#32014
Expressive Practices: the Local Enactment of Culture in the Communication Classroom 
As students participate in corporate communication classes, they may, on occasion, use the term culture to make sense of their experiences. The authors use Mino's idea of a learning paradigm to shift the emphasis away from teaching traditional theories of culture and use student-centered experiences to teach culture as an expressive practice. Using instances drawn from their own classrooms, the authors show how students can recognize the value of understanding their role in creating culture each time they choose how to act, how to evaluate others' behavior, and whether to label what is going on as cultural.
Wolf, Karen, Trudy Milburn and Richard Wilkins. Business Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Education>Business Communication>Cultural Theory
#31339
Global Teams: Communicating Across Time, Space and, Most Important, Cultures
With the birth of the Internet and the advancement of other information technologies, companies and organizations are now able to operate across borders, cultures and time zones at lower costs than ever before. One way this occurs is through virtual teams, which allow companies to maximize their global expertise and resources, while team members can remain in their home countries.
Apud, Salvador and Talis Apud-Martinez. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Collaboration>International>Cultural Theory
#26862
Hiding in Plain Sight: An Interview with Adam Greenfield
Is everyware overwriting what we know as everyday? On the heels of finishing his first book, Adam Greenfield talks with Boxes and Arrows about Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing and how the concepts are reshaping our lives.
Danzico, Liz. Boxes and Arrows (2006). Articles>Technology>Cultural Theory
#31792
Identity and Cross-Cultural Communication 
In this project special attention is given to legal, commercial, political and institutional discourse used in specific workplaces, analysed from an intercultural perspective. In particular, through an exploration of the international ‘image’ suggested by major social and economic actors, our project aims to improve the understanding of identity-forming features linked to ‘local’ or professional cultures, as communicated by contemporary English in various specialised domains among native and non-native speakers.
Gotti, Maurizio. Association for Business Communication (2007). Articles>Language>International>Cultural Theory
#22249
I want to try to explain how I came to think about technology and people ecologically through my interactions with reference librarians. And I want to mention some of the touchstones that led to the concept of information ecologies. In looking at the library, what struck me as an outsider and anthropologist studying the work practices of reference librarians, was first, the very congenial mix of human and technical resources. Second, I was very impressed with the way libraries are run through a very clear application of values. So, for example, values such as service to clients, cost effectiveness, the timely delivery of information, open access to information. And finally, I was really struck by the attention that reference librarians pay to the specifics of clients' situations and needs.
Nardi, Bonnie A. Library of Congress (1998). Articles>Information Design>Cultural Theory
#28704
Inside Your Users' Minds: The Cultural Probe
Theoretically, usability testing is a great way of finding out what is wrong with the products and services we design. We sit the users down in the lab and ask them to perform certain tasks, to 'tell us what you think--give voice to your stream of consciousness.' And on the whole, it works. But...
Stalker-Firth, Ruth. List Apart, A (2007). Articles>User Centered Design>Cultural Theory
#28036
Politics is commonly thought of as the activities of political organizations--from which the majority of designers (if not majority of people) feel disassociated. But there is a missed opportunity here: at base, politics is about values, and design is nothing if not a means of embodying values.
Winhall, Jennie. uiGarden (2006). Articles>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Politics
#13907
Is There a Place for Technical Communication in the Public Sphere?
Programs in technical communication have, at least in their recent history, emphasized the preparation of students for corporate positions. We claim the ubiquity and relevance of our work to all areas of life, and indeed it is easy enough to find examples of 'technical communication' everywhere. But this observation is not the same as observing that there is a role for technical communicators everywhere.
Rude, Carolyn D. CPTSC Proceedings (2002). Presentations>TC>Cultural Theory
#31781
The New Atlantis is an effort to clarify the nation’s moral and political understanding of all areas of technology—from stem cells to hydrogen cells to weapons of mass destruction.
New Atlantis, The. Journals>Technology>Cultural Theory>Ethics
#31648
As global online access grows, Web site designers find themselves creating materials for an increasingly international audience. Cultural groups, however, can have different expectations of what constitutes acceptable Web site design. This article examines how prototype theory can serve as a methodology for analyzing Web sites designed for users from different cultures. Such analyses, in turn, can help individuals create more effective online materials for international audiences.
St. Amant, Kirk R. IEEE PCS (2005). Articles>Web Design>Localization>Cultural Theory
#29237
Rearticulating Civic Engagement Through Cultural Studies and Service-Learning
Although service-learning has the potential to infuse technical communication pedagogy with civic goals, it can easily be co-opted by a hyperpragmatism that limits ethical critique and civic engagement. Service-learning's component of reflection, in particular, can become an uncritical, narrow invention or project management tool. Integrating cultural studies and service-learning can help position students as critical citizens who produce effective and ethical discourse and who create more inclusive forms of power. Rather than being tacked on, cultural studies approaches should be incorporated into core service-learning assignments.
Scott, J. Blake. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>TC>Cultural Theory
#31687
Resistance: Would Struggle by Any Other Name Be as Sweet?
Management in professionalized workplaces is often characterized as Mtrying to herd cats. Having grown up on a dairy farm, the characterization never made much sense to me. Cows and sheep earn our disparaging remarks because they are easy to push around. Their occasional resistance seems counter to their character. But cats are also easy to herd; just have milk. Cats may walk by themselves, but they quickly all choose to walk in the same direction following the pail. Cats may quickly resist getting pushed in common directions, but they are easily pulled there. Got milk, got cats. Are cats more autonomous than the herds? Has resisting cats led us to overlook how easy they are to herd? Resistance comes to us as a term growing out of workplaces that tried to push and direct. Resistance was at least a pushing back; sometimes it was an organized pushing for another direction.
Deetz, Stanley. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Management>Workplace>Cultural Theory
#31356
Schemas in Intercultural Communication
Raju demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural schemas—models providing patterns for understanding ideas or objects in a cultural context—when dealing with international technical communication.
Raju, Rita. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>International>Cultural Theory
#25322
Selves, Subjects, and Agents: (Re)Positioning Agency with Self-Identity and Subjectivity 
Through tracing some major historical influences and current theoretical perspectives of the human person, this article works toward providing both a foundation and rationale for a critical exploration of theories of agency, self-identity, and subjectivity. The first section traces the path of the Cartesian influence on current Western perceptions of the individual person, then reviews literature relevant to theories of self-identity, subjectivity, and agency within social construction, structuration theory, systems theory, and areas of cultural studies. Based upon these views of the human person, the second section examines agency as an under-theorized concept that requires further consideration (with self-identity and subjectivity) as a salient element of the person and theories of human identity in future research.
Marafiote, Tracy. Rocky Mountain Communication Review (2004). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory>Cultural Theory
#21399
Semiotics: A Primer for Designers
Semiotics teaches us as designers that our work has no meaning outside the complex set of factors that define it. The deeper our understanding and awareness of these factors, the better our control over the success of the work products we create
Hodge, Challis. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Design>Information Design>Cultural Theory
#26319
Both spatial and visual rhetorics attend to issues of boundaries. From the structure of our classroom spaces to the margins of the page, rhetoric and compositionist are investigating the ways spatial and visual experiences are impacting our work as teachers and scholars.
Kimme Hea, Amy C. University of Arizona (2005). Resources>Education>Cultural Theory>Visual Rhetoric
#26729
A Summary of My Ideas about National Culture Differences
In the uiGarden forum there has been much discussion about cultural differences in the web design, especially in reference to animation and flashy elements. It looks right to offer Professor Hofstede’s ideas to readers here. These ideas were first based on a large research project into national culture differences across subsidiaries of a multinational corporation (IBM) in 64 countries.
Hofstede, Geert. uiGarden (2006). Articles>Web Design>Cultural Theory
#21277
Postrel's new book, The Substance of Style, explores the economic, cultural, social, personal, and political implications of the growing importance of aesthetics in business and society.
MacLaughlin, Steve. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Visual Rhetoric
#31782
Toward a Critical Perspective of Culture: Contrast or Compare Rhetorics
Kaplan's framework of contrastive rhetoric has been widely accepted in the field of cross-cultural technical communication. However, in the last four decades, contextual factors such as economic globalization trend and the advances of communication technologies are changing our ways of interacting with others. As a result our understanding of culture and cultural differences need to be adjusted. In this research, I start by recommending a workable definition of culture in the present context—culture as a process, which establishes a foundation for cross-cultural rhetorical research in the new era when communication across cultures transcends national boundaries. Based on the critical perspective of culture, I continue to point out the limitations of contrastive rhetoric and argue that contrastive rhetoric's view of culture and its research purpose and methodology need to be modified to overcome its constraints and better meet the needs of the present social context.
Wang, Junhua. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2008). Articles>Language>Rhetoric>Cultural Theory
#19737
Weaving in the Cultural Context
If you are reading this you’re probably responsible for preparing print, electronic, or visual materials for a client base that is marketing, selling, informing, and/or teaching in another part of the world. If that doesn't exactly describe you at this moment, it will be part of your job description in the future.
Winters, Elaine. Indus (2002). Articles>Writing>Cultural Theory>Technical Writing
#18194
Why Cultural Contexts Are Missing: A Rhetorical Critique of Localization Practices
This paper argues for the importance of cultural contexts in localization practices. It explores possible reasons for the missing of cultural contexts in localization, such as a static model of culture, a positivist view of science, and an instrumental engineering approach. Broad-scoped rhetorical methods are called to improve the performance of localization.
Sun, Huatong. STC Proceedings (2002). Presentations>Language>Cultural Theory
#30248
Writing for Other Cultures: Cultural Associations of Color and Graphics
When writing for cultures that are not your own, you must consider the powerful cultural associations that color and graphics have. Understanding and leveraging these associations leads to documentation that is strong and usable, while not understanding them leads to cultural miscommunications and misunderstandings that can render your information useless.
Coe, Marlana A. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Color
#32166
Edward Hall’s model of low-context and high-context cultures is one of the dominant theoretical frameworks for interpreting intercultural communication. This article reports a meta-analysis of 224 articles in business and technical communication journals between 1990 and 2006 and addresses two primary issues: (a) the degree to which contexting is embedded in intercultural communication theory and (b) the degree to which the contexting model has been empirically validated. Contexting is the most cited theoretical framework in articles about intercultural communication in business and technical communication journals and in intercultural communication textbooks. An extensive set of contexting propositions has emerged in the literature; however, few of these propositions have been examined empirically. Furthermore, those propositions tested most frequently have failed to support many contexting propositions, particularly those related to directness. This article provides several recommendations for those researchers who seek to address this popular and appealing yet unsubstantiated and underdeveloped communication theory.
Cardon, Peter W. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Communication>Theory>Cultural Theory
#32305
The Sociological Turn in Information Science
This paper explores the history of `the social' in information science. It traces the influence of social scientific thinking on the development of the field's intellectual base. The continuing appropriation of both theoretical and methodological insights from domains such as social studies of science, science and technology studies, and socio-technical systems is discussed.
Cronin, Blaise. Journal of Information Science (2008). Articles>Scientific Communication>Research>Cultural Theory
#32899
Digital Content Developers and Cultural Memory
Digital content producers must regard preservation and archiving as an essential task.
McLeod, Michael. Content Matters (2006). Articles>Web Design>Cultural Theory>History
