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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CMS 280-5"
COURSE NAME: "Intercultural Communications"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2019
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Jenn Lindsay
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 4:30-5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An exploration of some of the historical and political conditions that make intercultural communication possible, the barriers that exist to effective intercultural communication, and possible solutions to the problem of intercultural misunderstanding. The course examines examples of differences in communication styles not only between cultures but also within. As a result, issues of race, nation, class, gender, religion, immigration, and sexual orientation will be of significant concern. The course stresses the notion that knowledge of human beings is always knowledge produced from a particular location and for a particular purpose. As a result it encourages students to think carefully about the discipline of Intercultural Communication—its conditions of possibility, its assumptions, and its blind spots—as well the need to be mindful of the limitations and interests of our positioning as investigating subjects.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course will provide students with the opportunity to investigate how culture influences the communication process. Through lectures, screenings, written assignments, and class discussion, we will explore some of the historical and political conditions that make intercultural communication possible, the barriers that exist to effective intercultural communication, and possible solutions to the problem of intercultural misunderstanding. We will examine examples of differences in communication styles not only between cultures but also within. As a result, issues of race, nation, class, gender, religion, immigration, and sexual orientation will be of significant concern. 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 

1. Analyze the complexity of communication in an intercultural communication exchange 

2. Consider popular culture as forms of global culture and intercultural contact

3. Examine how power, privilege, and difference shape intercultural exchange

4. Describe the historical conditions that make intercultural communication possible 

5. Explore the role identity plays in intercultural communication

6. Recognize the influence of our own cultural situation upon the sending and interpreting of messages 

7. Theorize globalization and its impact on intercultural communication

8. Consider how new information technologies impact intercultural communication

9. Examine how issues of genre inform attempts at intercultural communication 
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Communication Between Cultures (9th edition) Samovar, Porter, McDaniel & Roy Wadsworth978­1285444628      
The Art of CommunicatingThich Nhat HanhHarperOne978-0062224668     
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and ReligionJonathan HaidtVintage978-0307455772 I would like to request a desk copy of this book.    
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Auto-EthnographyStudents will be required to write a short auto-ethnography—a kind of autobiographical field report that engages theories from the class. Students will self­assess their own strategies for negotiating different cultures. 15
Topic Presentation and Report Once in the semester each student will deliver a 10-minute presentation related to course content. This presentation can also expand upon the day's theme with a deeper exploration of a related topic or news story. Students are required to present two questions to stimulate discussion among classmates. Students must use visual aids (PowerPoint, video, other media) to enhance the discussion, sent to the instructor an hour prior to the beginning of class. Do not simply place a large amount of text on presentation slides and read them to the class; use visuals to stimulate discussion. Your presentation will be graded on your command of the material, your selection of a relevant and engaging topic, the extent to which you engage your classmates, and whether you have internalized and reflected upon the material enough to lead a discussion without reading from slides throughout the presentation. Within one week after the in-class presentation, students will submit a paper recapping their presented research and argument, synthesized with new information and conclusions arrived at in conversation with the class, supplemented by any new learning inspired by the in-class session. It will be 1250 words, double spaced, Microsoft Word, Times 12-point font, submitted via Moodle. Required: citation of at least 1 course text and at least 2 additional scholarly sources (journal articles, books or research reports). Think of your presentation as a workshop for your own ideas and questions, and your paper as the summary investigation paper. 20
Midterm ExamThis will be a combination of short answer and short essay questions based on lectures, readings and discussions. 15
Final ExamThis will be a combination of short answer and short essay questions based on lectures, readings and discussions. 20
Class Participation and AttendanceClass participation grading is based upon attendance, regular participation in class discussion, generating good questions or interesting insights to fuel class conversation. I will accept a maximum of three absences, after which I will detract 2% of your final grade for each absence.
10
Weekly Journal Submit to Moodle by 10 pm on the day after the last weekly class session (due Friday night for this course). Personal reflections should be minimum 250 words in length. You are required to comment upon AT LEAST TWO readings per week, as well as something discussed/presented in class. The goal here is NOT to summarize the readings/films but to interact with and respond to them. I am looking for genuine personal engagement: show me you are listening and thinking critically. The journals will not be graded individually, but they will each be read carefully and will be graded as a whole. Think of this as a weekly written check-in with me, your course instructor. Tell me what you're thinking about in class, tell me how the reading struck you. Did anything make you angry, or comfort you? What topic this week are you still curious about? Weekly submissions can be written in a casual tone, but grammar and writing quality count! 20

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY 

Attendance is mandatory and makes up 10% of your final grade. I will accept a maximum of three absences, after which I will detract 2% of your final grade for each absence. You cannot make­up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until December 13. 
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE 

Session

Session Focus 

Reading Assignment 

WK 1A Sept 3

Introduction to course 

Culture Shock 

 

Textbook: Chapter 1 

 

WK 1B Sept 5

What is intercultural communication? 

Intercultural Competence 

 

 Textbook: Chapter 11, pp. 381-386

Auto­Ethnography Assignment handed out 

 “Assessing Intercultural Competence” in New Directions for Institutional Research, no. 149, Spring 2011. Wiley. 

WK 2A Sept 10

Intro to Cultural Typologies 

 

Textbook: Chapter 6, pp. 198-205 

 

WK 2B Sept 12

 “American Values” vs. the “Other” (Arab, Italian, etc.) 

 

Lewis, When Cultures Collide pp. 389-433 (on Arab countries), pp. 414­415 (on Morocco), pp. 262­268 (on Italy), pp. 179­186 (on Americans). 

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle. 

WK 3A Sept 17

 Kohls’ “US Values” vs. the “Other” (Arab, Italian, etc.) 

 

Textbook: Chapter 6 pp. 205-213

 

WK 3B Sept 19

Cultural Typologies: Collectivist vs. Individualist Cultures 

Yang Liu’s East Meets West

 

Textbook: Chapter 3 pp. 68-72 and 80-91 

 

WK 3C Sept 20

(Class added as makeup for Nov. 28)

Moral Foundations Theory

Haidt and Graham, “When Morality Opposes Justice: Conservatives Have Moral Intuitions that Liberals may not Recognize.”

Moral Foundations quiz: https://www.idrlabs.com/morality/6/test.php and https://www.yourpersonality.net/political/griffin1.pl. 

 

Weekly journal due by Sunday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 4A Sept 24

Cultural Typologies: Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, and Hall 

 

Textbook: Chapter 6, 214-222

 

WK 4B Sept 26

Cultural Typologies: Hofstede’s Value Dimensions

 

Textbook: Chapter 6, 222-230

 

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 5A Oct 1

Film: Benvenuto al Sud

 

“Italy” article from Hofstede website. 

WK 5B Oct 3

Finish and discuss Benvenuto al Sud

 

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 6A Oct 8

Intergenerational value “clashes” 

Modernization and the Family: Traditional, Modern and Postmodern value systems 

 

Textbook: Chapter 3 pp 68-89. 

WK 6B Oct 10

Auto Ethnography presentations and discussion 

 

 

Auto Ethnography Papers due via Moodle at class time.

No weekly journal due.

WK 7A Oct 15

Midterm Review

 

 

WK 7B Oct 17

Midterm Exam 

 

No weekly journal due.

WK 8A Oct 22

Generalizations, Stereotypes, and Prejudice: How they work in the brain

 

Textbook, Chapter 7, pages 243-255. 

Virgo, Sabrina. “The Criminalization of Poverty.” Crossroads Magazine, October, 1991. 

 

WK 8B Oct 24

Media Representation 

 

Shaheen, Jack. “Hollywood’s Misrepresentation of Arabs.”

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 9A Oct 29

Generalizations, Stereotypes, and Prejudice: 

The Clash of Civilizations: “Islam” vs. “The West” 

 

Samuel Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations?," Foreign Affairs, Vol 72, No. 3 (Summer 1993), pp. 22­49 

Edward Said, "The Clash of Ignorance", The Nation, October 4, 2001. 

 

WK 9 B Oct 31

“Islam” vs. “The West” (Butterfly Mosque activity)

 

Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Oxford University Press, 2011. (Excerpt on religious violence)

(This weekend, start reading: The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh)

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 10A Nov 5

Toward a Multicultural Europe: Immigration, Identity and Citizenship 

The Mediterranean Refugee Crisis 

Video: Religion News Service

 

Montali, Riva, Frigerio and Mele “The representation of migrants in the Italian press,” Journal of Language and Politics 12:2. pp. 226­250. (2013). 

 

 

WK 10B Nov 7

Toward a Multicultural Europe: Immigration, Identity and Citizenship

Film: 18 Ius Soli 

 

“It's Not Islam That Drives Young Europeans to Jihad, France's Top Terrorism Expert Explains,” Haaretz. June 4th, 2017. 

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 11A Nov 12

The Arab-Israeli Conflict

 

Maoz, Ifat. “Does contact work in protracted asymmetrical conflict? Appraising 20 years of reconciliation­aimed encounters between Israeli Jews and Palestinians Journal of Peace Research. 48 (1, pp. 115­125). 2011 

Extra credit: watch the film Promises and send me a short reflection

WK 11B Nov 14

The Arab-Israeli Conflict (cont’d)

 

Zaharna, R.F., “An Associative Approach to Intercultural Communication Competence in the Arab World” in Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication Competence, 2009. 

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 12 A Nov 19

Interpersonal and psychological origins of cultural conflict

Personality types, conflict style, empathy and resiliency, trauma.

The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Take quiz links posted on Moodle:

MBTI: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Conflict style

WK 12 B Nov 21

Interpersonal and psychological origins of cultural conflict

Attachment style.

The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Take quiz for attachment style: https://dianepooleheller.com/attachment-test/ or http://www.web-research-design.net/cgi-bin/crq/crq.pl

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

WK 13 A Nov 26

Gender relations, roles, and stereotypes

 

Eckert, Penelope and McConnell-Ginet, Sally, “Language and Gender.” (Excerpt) 

Recommended:

Walby, Sylvia. “Structuring Patriarchal Societies.”

 

(No weekly journal due over Thanksgiving.)

WK 14A Dec 3

Gender in religion

 

Film: Jilbab

 

Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Oxford University Press, 2011. (Excerpt on gender in Islam).

 

 

WK 14B Dec 5

Review 

 

Weekly journal due by Friday at 10pm on Moodle.

Final Exams week 

FINAL EXAM 

Date & location will be listed on MyJCU