Intercultural Communication

Speech 230

Spring 2005

 

Instructor:                Dr. Alan E. Yabui

Phone:                      425-564-3083

Email:                        ayabui@bcc.ctc.edu      

Office Hrs:                9:30-10:20 AM, Monday thru Thursday, other times TBA

 

Textbook:     Ting-Toomey, Stella. (1999) Communicating Across Cultures.  New                              York: The Guilford Press.

 

Wu, Frank. (Reprint 2003) Yellow. New York: Basic Books.

 

 

            This is a Humanities Distribution course. (May be used as either

Humanities or Social Sciences if transferring to UW.)

 

This course is designed to be a “hands-on intercultural communication learning class” as there are students enrolled from multiple cultural backgrounds.  For pre-nursing and nursing students, this course is a mandatory course for the BCC Nursing Program. 

In order to competently learn Intercultural Communication, one must collaboratively participate in all classroom activities and small group projects.  In order to earn an “A,” students must successfully complete three group projects, all nine email learning journals and the comprehensive review, and actively participate in classroom discussions and exercises.

 

Course Objectives:

 

1.  To learn intercultural communication techniques using the identity negotiation perspective described by Stella Ting-Toomey in her book, Communicating Across Cultures.

 

2.  To learn intercultural communication concepts such as mindfulness, identity negotiation perspective, cultural orientation, cultural patterns, high and low context communication styles, verbal and nonverbal coding, in-group/out-group influences in intercultural communication, intercultural interpersonal communication, and intercultural conflict management.

 

3.  To create a better understanding how cultural variables impact Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication through classroom dialog and collaborative exercises.

 

 4.  To demonstrate intercultural group communication skills by collaboratively working in intercultural groups to organize and present three group oral classroom presentations.

 

5.  To analyze assigned readings, and to self-monitor “individual learning” by archiving learning results in nine email learning journal.

 

 6.  To follow the intercultural communication recommendations listed by

Ting-Toomey in Chapters 3 to 8.

 

7.  To demonstrate basic academic research and interview skills by completing and        presenting a group “interview” and group analysis of the interview data research project.

 

8.      To discuss and analyze in classroom seminars the various cultural issues addressed by Frank Wu in his book, Yellow.                                                                  

 

9.      To actively communicate with other members of the class.

 

10. To work on learning strategies to become a self-directed learner.

 

 

Evaluations:

 

Group Cultural (first) project presentation                          600 points

Group Movie Analysis                                                                      600 points

Group Final Research Project                                                         600 points

Book Review of Yellow                                                                     600 points

Classroom review of Yellow                                                 200 points

E-mail learning journals (1--8)                                                      1600 points

Concept review email (Journal 9)                                                   300 points

Class participation                                                                            500 points

Total                                                                                                5000 points

           

Course Grading:

 

            A                     100-93 Percent (minimum points=4650)

            B                       85.6-79 Percent (minimum points=3800)

            C                       78.9-70 Percent (minimum points=3500)

            D                       69-60 Percent (minimum points=3200)

            F                        Less that 60 Percent (less than 3199 points)

 

 

Learning Journals:  Eight of the learning journals are based on the first eight chapters of the textbook.  The ninth journal is your assessment of your intercultural learning in this course.  Each journal should be about a page or two pages in length.  The journal format should be as follows:  Journal are due on the first day of each academic week, and must be submitted by the end of the week that the journal is due.  No late journals will be accepted!!  1600 points

 

Journal 1        Chapter 1

Journal 2        Chapter 2

Journal 3        Chapter 3

Journal 4        Chapter 4

Journal 5        Chapter 5

Journal 6        Chapter 6

Journal 7        Chapter 7

Journal 8        Chapter 8

Journal 9        Self- Assessment of your Intercultural Communication

 

Learning (three pages—this journal should be a reflective journal based on you citing your specific Intercultural Communication learning.  Use the questions listed below as a guide.)  You do not have to address this question in your journal, if you choose not to do so.

 

1. Define Intercultural communication?  What are the five core assumptions of         intercultural communication for the identity negotiation perspective used by Ting-Toomey? (Chapter 1)

2. Define cultural and how would you use your definition of culture to define intercultural, cross-cultural, and bicultural? (Chapter 1)

3.      Define mindfulness?  How does it differ from mindlessness? (Chapter 1)

4.      Why is self-image important in the social identity perspective? (Chapter 2)

5.                  What are the five basic assumptions of the Strodtbeck and Klucklohn model?  

6.                  Describe each assumption within the contest of the definition of culture. (Chapter 3)

7.                  Describe the four major components of the Hofstede’s value orientation model?  How does Hofstede approximate the spatial significance of culture? (Chapter 3)

8.                  Describe the E.T. Hall’s Context of Meaning Model and how it is used to explain communication styles in chapter 4.  What is the significance concept of this model and how is it used in Intercultural communication? (Chapter 4)

9.                  What are the relationship between Hofstede, Hall, and Strodtbeck and Kluckholn’s models?  Explain. (Chapters 3 and 4)

10.             List four communication styles listed in chapter 4 of Ting-Toomey.  Explain each communication style within the context of the continuum of individualism and collectivism. (Chapter 4)

11.             Why are non-verbal cues important in intercultural communication?  Use the Hall Context of Meaning model to explain your answer.  (Chapters 4 and 5)

12.             Why is inter-group attribution theory important in explaining concept of social comparison and racial discrimination? (Chapter 6)

13.             Describe the four Identity- relational interpersonal intercultural based themes described by Ting-Toomey.  Why are they important themes in interpersonal intercultural relationships? (Chapter 7)

14.             How does power distance affect intercultural conflict management?  In writing your response uses a specific example to support your response. (Chapter 8)

15.              After completing the readings from chapters 1 to 8, and your reading of “Yellow”, what is your assessment of your own intercultural learning?  Be specific in your response.  (Summary of course)

 

 

 

Journal Format

 

230 Journal __ (Subject heading on your email)

 

 Summary:  Summarize in your own words, the major concepts of the chapter. Please review the questions listed above to ensure that you at least address the questions listed for each chapter.  (You do not have to address the questions in your journal.)

 

Analysis:  Provide specific examples for each of the major concepts you covered in your summary. (You may use your own experiential examples.)

 

Lessons learned:  Provide feedback to yourself in this section by reporting in the first person, what you learned in completing the chapter summary and your analysis of your own summary.  (This paragraph should state “What I learned…”)  This is the most critical part of the journal, as it is a report on what you stated you learned.

           

Email journal that do no follow this format may be returned or not graded and sent back to the sender.  Unless otherwise noted, all journals will receive maximum points when I send a reply back to you.  If you do not receive a reply back with five days, resend your email journal.   All weekly journals are required to be turned-in by 12:00 midnight, on the first academic day of each week and no later than the end of the academic week that the journal is due.  No late journals will be accepted!!  The email course review must be turned in the last day of class!!  To receive points for journal writing all journals must be submitted as stated above.  In other words, to receive 1900 points for journals all nine journals must be submitted.  Partial grades will not be awarded if all journals are not submitted by the last day of class.

 

Class Participation:  There are several unannounced classroom exercises built into the curriculum of this course, therefore, attendance at all lectures is highly recommended.  Days when student presentations are scheduled, attendance is mandatory.  There are no-make-ups for class participation points. Points: the Instructor subjectively awards   Quizzes may be used as part of the participation points. 

 

Yellow.  On Seminar days for Yellow, write seminar talking points on the assigned readings before class.  The seminar talking points will be turned in at the end of each discussion period and will be used for attendance credit.  (200 points) Class attendance is a major factor in the assignment of class participation points.  Write a five page review of the book “Yellow” which is to be turned in by the end of the third week of class.  You may use your talking points as an outline for your book review.  (Book reviews are due on April 22.  No Late reports will be accepted.)       600 points

 

Seattle International District Project:  This is the first of three intercultural group projects for this course, therefore, the student’s intercultural experiences in this project, sets the learning attitude for the rest of the course. Form intercultural groups of four or five students and report on a topic of academic interest related to the Settle International District.  Groups should plan a project excursion to the International District.  Presentations will be presented during the week of

April 25--29.  The group report will be on PowerPoint.   The presentation will be a 15-minute presentation.  The presentation should have a title slide, a major theme slide, content slides, and a group lessons learned slide.    A paper copy of the Power Point presentation will be submitted on the day of the group’s presentation.  Groups will be culturally diverse.  600 Points

 

Movie analysis:  Presentations will be in the week of Feb 14--18.  The movie must have an intercultural/interpersonal theme.  Use concepts from the textbook and analyze the intercultural/interpersonal relationship and communication styles of two major characters in the move.  The oral presentations will be 15-minutes.  The last section of the analysis should be a summary of the "lessons learned from this exercise.”  Groups must be cultural diverse and different from group assignment 1.  (Use only two movie scenarios for this project.)  A written outline of the movie scenarios and Intercultural communication concepts used to analyze the movie will be turned in at the time of presentation.  600 points

 

Final Group Interview Presentation Project.  Presentations will start on

Mar 10.  The oral presentation will be on PowerPoint.  Maximum group size is five students.  Select one or more major concept(s) covered in the textbook, do your research and prepare a 15-minute digital media presentation.  Include in your presentation, five references from the Internet sources, journals, etc., digital images, videos (optional) and an analysis of the cumulative personal interviews (interviews are mandatory).  Grading will be focused on group’s interpretation and presentation of the interview data and not the descriptive statistics of the interview sample group.  NOTE: A written document of all references and interview participants cited and a copy of the group’s Power point presentation must be turned in at time of the group’s oral presentation.  This document will be used to grade the group’s final presentation.  The presentation will be graded on the quality of the content and the depth of the research.  600 points

 

Schedule:

 

April 4--8       Chapter 1, Cultural Self-concept email (April 7, form Seattle ID                                         project groups.  Evening and TTH classes, form ID Groups on April                              6, 7)   

 

April 11--15   Chapter 2, form Project 1 groups, (Apr 11 Yellow, Chapters 1 and 2,                              Apr 12 Chapters 3 – 4, Apr 13 Chapters 5 and 6, Apr 14, Chapters 7 –                                    8, epilogue, Evening and TTH classes, Chapter 1-4 (Apr 11, 12),                                    Chapters 5-8 (Apr 13, 14)

 

April 18-22    Chapter 3, Journal 2

 

April 25-29    Chapter 4, 9:30 class, Group Reports on Seattle ID, Journal 3,                                        Seattle ID reports on April 25-27, April 25 for the Evening class, and                              April 26 for the TTH class), form movie groups.

 

May 2--6        Chapter 5, Journal 4

 

May 9--13      Chapter 6, Journal 5

 

May 10           No class

 

May 16--22   Chapter 7, Journal 6, Movie Analysis Presentations, (Evening class                               May 16, TTH class May 17.)

 

May 23--27   Chapter 8, Journal 7

 

May 30           No class

 

May 31--Jun 3  Chapter 8, Journal 7 

 

Jun 6--10      Chapter 8, Journal 8, Project 3 Reports (Jun 9, 10, 13, 14)

 

Jun 13, 14     Group Presentations, Project 3, Evening class, Jun 13, TTH, Jun 14

           

 

Jun 15--17    Final Examination, as posted in the BCC Class Schedule, winter 2005