It is often said that you cannot choose your family, but you can choose your friends. The same notion can be applied to culture in that we do not choose which culture to belong to but are simply born into one – one that shapes our attitudes, our behaviors, and our perceptions. The Fourth Edition of Fred Jandt’s text An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community challenges students to develop cultural competency by developing an understanding of how we perceive and react to cultural rules – not only those of others, but also our own.

Going beyond an "American" assessment of the field, this textbook assumes that no culture is privileged over another, be that culture from across the globe or a subculture or subgroup around the corner. Issues of identity, nationality, assimilation, and inter-group relations promote appreciation of diversity among people. An Introduction to Intercultural Communication walks students through the key concepts of communication and culture, addressing such topics as: barriers in intercultural communication; dimensions of culture; multiculturalism; women, family, and children; and culture’s influence on perception.

Illustrative material, such as vignettes, quotes, cases, and stories underscore key concepts and promote students’ critical thought and enhanced cultural competency.

Features of this text:

• Provides students with an historical framework to aid comprehension of the development of current topics
• Approaches intercultural communication from a global perspective
• Broad coverage and inclusion of controversial issues, such as racial profiling and cultural hegemony by way of global marketing
• Extensive and provocative discussion of identities in subgroups, such as Hell’s Angels, British punk, corporations, and gay men and lesbians
• Internationally focused topics, Web resources, increased coverage of technology, and material on gender issues

An Introduction toIntercultural Communication is intended for introductory courses in Intercultural Communication and related topics. A new accompanying reader, Intercultural Communication: A Global Reader, is also available and can be used alone or in conjunction with An Introduction to Intercultural Communication.