or see my friends.
Cosmin: Privjet! My age is 25 and I am born in Romania. My plan with this education is to get more job opportunities international. The studying life in Sweden is fun and the course is free, with means that you only have to pay for your living and books. In my spare time I like sports and gambling. Hope to hear from you!
Dan: Hi there I am Dan, 49 years old and come from south Sweden (Skåne). I have been studying in Örebro for about 3 years: I have study Literature - science and I start with Rhetoric studies one year ago. My interests are photo, painting, making music and writing poetry on poetbay.com under my name; Dan Cederholm. I have worked with PR and on newspapers since I was 17 years old. I love music, both listen and writing, I play guitar, bass and keyboard and I also have my own little recording studio at my home. Some of my favorite bands are: Pink Floyd, Nightwish, Muse, AC/DC, Metallica, Deep Purple and most of Classical music . . . Some of my favorite painters is Monet and Chagall. Some of my favorite photographer is Ansel Adams and Viktor Hasselblad. Some of my favorite poets is Shakespeare, Dante, Sapho, Vergilius and W.H.Auden. You can find me on facebook as Dan Cederholm and there are a lots of my picture published.
Jenny: Hi. I´m a 29 years old woman from Örebro. Right now I study the Rhetoric program, and before that I study Special pedagogic, professional writing, politicialcourse and some other stuff. I´m married and have three children in the years between 2-4 years. In my sparetime I do Stand up comedy and are involved in politics (I´m a communist). I also write poetry and novels.
Ida: Hi! I am 21 years old. I don’t know what I want to work with in the future so I’ve studied an english course and now I study this course, Intercultural communication. In spear time I like to be with my friends, play the violin etc. I like travelling and meet people from other cultures. Take care!
Susanne: Hello! I am a positive 23 years old woman from Örebro. In the future I like to work with people as a coach. In my spare time I like sport a lot. I also like to write. Have a nice day!
Mathilda: I am 22 years old and have lived in Örebro for a little more than 1 year I grew up in Karlskoga. I have studied at Örebro University for 3 terms, economics, English and pedagogics. On my spare time I like to work-out, watch movies and spend time with friends and family. I have traveled a bit and have lived and worked in Ireland for 8 months.
To start somewhere we have some Questions:
What do you do on a day off in Khaborovsk?
How big is your city?
What type of groups do you have? Religious, cultural etc.?
What kind of music do you like?
What do you want to do in the future?
What do you know about Sweden and Swedish people?
What do you usually eat? Do you have any special dishes?
What do you think of politics?
Is Khvaborsk famous for anything?
We’d love to hear from you soon!
This is just a test. The students in Örebro are working on their presentations and will upload them shortly. We have found out that it is very expensive to buy a flight ticket to your city. We are happy that we can get in contact with you in cyberspace instead.
Anders Eriksson
We are a group of students at Örebro University in Sweden. There are about 130 000 people living there and about 15 000 of them are students. Örebro is a quite big city in Sweden.
This semester is our second at the Rhetoric Program. Our major is rhetoric and this semester we are studying intercultural communication. That’s why we thought it would be a great idea to blog and exchange experiences with you! The Rhetoric program is a brand new kind of program, and we are the first ones to attend.
We are between 20 and 30, with different backgrounds. Some of us have been living in this city for all of our lives, and some of us just recently moved here.
Our program goes over three years, so we’re going to spend a lot of time together. This opportunity is a great chance for us to bond with people with same interests and building networks for the future. We believe that this will help us in becoming creative and open minded communicators.
Like most students in Sweden all of us live in apartments. Our government is paying for our education, and we can lone money from them to pay for our living. It’s not much money; you really have to be economic. But even that, we think it’s a great system, that everyone gets the chance to study at a good university. You don’t have to come from a wealthy family to get a great education.
Hi Olga and students
Our class on intercultural rhetoric in Örebro is looking forward to this exchange with students in Khvaborsk and Stanford. Tomorrow Wednesday Feb 11 the students will present themselves and maybe ask some questions about you pertaining to interculture. We have read the posts on the CrossCultural Blog where you presented yourselves
Anders Eriksson