• Gender (Chapters 2 and 3)
• High versus low context cultures (Chapter 3)
• Dominant cultures versus co-cultures (Chapter 3)
• Individualism and collectivism (Chapter 3)
• Perceptual filters (Chapter 3)

Each of these themes is central to communication and Bevan covers each in detail in chapter three.  I suggest that you choose the two that you find most interesting and important and then detailing why you believe this.  Remember, you are required to comment on the “relationship” between culture and one of the themes, so try to focus on that.  And, once again, it is wise to begin with some fundamental definitions.

Here are some questions to answer to deepen your analysis of each theme:  How do our gender classifications of others as a man or a woman establish expectations for communication behavior?  How do low-context and high-context cultures set up different expectations for how much information is overtly shared with others?  Are you part of both the dominant culture and some co-culture?  It is possible to not be a part of some co-culture?  How might individualism versus collectivism shape specific patterns of communication?  How does culture train us in terms of our perceptual filters?  Part of perception is simply what we pay attention to.  How does culture teach us this through verbal and nonverbal cues?