Methodological problems caused by an ethnocentric view in analyzing another culture are discussed along with some aspects of culture analysis in general and stereotypes about other cultures and their functions in cross-cultural communication. It is suggested that miscommunication is subject to various norms and value systems that are not made…

Wide variation in approaches to teaching about Asia in the schools suggests a need for categorizing those approaches so that a teacher might see his approach in some relationship with others of differing persuasions. The following evolutionary levels of conceptualization are suggested; Asia as (1) a setting for Western history, where Western…

The extensive television coverage of the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games was a vital lead-in for a television network as it sought to generate audience interest over the course of the games. This coverage models an unfolding international news event in its presentation style and is analyzed from that perspective in a content…

Americans doing business with West Africans are limited in their ability to communicate successfully in that part of the world because of language, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism. Americans must become accustomed to British patterns of speech and writing. Stereotypes of Africa, its people, and its cultures perpetuated by the media keep Americans…

Very little is taught about Asian Americans in United States' education institutions at any level of instruction. Evaluations of standard U.S. history and social studies textbooks since World War II show that most are inadequate in their coverage of minority groups to the extent that they have encouraged the perpetuation of negative stereotypes.…

This paper reviews the current status of Asian Americans in the U.S. schools from perspectives of textbook content and teaching methods. The author points out that findings of a survey of the 1950s and early 1960s textbooks reveal limited inclusion of references to anything Asian. This lack of interest can be seen, also, in American society, as…

This paper documents American discrimination against Chinese and Japanese groups from the 1850s through the 1940s. Social prejudice against these groups began in the late 19th century when the demand for Chinese labor in California lessened but the immigrants remained and were seen as a threat to American laborers. Japanese immigrants who were…