COM 325 / Week #9 Discussion: Eye contact: Don't take it for granted

   In America, it is impolite to avoid eye contact. As an instructor, I constantly remind my students to make more eye contact during their presentations. The more eye contact, the better. But in other cultures, eye contact is not always welcomed. We Chinese view prolonged eye contact an act of effrontery. In Far Eastern societies, if you are a subordinate, you cannot look at your supervisor eye to eye. In South America, sustained eye contact is referred to as the "evil eye." What do you think?