Anastacia Kurylo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Anastacia Kurylo

United Nations Statistical Yearbook (Ser. S), 2013

Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. R... more Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. Relatively few have focused on virtues, a related and important concept in contemporary social science. The present paper examines the similarities and differences between nations, or blocks of- culturally related- nations on the perceived importance of virtues. Adults (N = 2.809 students) from 14 countries were asked to freely mention which virtues they found important to practice in daily life, and next to rate a list of 15 virtues, which reflect the most frequently mentioned categories in

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies

To study political identity construction, a thematic analysis is used to explore online reviews o... more To study political identity construction, a thematic analysis is used to explore online reviews of the book Beating Obamacare. Themes that emerged construct four political identities relevant to the construction Obamacare, the American public, President Obama and politicians, and those in opposition to Obamacare. The construction of these identities contributes to group vitality. This process is facilitated by the juxtaposition of the construction of the American public with those who oppose Obamacare versus politicians. Notably, this construction is accomplished with the near absence of reference to political party affiliation creating a realignment of political identity in a way that provides stronger group vitality than would be achieved across traditional partisan lines. This chapter has implications for understanding how identity is constructed online to demonstrate group vitality in ways that facilitate intracultural and intercultural communication.

Discourse Studies

This article examines a productive use of communicating gender stereotypes in interpersonal conve... more This article examines a productive use of communicating gender stereotypes in interpersonal conversation: to resist activities traditionally prescribed according to gender. The analyses video-taped naturally occurring US household interactions and present three techniques participants may deploy to contest gender expectations: mobilizing categories, motivating alignment and reframing action. We show how gender is an accountable category in relation to household labor, and how gender categories provide a resource by which participants can non-seriously solicit and resist participation in domestic gender-prescribed activities. Our analysis provides some insight into how participants use gender stereotypes in everyday talk and what functions such talk serves.

Atlantic Journal of Communication

ABSTRACT Intercultural communication is often understood as interpersonal communication in an int... more ABSTRACT Intercultural communication is often understood as interpersonal communication in an intercultural context confounding both areas in ways that makes it difficult to disentangle and view each as unique contributors to the broader communication field. Consequently, intercultural communication, the diminutive of interpersonal by this definition, becomes stereotyped—viewed as fixed, one-dimensional, and simplistic in the practice of some academics and practitioners. This article seeks to disengage the two areas by discussing how scholars, faculty, and practitioners view the field through their published work and commentary. The New York State Communication Association, one of the oldest state associations in the United States, provides evidence of the capacity for disengagement of these two areas and, as such, epitomizes and serves as a role model for the potential for an optimistic outlook on the trajectory of the field of intercultural communication.

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association, 2012

Group identity is intimately tied with self identity. Yet, people often understand their identity... more Group identity is intimately tied with self identity. Yet, people often understand their identity as individuals without appreciation for the role others play in their identity. Based on social identity theory this article highlights the role that group identity plays in self-identity and explores three consequences of this association. Case studies present firsthand experiences with the consequences of communicating group identity. These case studies also demonstrate the value of a specific class project undertaken to provide students with a meaningful understanding of these issues. __________________________________________________________________ Considerable research has been conducted to explore how identity is related to communication. For example, theories of identity related to communication include social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), the intergroup communication perspective (Giles & Watson, 2008), and communication accommodation theory (Gallois, 2008; Giles & Ogay, 2006). A defining feature of these theories of identity is the role others play in identity creation and maintenance. Communicating about one's own identity often provides the opportunity to communicate about the identity of others. Thus, identities are not isolated from one another and, instead, play off of each other. Ironically, a person's individual identity can often reference group identity.

Etc a Review of General Semantics, Oct 1, 2009

Students often view an interpersonal communication course and its study of symbolic interaction a... more Students often view an interpersonal communication course and its study of symbolic interaction as an opportunity to discuss their own relationships and experiences without the expectation of or interest in learning the theories and concepts that are integral to the field. As a result, they often are unable to apply course material beyond their own immediate personal and professional lives to other practical real-life scenarios that would allow them to appreciate the implications of interpersonal communication on society. This assignment provides the opportunity for this type of learning experience to take place by requiring students to find the links between the small taken-for-granted behaviors that they enact day-to-day and the social issues that often negatively impact entire groups of people. Courses Communication Theory, Intercultural Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, Small Group Communication Goals * Provide students with a practical real-life application of symbolic interaction. * Encourage awareness of communication as symbolic behavior that has societal-level implications for varied cultural groups. * Allow for discussion of current global/social issues. * Enable students to self-reflect about how they contribute to these social issues. * Demonstrate the process through which societal level change begins at the symbolic level. Rationale Interpersonal communication is often taken-for-granted communication (Gar-finkel 1967, vii). The study of symbolic interaction, on which much interpersonal communication coursework is founded, explores symbol use in social interaction (Charon 1998). Students in an interpersonal course value the discussion of symbol use in their own personal and professional lives. Students may place less value on the societal-level implications of symbols for varied cultural groups. Students may view interpersonal communication as less theoretical and less consequential than other courses within the field of communication, such as organizational communication or media criticism. Students may lack interest in interpersonal communication and not view it as consequential beyond their own lives. Instructors may find it difficult to change this view. Nonetheless, doing so is important for students so that they begin to reflect upon their own participation in societal-level problems and appreciate the way in which they may affect change in these through their own day-to-day behavior. Description The instructor covers course material related to symbols and symbolic interaction (e.g., McCornack 2007; Griffin 2009). The instructor informs students that for their term project they will need to choose a large-scale social issue (e.g., high suicide rates in big cities) that might benefit from a small-scale interpersonal behavior in some context (e.g., smiling at strangers) if it were en-acted by a large group of people over time. The best project topics are those in which the link between the small behavior and the social issue is not obvious. The challenge for students is providing the logical argument, point-by-point, that connects the two. The instructor requires students to integrate at least one internal (i.e., course concepts and theories) and one external (e.g., newspapers to scholarly journals) source to support each point in this argument. Students may incorporate their own original mini-research projects (e.g., interviews) into their presentations to provide additional support for the points in their argument. As students construct this argument, they convince themselves of the power of interpersonal communication to affect change in social issues. …

Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 2015

Encyclopedia of Deception, 2014

SpringerPlus, 2014

Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. R... more Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. Relatively few have focused on virtues, a related and important concept in contemporary social science. The present paper examines the similarities and differences between nations, or blocks of-culturally related-nations on the perceived importance of virtues. Adults (N = 2.809 students) from 14 countries were asked to freely mention which virtues they found important to practice in daily life, and next to rate a list of 15 virtues, which reflect the most frequently mentioned categories in The Netherlands, as found in a previous study. The 14 nations included the United States, Mexico, nine European and three Asian nations. For the free-listed virtues, we compared the top-ten lists of most frequently mentioned virtues across the nations. We used a correspondence analysis on the frequency table to assess the relationships between the virtues and nations. For the 15 virtues ratings, a MANOVA, and follow-up ANOVA's were used to examine effects of nation, age, gender and religion. We found strong evidence for relationships between nations and blocks of culturally related nations and the importance attached to various virtues. There appear to be some country specific virtues, such as generosity in France, but also some relatively universal virtues, most notably honesty, respect, and kindness.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2014

evidence showing that stable differences in individuals’ ideological attitudes are very powerfull... more evidence showing that stable differences in individuals’ ideological attitudes are very powerfully related to them being generally prejudiced or tolerant is entirely ignored. The weakness of this chapter is probably not surprising, however, as experimental social psychologists have largely ignored the study of the role of individual differences in prejudice, preferring (as noted above) to see prejudiced attitudes as largely or entirely determined by social-situational factors. The volume concludes with a chapter on reducing prejudice. This does not attempt to comprehensively review prejudice-reduction strategies but, instead, focuses exclusively on research and theory on the famous ‘contact’ hypothesis. Since contact is probably the issue that social psychologists have most focused on, this seems justified. The chapter is well done, providing a good overall assessment of the research, with clear descriptions of important studies and generally well-balanced conclusions. Overall, with the exception of the treatment of prejudiced individuals, this book provides a very good overview of social-psychological research and theory on prejudice. It will make an excellent resource for advanced students and provides useful synopses for researchers. It inevitably reflects, of course, the emphases and biases characteristic of the field, and this will probably limit its usefulness for the general reader or other social scientists. The overreliance on experimental methods, to the detriment of naturalistic description, conceptual clarification, adequate measurement and broad theory development has been noted already. Another issue is the pursuit of well-intentioned and politically correct advocacy agendas. An example here is the emphasis on theory, research, measures and procedures suggesting that prejudice is as pervasive and powerful today as it ever was. As a result, social psychology has entirely missed one of the more remarkable historical developments of the second half the twentieth century what Steven Pinker, in The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011) has referred to as the ‘rights revolutions’ epitomised by dramatic declines in discrimination, racism, sexism, violence and prejudice, and an equally dramatic expansion in the legal rights and protections accorded to stigmatised groups. The general reader may thus find that treatments of prejudice and related phenomena from perspectives other than social psychology are more useful.

Chapter 1: The Basics of Stereotyping Chapter 2: Stereotype Content Chapter 3: Deterrents to Ster... more Chapter 1: The Basics of Stereotyping Chapter 2: Stereotype Content Chapter 3: Deterrents to Stereotype Use Chapter 4: Celebrity Vilification Chapter 5: Psychological Functions of Stereotypes Chapter 6: Communicative Functions of Stereotypes Chapter 7: The Interactional Dilemma

Encyclopedia of Deception, 2014

Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2013

United Nations Statistical Yearbook (Ser. S), 2013

Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. R... more Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. Relatively few have focused on virtues, a related and important concept in contemporary social science. The present paper examines the similarities and differences between nations, or blocks of- culturally related- nations on the perceived importance of virtues. Adults (N = 2.809 students) from 14 countries were asked to freely mention which virtues they found important to practice in daily life, and next to rate a list of 15 virtues, which reflect the most frequently mentioned categories in

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies

To study political identity construction, a thematic analysis is used to explore online reviews o... more To study political identity construction, a thematic analysis is used to explore online reviews of the book Beating Obamacare. Themes that emerged construct four political identities relevant to the construction Obamacare, the American public, President Obama and politicians, and those in opposition to Obamacare. The construction of these identities contributes to group vitality. This process is facilitated by the juxtaposition of the construction of the American public with those who oppose Obamacare versus politicians. Notably, this construction is accomplished with the near absence of reference to political party affiliation creating a realignment of political identity in a way that provides stronger group vitality than would be achieved across traditional partisan lines. This chapter has implications for understanding how identity is constructed online to demonstrate group vitality in ways that facilitate intracultural and intercultural communication.

Discourse Studies

This article examines a productive use of communicating gender stereotypes in interpersonal conve... more This article examines a productive use of communicating gender stereotypes in interpersonal conversation: to resist activities traditionally prescribed according to gender. The analyses video-taped naturally occurring US household interactions and present three techniques participants may deploy to contest gender expectations: mobilizing categories, motivating alignment and reframing action. We show how gender is an accountable category in relation to household labor, and how gender categories provide a resource by which participants can non-seriously solicit and resist participation in domestic gender-prescribed activities. Our analysis provides some insight into how participants use gender stereotypes in everyday talk and what functions such talk serves.

Atlantic Journal of Communication

ABSTRACT Intercultural communication is often understood as interpersonal communication in an int... more ABSTRACT Intercultural communication is often understood as interpersonal communication in an intercultural context confounding both areas in ways that makes it difficult to disentangle and view each as unique contributors to the broader communication field. Consequently, intercultural communication, the diminutive of interpersonal by this definition, becomes stereotyped—viewed as fixed, one-dimensional, and simplistic in the practice of some academics and practitioners. This article seeks to disengage the two areas by discussing how scholars, faculty, and practitioners view the field through their published work and commentary. The New York State Communication Association, one of the oldest state associations in the United States, provides evidence of the capacity for disengagement of these two areas and, as such, epitomizes and serves as a role model for the potential for an optimistic outlook on the trajectory of the field of intercultural communication.

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association, 2012

Group identity is intimately tied with self identity. Yet, people often understand their identity... more Group identity is intimately tied with self identity. Yet, people often understand their identity as individuals without appreciation for the role others play in their identity. Based on social identity theory this article highlights the role that group identity plays in self-identity and explores three consequences of this association. Case studies present firsthand experiences with the consequences of communicating group identity. These case studies also demonstrate the value of a specific class project undertaken to provide students with a meaningful understanding of these issues. __________________________________________________________________ Considerable research has been conducted to explore how identity is related to communication. For example, theories of identity related to communication include social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), the intergroup communication perspective (Giles & Watson, 2008), and communication accommodation theory (Gallois, 2008; Giles & Ogay, 2006). A defining feature of these theories of identity is the role others play in identity creation and maintenance. Communicating about one's own identity often provides the opportunity to communicate about the identity of others. Thus, identities are not isolated from one another and, instead, play off of each other. Ironically, a person's individual identity can often reference group identity.

Etc a Review of General Semantics, Oct 1, 2009

Students often view an interpersonal communication course and its study of symbolic interaction a... more Students often view an interpersonal communication course and its study of symbolic interaction as an opportunity to discuss their own relationships and experiences without the expectation of or interest in learning the theories and concepts that are integral to the field. As a result, they often are unable to apply course material beyond their own immediate personal and professional lives to other practical real-life scenarios that would allow them to appreciate the implications of interpersonal communication on society. This assignment provides the opportunity for this type of learning experience to take place by requiring students to find the links between the small taken-for-granted behaviors that they enact day-to-day and the social issues that often negatively impact entire groups of people. Courses Communication Theory, Intercultural Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, Small Group Communication Goals * Provide students with a practical real-life application of symbolic interaction. * Encourage awareness of communication as symbolic behavior that has societal-level implications for varied cultural groups. * Allow for discussion of current global/social issues. * Enable students to self-reflect about how they contribute to these social issues. * Demonstrate the process through which societal level change begins at the symbolic level. Rationale Interpersonal communication is often taken-for-granted communication (Gar-finkel 1967, vii). The study of symbolic interaction, on which much interpersonal communication coursework is founded, explores symbol use in social interaction (Charon 1998). Students in an interpersonal course value the discussion of symbol use in their own personal and professional lives. Students may place less value on the societal-level implications of symbols for varied cultural groups. Students may view interpersonal communication as less theoretical and less consequential than other courses within the field of communication, such as organizational communication or media criticism. Students may lack interest in interpersonal communication and not view it as consequential beyond their own lives. Instructors may find it difficult to change this view. Nonetheless, doing so is important for students so that they begin to reflect upon their own participation in societal-level problems and appreciate the way in which they may affect change in these through their own day-to-day behavior. Description The instructor covers course material related to symbols and symbolic interaction (e.g., McCornack 2007; Griffin 2009). The instructor informs students that for their term project they will need to choose a large-scale social issue (e.g., high suicide rates in big cities) that might benefit from a small-scale interpersonal behavior in some context (e.g., smiling at strangers) if it were en-acted by a large group of people over time. The best project topics are those in which the link between the small behavior and the social issue is not obvious. The challenge for students is providing the logical argument, point-by-point, that connects the two. The instructor requires students to integrate at least one internal (i.e., course concepts and theories) and one external (e.g., newspapers to scholarly journals) source to support each point in this argument. Students may incorporate their own original mini-research projects (e.g., interviews) into their presentations to provide additional support for the points in their argument. As students construct this argument, they convince themselves of the power of interpersonal communication to affect change in social issues. …

Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 2015

Encyclopedia of Deception, 2014

SpringerPlus, 2014

Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. R... more Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. Relatively few have focused on virtues, a related and important concept in contemporary social science. The present paper examines the similarities and differences between nations, or blocks of-culturally related-nations on the perceived importance of virtues. Adults (N = 2.809 students) from 14 countries were asked to freely mention which virtues they found important to practice in daily life, and next to rate a list of 15 virtues, which reflect the most frequently mentioned categories in The Netherlands, as found in a previous study. The 14 nations included the United States, Mexico, nine European and three Asian nations. For the free-listed virtues, we compared the top-ten lists of most frequently mentioned virtues across the nations. We used a correspondence analysis on the frequency table to assess the relationships between the virtues and nations. For the 15 virtues ratings, a MANOVA, and follow-up ANOVA's were used to examine effects of nation, age, gender and religion. We found strong evidence for relationships between nations and blocks of culturally related nations and the importance attached to various virtues. There appear to be some country specific virtues, such as generosity in France, but also some relatively universal virtues, most notably honesty, respect, and kindness.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2014

evidence showing that stable differences in individuals’ ideological attitudes are very powerfull... more evidence showing that stable differences in individuals’ ideological attitudes are very powerfully related to them being generally prejudiced or tolerant is entirely ignored. The weakness of this chapter is probably not surprising, however, as experimental social psychologists have largely ignored the study of the role of individual differences in prejudice, preferring (as noted above) to see prejudiced attitudes as largely or entirely determined by social-situational factors. The volume concludes with a chapter on reducing prejudice. This does not attempt to comprehensively review prejudice-reduction strategies but, instead, focuses exclusively on research and theory on the famous ‘contact’ hypothesis. Since contact is probably the issue that social psychologists have most focused on, this seems justified. The chapter is well done, providing a good overall assessment of the research, with clear descriptions of important studies and generally well-balanced conclusions. Overall, with the exception of the treatment of prejudiced individuals, this book provides a very good overview of social-psychological research and theory on prejudice. It will make an excellent resource for advanced students and provides useful synopses for researchers. It inevitably reflects, of course, the emphases and biases characteristic of the field, and this will probably limit its usefulness for the general reader or other social scientists. The overreliance on experimental methods, to the detriment of naturalistic description, conceptual clarification, adequate measurement and broad theory development has been noted already. Another issue is the pursuit of well-intentioned and politically correct advocacy agendas. An example here is the emphasis on theory, research, measures and procedures suggesting that prejudice is as pervasive and powerful today as it ever was. As a result, social psychology has entirely missed one of the more remarkable historical developments of the second half the twentieth century what Steven Pinker, in The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011) has referred to as the ‘rights revolutions’ epitomised by dramatic declines in discrimination, racism, sexism, violence and prejudice, and an equally dramatic expansion in the legal rights and protections accorded to stigmatised groups. The general reader may thus find that treatments of prejudice and related phenomena from perspectives other than social psychology are more useful.

Chapter 1: The Basics of Stereotyping Chapter 2: Stereotype Content Chapter 3: Deterrents to Ster... more Chapter 1: The Basics of Stereotyping Chapter 2: Stereotype Content Chapter 3: Deterrents to Stereotype Use Chapter 4: Celebrity Vilification Chapter 5: Psychological Functions of Stereotypes Chapter 6: Communicative Functions of Stereotypes Chapter 7: The Interactional Dilemma

Encyclopedia of Deception, 2014

Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2013