Intercultural Communication

CMST 330

         Winter 2009

 

Instructor:       Dr. Alan E. Yabui

Phone:             425-564-3083

Email:               ayabui@bcc.ctc.edu      

Office Hrs:       12:30 to 1:20 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

 

Textbook:

 

 

 

 

 

Moodian, M.A. (Ed.). (2009)  Contemporary Leadership in Intercultural Competence,

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

 

This is a 300 level Humanities Distribution course at BCC. (May be used as either Humanities or Social Sciences if transferring to UW.)

 

This course is designed to be a “hands-on intercultural communication 300 level course for the professional practitioner.”  The course will also focus on leadership and management in a multicultural work environment. 

In order to competently learn Intercultural Communication, one must collaboratively participate in all classroom activities and small group projects.   

 

Course Assumptions

 

  1. Culture is defined broadly and inclusively, in the tradition of Herskovitis (1955) who defined culture as the human-made part of the environment and Hofstede (2001) who described culture as a collective programming of the mind that manifests itself in values, symbols, and rituals.
  2. All leadership takes place in a multicultural context, given the complexity of ethnographic, demographic, status, and affiliation variables in every leader.
  3. Culture includes both the more obvious objective and verifiable symbols and in the more subjective perspectives hidden within each of us, waiting their turn to become salient.
  4. Cultural similarities and differences are both equally important in the multicultural perspective to protect against exclusionary stereotyping or power exploitation.
  5. The most important elements of multicultural awareness can be learned but cannot be taught.  Good training, however, can create favorable conditions for multicultural awareness to occur and can provide the knowledge and skills necessary for effective interactions will ALL people.

 

 

 

 

Course Objectives:

 

  1. Teach learn management and leadership concepts related to managing and leading a diverse professional work  environment

2.  To learn intercultural communication skills to create a better understanding how              cultural variables impact Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication through classroom student dialog and collaborative exercises.  

     3.  To demonstrate intercultural group communication skills by collaboratively working             

            in Intercultural project groups.

  1. To discuss and learn concepts of intercultural communication and leadership
  2. To develop individual intercultural/multicultural leadership and management skills.

6.   To become a self-directed learner.

 

Evaluations:

 

Individual work place multicultural inventory                    400 points (bonus points)

Moodian, Article 16, Inventory                                              400 points.

Email learning journals                                                      1000 points

Concept review email self-assessment of

one’s multicultural management and leadership

learning                                                                                            600 points

Class participation (Attendance and special

Projects in class)                                                          600 points

Total                                                                                        3000 points

  

Course Grading: (Based on 3000 total points)

 

   A                     100-90 Percent

   B                       89-80 Percent

   C                       79-70 Percent

   D                       69-60 Percent

   F                        Less that 60 Percent

 

Project 1:  Do a work place cultural diversity work place inventory of your won work place.  You may interview co-workers or supervisors about their assessment of the Intercultural communication “climate of the work.  Do an inventory of the members of your workplace.  Sample between five to seven peers, subordinates, supervisors, associates in your work space, (approximate age, education level, cultural identity (self-reported), languages interviewees are fluent in, ethnicity (approximation or individual reported) and other cultural information that you deem important..  If possible survey also five to seven clients.  Do not ask for names, and report you information as survey subject A, B, C, etc.    Do an informal report (no PowerPoint required) for a five to ten report to the class on your findings on Jan 15.  (400 points)

 

Email Learning Journals:  The assignment due date of the Journal is the last time listed in the Schedule of Assignments in this syllabus.  Each email learning journal should address the thesis or problem statement of the article being reported on, the major points of the articles, the writer’s assessment of the application of the concepts in his/her work place (citing specific examples) and a lessons learned (“What I learned from the article…”)  Journal writing will be addressed in class on January 15. 1000 Points)

 

Self-Assessment of one’s Intercultural Communication Learning.  In this journal assess your own intercultural communication and leadership learning as a result of taking this class.  Provide specific examples from each learning point you address in your self-assessment. (600 points)

 

Schedule of Assignments:

 

Jan 8                 No class, Workplace Intercultural Inventory. Alligator River Paradigm (in class exercise)

 

Jan 15              Concepts of intercultural communication (lecture and in-class exercises), Moodian Part I , Articles 1, 2, 3

 

Jan 22              Verbal, Nonverbal communication concepts, Moodian, Part II,                                Articles, 4, 6, optional 5, 7.  Journal 1, review of Article Part I, 2.

 

Jan 28               Social comparisons, Ethnocentrism, Racism, Moodian, Part III, Articles 8, 9, 10.  Optional Articles 11, 12, Journal 2, Part II, Article 4.

 

Feb 5                 Moodian, Part IV, Articles 15, 16.  Optional 14, Journal 3, Article 10.

 

Feb 12              Intercultural Interpersonal Relationships, In-class lecture and exercises

 

Feb 19              Moodian, Leadership, Part IV, Article 13, Situational Leadership Model (Lecture), Journal 4, Article 15.

 

Feb 25              No class. Take-home Exercise: Workplace Assessment using the concepts of Moodian Article 16, Oral presentation of the Assessment will be presented in-class on March 5

 

        Mar 5                  Workplace Assessment presentations, Journal 5, Article 16

       

        Mar 12                Intercultural Conflict Management, Moodian Part IV, Article 17,                                        optional Articles 18.  Self-assessment journal due COB March                                        13, 2009.

 

Mar 19               Final Exam