Introduction to Course:

Intercultural understanding has become a very important need in today’s globalized world. Effective intercultural communication skills are important in a multicultural society, particularly for those individuals who would be in positions that require effective management of cultural conflicts. Intercultural communication is a dynamic, ever-changing field, which has been studied by a number of academic disciplines. The course aims to enable students to use intercultural perspectives to develop knowledge of communication within and between different cultures. The course also focuses on fundamental conceptual and practical dimensions of intercultural communication in everyday life, in social interactions, and in multicultural environments. It also aims at developing an individual’s intellectual appreciation for cultural differences and sensitivity regarding intercultural interactions. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the field and provides students with foundational knowledge that, they will practice applying to strategic communications through semester-long class discussions and assignments. This course will be helpful for students in developing a better understanding of cross-cultural experiences in different workplace settings.

Class Day and Time:

BS English III (Regular) Monday & Tuesday 08:00-09:30

BS English III (SS-1) Monday & Tuesday 12:30-02:00

BS English III (SS-2) Wednesday- Friday 12:00-01:00

Aims and Objectives:

The course aims to enable students to use intercultural perspectives to develop knowledge of workplace communication within and between different cultures. This course also focuses on fundamental conceptual and practical dimensions of intercultural communication in everyday life, in social interactions, and in multicultural environments. It aims at developing an individual’s intellectual appreciation for cultural differences and sensitivity regarding intercultural interactions.

The specific objectives of the course are to:

1. Discuss basic concepts, conceptual frameworks, and some broader contexts of Cross-cultural communication;
2. Analyze and discuss examples of cross-cultural conflicts in a variety of situations;
3. Develop an understanding of barriers to effective Cross-cultural communication;
4. Develop intercultural sensitivity in terms of beliefs, values, and norms; and
5. Develop an understanding of intercultural competence.

Learning Outcomes:

Our mission in the course is to gain an understanding of and sensitivity to a variety of cultural perspectives and to learn ways of understanding and appreciating cultural similarities and ways to productively engage challenges that may arise from cultural differences.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand yourself as a cultural being and enhance self and other awareness about culture and communication.
• Explain the basic terms, concepts, and theories of intercultural communication.
• Apply these terms, concepts, and theories to your interactions with others and critically analyze and evaluate the influence of your culture(s) on the ways you communicate.
• Demonstrate understanding of and sensitivity to a variety of cultural perspectives and be able to identify ways of understanding and appreciating cultural similarities and differences.
• Identify barriers and systems of privilege that may arise locally and globally from histories of colonization, exploitation, and discrimination, and to learn ways to creatively address these inequities
• Define and identify elements of interpersonal communication, culture, cultural systems, and global communication;
• Compare and contrast cultures’ values, beliefs, perceptions, and communication styles;
• Recognize negative perception: racism, prejudice, negative stereotyping, ethnocentrism;
• Recognize and identify co-cultures;
• Analyze intercultural interactions and evaluate situations using intercultural communication skills;
• Understand, be able to discuss the complexities, and offer solutions for specified world problems using written, verbal, and nonverbal modes of communications.
• Learn how to conduct cultural research and use findings to tailor written, verbal, and nonverbal communications to achieve measurable outcomes.
• Develop, create, determine word choice, and write a human-interest story to engage audiences around a global problem.
• Choose and use communications tactics and channels to promote intercultural messages to diverse, targeted audiences.
• Practice using self-awareness, research, discussion, and peer review to create tailored messages.
• Understand the cultural and global flow of information.
• Propose solutions to current global problems found in the news using intercultural communications methods and strategies.

Course Prerequisite knowledge and skills:

Students are expected to demonstrate some quality writing skills on the first day of class. While I will provide feedback on writing throughout the semester, I expect students to be knowledgeable of grammar rules, essay structure, and proper citation styles.

• Students may use APA style in this course to cite sources: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/quickguide-on-references.aspx or http://www.bibme.org/citation-guide/apa/.
• Students may check their grammar using: https://www.grammarly.com/

System of Evaluation: Course Requirement and Assessment Scheme

1. A mid-term paper (5-6 pages) is assigned: 30%. This assignment will ask students to discuss their cultural self-identity.

2. The final Term exam will be after week 16, based on the topics discussed in the live sessions of the class meeting; 50%. The exam will ask students to apply some basic concepts and/or conceptual framework that they will have learned in the course and discuss topics they are interested in.

They will be encouraged to conduct short and easily manageable empirical investigations. Specific guidelines for the assignment and exam will be given in the class.

3. Two in-class quizzes (weeks 7 and week 13), assessing comprehension of the assigned reading materials: 10%

4. Attendance and participation: 10%

Course Expectations:

The course is being delivered online via the Zoom platform. Assessments will include project-based work, discussions, and quizzes. Students are expected to follow a weekly outline that is found on the Home page of the course. The outline provides materials and opportunities to engage and practice the information learned in sequential steps that ultimately lead to the goals and objectives of the course. Within each week’s outline, you will find the week’s topic, learning objectives, lecture, readings, and assignments. Course Outline is uploaded in Course Material.

Required Textbooks

1. Samovar, L.A., Porter, R.E. & McDaniel, E.R. (2010). Communication Between Cultures. Boston: Wadsworth.
2. Martin, J.N. & Nakayama, T.K. (2007). Intercultural Communication in Context. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield

Suggested Readings

1. Holliday, A., Hyde, M. & Kullman, J. (2004). Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book. London: Routledge.
2. Jandt, F. (2004). An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community (4th edition). London: SAGE Publications
3. Cooper, J., Calloway-Thomas, Carolyn, & Simonds, C. (2007). Intercultural Communication: A Text with Readings. New York: Pearson

Textbooks and PPTs/Handouts:

• Required Textbook(s) and PPTs/Handouts are provided in Course Material.