CMST 280 Intercultural Communication (FORMERLY SPCH 230)
Winter 2011 Course Syllabus
Item 0778 Section HYB
Instructor: Stephanie Hurst
Course Website: http://bellevuecollege.edu. (Log into MyBC and into Blackboard Vista.)
Email: Use the email option on the course web site.
Phone: 425.564.3062
Office Hours: Tuesdays
& Thursdays 12:30 PM – 1:20 PM in R230V (or e-mail me to set up an
appointment).
Required Text: Communication
Between Cultures by Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, & Edwin R.
McDaniel, 7th edition
Note: It is important to use the 7th edition as it differs greatly from previous editions.
The text is available for
purchase at the Bellevue College campus bookstore ($100.49 for new, and $82.80
for used).
eTextbook
options are also available at http://www.cengage.com/highered/ (go into the
Students tab, search the eTextbooks catalog $55.99)
and at http://www.chegg.com ($51.40).
Other Required Reading (Optional Purchase): Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell,
Chapter 7 only.
We will be reading Chapter 7
only of this book (The Ethnic Theory of
Plane Crashes ‘Captain, the weather radar has helped us a lot’.) I
have placed two of my copies of this book on reserve in the Bellevue College
Library Media Center. These reserved copies may be used in the library for 2
hour increments. In addition, the LMC has a copy of their own for check out.
Course Goals: This course aims to increase student
intercultural competence by examining the effects of culture on both the
communication process and individual. Students taking this course will explore:
communication and culture, intercultural messages, the role of context in
intercultural communication, how culture affects one’s identity, how culture
influences communication style, language, and non-verbal communication, and how
to improve their own intercultural competence.
Students who successfully
complete this course will be able to:
1. explain how environmental
factors affect and make cultures different,
2. explain how
cultural variables influence intercultural competency in an oral communication
context,
3. explain why
appropriateness and effectiveness are critical in constructing oral
intercultural messages,
4. explain how individualism
and collectivism affect the oral communication in an intercultural
communication context,
5. demonstrate how Hofstede’s Cross-cultural Orientation model affects status
oriented and person oriented oral communication styles,
6. define prejudice and
discrimination. Provide examples to demonstrate your competence in applying the
concepts,
7. apply the E.T. Hall’s
Context of Meaning Model to explain high and low context and direct and
indirect oral communication styles.
Format: You will be engaged in face-to-face as
well as online discussions and activities designed to aid your understanding of
the concepts explored in this class. This course uses both face-to-face and
online learning. Computer use is required. Please review the “Equipment and
Skills” requirements at http://bellevuecollege.edu/distance/skills.asp.
Students can expect to spend between 2 and 3 hours per week online, completing
assignments and reading course material. (Note: this estimate of online time
does not include time for reading the text.) This course also includes small
group assignments. Given this format, students need to commit to being active
participants online. In addition, this area of study contains complex theories
and difficult social science jargon. I will do my best to assist you, but a
college reading level and college writing level in English is needed to succeed
in this course.
Expectations and Policies: How
to succeed in this class…
Success in this class is
dependent on:
1. your motivation and
desire to explore and learn,
2. your competence using
Blackboard VISTA,
3. logging into the course
website and checking the ‘Announcements’ and the ‘Calendar’ tools at least five times per week,
4. keeping up with the
assigned readings by the due dates,
5. your ability to read and
write in English at the college level,
6. the ability to learn from
written materials, including lectures, e-mails, and on-line discussions,
7. meeting the attendance
policy and contributing in a relevant and constructive manner to class
discussions,
8. the ability to
successfully collaborate and cooperative with
group members on group projects,
9. a good working knowledge
of your computer and your Internet Service Provider (ISP), including e-mail,
10. self-discipline to
focus, set goals, and complete assignments on time without face-to-face contact
with an instructor.
Should you experience any technical computer
issues (software or otherwise) anytime throughout the quarter, you should
contact Distance Education: 425.564.2438 or toll free 1.877.641.2712,
www.bellevuecollege.edu/distance, Room A140, disted@bellevuecollege.edu.
Winter Quarter 2011 Distance
Education Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm; Friday, 8:00 am –
4:00 pm. To help, Distance Education will need your registered name, student
number, course name and number, instructor’s name and details of the problems
you are encountering. Your ability to
use Blackboard VISTA competently is a requirement for this course. Prior to
the start of the quarter go to
http://bellevuecollege.edu/distance/classroom.asp to:
• review the Blackboard
VISTA Online Tutorial to better understand how the course management system
works,
• set up your browser for
Blackboard VISTA access,
• and learn “How to Start
Classes on Blackboard VISTA”.
If you are new to using VISTA or have never taken
an online (or hybrid) class before, I strongly encourage you to attend a VISTA
workshop in the Distance Education Office in A140. Need help getting started online? Blackboard
VISTA Workshops for students are available during the first two weeks of the
quarter.
Winter 2011 VISTA Distance Education Workshops:
Tuesday January 4th, 11:30
AM - 1 PM in Room N252
Tuesday January 4th, 3:30 PM
- 5 PM in Room A134
Wednesday January 5th, 5:30
PM - 7 PM in Room A132
Thursday January 6th, 3:00
PM - 5 PM in Room A134
Students should have their MyBC student portal set up to allow network access and use
of campus computers before attending any of the workshops. Distance Education
can only answer Blackboard VISTA questions in these workshops. Distance
Education cannot help with questions related to other software or computer
issues you may need to resolve in order to succeed in your online course.
Blackboard VISTA Workshops give you a hands-on version of the same material
that is covered in the Blackboard VISTA Tutorial located online at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/distance/studentguide/.
Required Assignments:
Chapter Discussion Responses
& Comments (10 topics @ 30 points each) 300 Points,
Exams (3 @ 100 points each)
300 Points,
Cultural Identity Analysis
Paper (7 – ? pages) 100 Points,
Group Responses (4 @ 50
points each) 200 Points,
Class Participation &
Attendance 100 Points
Total Points Possible:
1000
Specific guidelines and
details regarding all assignments can be found on the course Blackboard Vista
website on a later date.
Assignment Descriptions (Condensed):
Chapter Discussion Postings
(300 Points): Students will be evaluated on the quality and substance of
their contributions to online discussions. Students are expected to complete
all required reading assignments by the designated due date and share in a
relevant, constructive and meaningful manner with their colleagues via online
discussions.
Both student responses to
chapter discussion questions and comments to their colleagues will be
evaluated.
Each chapter discussion question will be evaluated based on the
following ten requirements:
1. the use of course
terminology and concepts from the assigned reading,
2. course terms (key terms
from the chapter reading) should be typed in bold, italics, CAPITALIZED or
underlined so that they stand out on the screen (using the HTML creator is
usually best for this),
3. page references to the
text,
4. thoughtful explanation of
why or how,
5. organization,
6. grammar,
7. spelling,
8. the use of adequate
examples,
9. a minimum length of 8
sentences,
10. complete comments to the
specified number of colleagues per question (see below).
After a student completes
his/her response to a chapter question (using the first 9 requirements above),
he/she should read through several of his/her colleagues’ responses, choosing
at least two (and in some cases more) to comment on. One of the comments should
be to a student’s response that has not been commented on by another student
(or has had a limited number of comments.) Often a student will choose to
comment on a response that was most helpful to him/her in understanding the
course material better. In other cases students choose to comment on responses
that are most interesting or intriguing to them. Regardless of the reason you
choose to comment on a particular colleague’s response, each comment made to a
colleague must state something substantive about the colleague’s posting. That
is, a substantive comment should explain why or how you found their response
helpful, interesting or intriguing. In addition, each comment should be at
least five sentences in length using complete sentences (not abbreviated or in
‘text-messaging’ language), good grammar and spelling.
Here are examples of both a
student’s response to a chapter discussion question and a comment to a
colleague:
Example Chapter Discussion
Question:
Identify some of the
specific ways your family has influenced your cultural identity.
A Good Example of a
Student’s Response:
“The textbook very eloquently described family:
‘...family is charged with transforming a biological organism into a human
being who must spend the rest of his or her life around other human beings’ (p.
54). A dominant theme in my family was that we had to learn to get along
with everyone. I was raised in a conservative small town by relatively liberal
parents. I did pick up many of my parents political values. But more importantly, I learned from a very young age
that it was important to be able to get along, and even befriend, people that I
disagreed with. My father is one of the most open-minded people I have ever
met. He modeled tolerance for me by maintaining friendships with people from a
variety of backgrounds, and with differing values
and politics. He also sent me to public school in a town where many people were
not as open-minded as my family, and I had to learn to get along with those
kids, too. Now as an adult living in Seattle, a major component of my identity is interacting with people who
are different from me.”
A Good Example of a
Student’s Comment to a Colleague:
“I think it is interesting to observe how many
children follow their parents' political beliefs. When I went to Gonzaga, I
found that a lot of young students did not really know what they stood for or
why, but instead followed a party because their parents did. While not always
the case, it does seem to be a pattern. Also, tolerance and patience are very
difficult to learn. Seattle is a great place to put those skills to use as
there are many cultures represented here. I really like how you brought up the
point that your parents are open minded and that has influenced you to be
tolerant. For me, my father is fairly narrow minded, and that in turn has
caused me to be the exact opposite. I suppose the influence family can have on
CULTURAL IDENTITY can be direct or indirect.”
Notice that in the first
example, the student fulfills the first 9 requirements listed above. Similarly,
in the second example, the same student fulfills the requirements for what makes
a substantive comment.
Here Are Two Examples of
What NOT to Do in Your Comments:
“thnx 4 sharing. u r
awesome.”
Or:
“I totally agree.”
Class Participation & Attendance (100 points): Students are expected to attend all scheduled face-to-face
classes as well as participate in all chapter discussions, assignments, and
group activities online. Students will be
evaluated on the quality and substance of their contributions to class
discussion both in class and online.
Students are expected to come to each face-to-face class meeting having
read all required reading assignments for that meeting; bringing to each class
meeting the course textbook; ready to share relevant and constructive
information with the class. With regard
to their overall course grade, students will be evaluated on their constructive,
meaningful and substantive participation in face-to-face and online class
discussions of course material. Online
responses will be evaluated on:
substance, demonstration of knowledge on the subject, grammar, spelling,
and contribution to the learning of others (See ‘What Constitutes a Good Online
Response’ on the course website). Please silence all cell phones before class
begins. Any student caught using
electronic means for communicating during class (such as: text-messaging, instant messaging, e-mailing,
‘surfing’ etc.) will receive a ‘0’ for class participation and attendance that
day and will be asked to leave class.
Please turn off all pagers, iPods, and the like, before class begins.
This course utilizes the Arts and Humanities policy on attendance. Students are required to attend all
class meetings (both face-to-face as
well as online discussions and assignments). More than two unexcused absences will
result in a reduction in points for class attendance. Students who miss 10 or more classes (including online discussions and assignments)
will fail the course. See http://bellevuecollege.edu/ArtsHum/policy.html for more
information. Students are expected to
come to face-to-face classes on time.
Arriving late to class or leaving early is disruptive and inconsiderate
to those who are on time. Chronic
tardiness will result in a reduction in points for class participation. Students are required to log into the course
website at least 5 times per week and check the ‘Calendar’ and ‘Announcements’
tools as well as complete any work by the due date. Students are also required to ‘check in’ with
group members on a regular basis regarding group projects.
If a student misses a class (face-to-face or online), he/she is
responsible for any material covered in class during his/her absence.
Students can expect to spend between 2 and 3 hours per week
online, completing assignments and reading course material. (Note: this
estimate of online time does not include time for reading the text.)
Exams (3 @ 100 points each):
There will be a total of
three exams worth 100 Points each. Each exam will be accessed in the
‘Assessments’ module on the course website and will consist of multiple choice
and true and false questions. One week prior to each exam, an exam review will
be posted on the course web site in ‘Resources’. I do not welcome argument over exam
questions as each question has been tested for reliability, and validity. I do, however, provide two opportunities for
extra credit early in the quarter to make-up for any exam questions students may
not like.
Cultural Identity Journal (100
Points):
Students will write a
Cultural Identity paper analyzing and exploring elements of their cultural
identity. The paper must be typed, double-spaced in size 12 Times New Roman
font (or similar) with 1” (one inch) margins. Detailed instructions for the
paper will be made available on the course website. This paper will be
submitted online using the Assignments Tool. Papers should be attached to the
submission page in either .doc or .docx format.
Group Responses (200 Points:
4 @ 50 Points each):
Students will be assigned to
groups and given a total of four assignments requiring: group analysis, group
discussion and the formulation and completion of a group response. These four
group responses will be based on films and articles. As this is a group
assignment, all group members will receive the same score (unless a particular
group member has made little or no contribution to the group discussion.) Each
group member is required to be an active and contributing member to his/her
group. Each group member should engage in regular dialogue with his/her group
members regarding the assignment at hand. Non-contributing group members will
be asked to leave their group and complete the assignment at hand (as well as
future group assignments) independently.
Grading Scale: A = 940 –
1000, A - = 900 - 939, B+ = 860 – 899, B = 830 – 859, B - = 800 – 829, C+ = 760
– 799, C = 730 – 759, C - = 700 – 729, D+ = 660 – 699, D = 600 – 659, F = 0 –
599
Student Conduct…
The division policy on
classroom and on-line conduct applies to this course.
Academic Dishonesty…
Plagiarism and cheating are
serious offenses. The division’s policies on plagiarism and cheating are clear.
Students caught plagiarizing papers, discussions, or responses will receive an
“F” (0 points) for the assignment and will be reported to the Dean of Student
Programs and Services. See http://bellevuecollege.edu/ArtsHum/policy.html for
more information.
Late work and Assignment Completion…
Assignments are due on the
designated due dates by the designated time. Late work will not be accepted by
the instructor unless prior arrangements have been made (that is, before the
due date).
In order to receive credit
for this course, students must complete all the assignments as well as meet the
attendance requirement.
Values Conflict…
Essential to a liberal arts
education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of expression which
might conflict with one’s personal values. By being exposed to such ideas or
expressions, students are not expected to endorse or adopt them but rather to
understand that they are part of the free flow of information upon which higher
education depends. To this end, you may find that class requirements may
include engaging certain materials, such as books, films, and articles which
may, in whole or in part, offend you. These materials are equivalent to
required texts and are essential to the course content. If you decline to
engage the required material by not reading, viewing, or performing material
you consider offensive, you will still be required to meet class requirements
in order to earn credit for this class. This may require responding to the
content of the material, and you may not be able to fully participate in
required class discussions or assignments. Bellevue College upholds an
"Affirmation of Inclusion” which states, “Bellevue College is committed to
maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels
welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and
discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and
students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another
with dignity and respect.” This Affirmation sets forth the expectation
that we will all treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of
whether or not we agree philosophically. This expectation is in line with the
principle of free speech in a free society: we have the right to express
unpopular ideas as long as we don't show disrespect for reasonable people who
might believe otherwise. In an online course, you will be expressing ideas
through the medium of the course site. These expectations also refer to the
courtesy with which you communicate with one another through e-mails and online
discussions. Part of this respect involves professional behavior toward the
instructor, colleagues, and the class itself.
Disruptive behavior is
disrespectful behavior. The Arts and Humanities Division honors the right of
its faculty to define "disruptive behavior," which often involves
such things as inappropriate comments or ‘flaming’. Such behavior interrupts the
educational process. When you are in doubt about any behavior, consult your
instructor via e-mail as the judgment of the instructor is the final authority
in these matters.
Suggestions Regarding Online Discussions:
Be careful about your tone
of voice. In a written discussion a slightly critical comment can seem like a
crushing condemnation because readers can't see the facial expressions and body
language that tell them how serious you are. On the other hand, it's not a good
idea to write "smiley-face" comments all the time. Those kinds of
comments don't add anything substantial to the discussion. If you question or
disagree with something someone has said, you need to say so—tactfully. One way
to express a disagreement tactfully is to couch your comment as a question:
"Do you think we should consider...?" Another way is to use tentative
language: "But I wonder if we couldn't look at it from another
angle..." These kinds of comments invite others to join the discussion and
give their ideas. Remember—our purpose is to generate ideas, not to win verbal
battles.
Part of your success in this
class is dependent upon your development of competent skills in dealing with
people who are different than you. The difference may be in worldview, beliefs,
and/or values. We will respect one another in all of these ways.
Students with disability
and/or Special Needs:
If you require accommodation
based on a documented disability, have emergency medical information to share,
or need special arrangements, please come see me as soon as possible. Students
with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the
Director of Disability Resource Center (B132) to establish their eligibility
for accommodation. Disability Resource Center is in B132, and can be reached by
phone at 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110. Students are encouraged to review
their accommodation needs with each instructor during the first week of the
quarter.
Students who need extra help
in college writing should go to the Academic Success Center’s Writing Lab
located in D204 for assistance.
Students who need access to
a computer can utilize computers in the BC Computer Lab located in N 250.
On a General Note…
Communication is key! Please
e-mail me if you have any concerns or issues.
The following quotes
illustrate my teaching philosophy:
If I am walking with two other men, each of them
will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and
imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself. - Confucius
What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing. – Aristotle
The wise teacher does not bid you enter the house
of wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind. – Kahlil Gibran