Instructor: Lindsay R. Calhoun, M.A., Ph.D. Office Hours: 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. MWF; 11:00 a.m.-12:45p.m. TR
Office: Smith Hall 249 Office Phone: (304) 696-2805
Email: calhounl@marshall.edu
CO 322-201
Intercultural Communication
Marshall University
Spring 2009
TR 9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Smith Hall Rm 232
Required Texts: Samovar, L. Porter, R.E., McDaniel, E. R. (2007). Communication between cultures. 6th Ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Fadiman, A. (1997). The spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Various assigned readings on reserve
Class Website: MU Online
You will need your Marshall ID and pin to sign in.
A compilation of readings that I have put together is available on reserve at the library. You are free to check it out and xerox all of the articles. As many articles that I can put on E-Reserve, I will do so.
Course Description and Objectives: Welcome to Intercultural Communication. This course focuses on the process of intercultural communication as well as several related subjects in international and cross-cultural communication. Specifically this course focuses on communication, power, ethnicity, identity, and culture in both domestic and international contexts. It is my argument that intercultural communication is fast becoming a defining aspect of our personal and professional relationships. Changing demographics, globalization, increased travel, domestic and international security, and the internet are just some of the forces driving increased contact with people and cultures that are extremely varied. We are not isolated entities.
Specifically, I hope to explore issues in the workplace (the corporate/organizational environment), in the international sphere, the domestic sphere, and in our personal lives. These issues can include (but are not limited to) gender, the negotiation of multiple cultural identities, power and privilege, racism, conflict, culture shock, terrorism and sojourner adaptation. This class has a two-pronged focus, that of theory and application. Some students will be more comfortable with one focus than the other, but they are both necessary for developing understanding and competence in intercultural communication.
General Guidelines
Ø No one is the diversity police: The purpose of this class is not to shut one another up, but to help each other open up about issues that people are afraid to talk about in our everyday world. Everyone's opinion should be valued and we should not police each other on what to say. It is how we say it that matters.
Ø Do not devalue one another or groups of people: At the same time, it is imperative that we value one another as human beings and respect one another as peers. Everyone in the class has something legitimate to offer in the way of experience and knowledge. They need to know that they are valued before they can begin to feel comfortable sharing. When using language, use terminology that reflects a humanistic point of view. Think before you speak or react to ideas and comments.
Ø Listen before judging: In this classroom, I expect to challenge your world view and value systems. If you do not come out of the classroom everyday just a little shook up about your sense of reality then I probably have not done my job. Please realize that I am not asking you to give up your culture or your beliefs, I am simply asking you to walk around in a different pair of shoes for awhile. So try to listen and think before jumping to conclusions.
Ø Participation is the key to success: In addition to listening critically, I want you to participate as much as possible in the discussions. The only way for us to really utilize each other's brain power is if we talk to and with one another about the activities and articles I have planned for you. Participation is also a key element to your grade. Successful participation means you have read the required material for the class.
Ø Gender and Power: In every element of this class there are two issues that I always consider, gender and power. These two issues permeate every aspect of intercultural communication and affect every intercultural situation we enter. Please be prepared to discuss these two issues in class.
Course Policies and Expectations:
Attendance: You will miss out on a lot of material and discussion if you do not come to class. Therefore, you will receive an attendance grade based on the amount of classes you attend divided by the amount of total classes. Please do not arrive more than five minutes late or leave more than five minutes early without significant documentation of your reasons for doing so. Otherwise, you will be asked to sign a separate sign in sheet documenting your partial absence from the class that day. Each early departure or late arrival significantly before or after class ends will result in a ½ credit removal of your attendance for that day.
Make-ups and late work: It is the responsibility of the student to meet deadlines. Often, there are group activities in this class. Please be cognizant and sensitive of the other students’ needs in the group. If you cannot turn in a paper or assignment within the allotted time, then you need to speak with me, preferably before the due date. In that situation, you must provide me with adequate documentation as to why you cannot complete the assignment within the time allowed. You should also consult with a group about lateness on assignments or absences. Any decisions a group reaches about the grade of a student should be brought to my attention in a signed letter by the group. Being tired or stressed out is not enough of an excuse for me to allow you extra time. If a written assignment is not turned in on the due date, then I deduct your assignment grade 10% for each day that it is late.
Academic Ethics and Integrity: All work presented is to be that of the student and new work for this course. Turning in someone else's work as your own will result in a failing grade for the course. Please know that plagiarism is a serious violation of academic policy and can result in a failing grade for the course. Plagiarism is any representation of another person's words or ideas as your own. Be careful when completing your writing that you do not use someone else's unique phrases or organizational structure without making it clear where they originated. If you are struggling with source citation or your writing, please make an appointment or email me your questions. When in doubt, cite.
Need Other Assistance: Please let me know privately if there are factors that might have a negative impact on your performance in this class that are beyond your control such as a disability or long term illness. I'd like to work with you in an effort to find solutions to any potential problems. I promise to keep your personal circumstances confidential. The more advance notice I have of a potential difficulty, the easier it is for me to work with you to come up with a solution. However, if you'd like to arrange things on your own, there are some college services and resources available to you. Use them if necessary. The ADA and several associated state and federal regulations require Marshall University staff, administration and faculty to provide reasonable accommodations to students with a documented disability. If you are in need of assistance, please contact Disabled Student Services in Prichard Hall, Room 117 for assistance first before coming directly to your instructor. The Disabled Student Services office will then communicate your accommodations and needs directly to the instructor. Your instructor will commit to keeping your particular situation confidential.
Assignments: All work must be typed! On research papers, please use the APA, MLA, CMS or Terabian style manuals. Pick one style, do not mix and match. I prefer the APA because that is what is most familiar to me and to the discipline of communication, but other styles are appropriate, so long as you use them correctly and consistently throughout your work.
Grades:
A 90%-100%
B 80%-89.9%
C 70%-79.9%
D 60%-69.9%
F 59.9% and below
Participation (20%):
Participation accounts for 20% of your total grade point average. It includes attendance, active involvement in classroom activities and discussion, and demonstrated knowledge of the reading assignments through regular quizzes and discussion questions. (DQ/classroom activities=5%; Attendance= 15%;)
Projects and Papers and exams (80%):
Discussion Partnership (5%): You will be asked to meet and develop a writing relationship with your fellow students over the course of the semester, inside of the classroom. There are two parts to this project. The first part is to sign up for one case study unit involving two to three chapters of the book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Second, you will choose a concept from the textbook or reserve readings that addresses what is happening in The Spirit Catches You…In the book discussion, you will post three responses on WebCT, one to a specific chapter, and at least two responses to other students. Using the class website, you will post each response online. Each response should be about ½ a page to 1 full page.
Conversation Partnership (10%): You will sign up, through the LEAP program at Marshall University, to work with an international student on campus who needs to practice their informal English speaking skills. You will need to commit to this project for the entirety of the semester. You will need to keep a journal of your visits with the student over the course of the semester. You will turn in a paper detailing your visits and the concepts you encountered in your visits that you learned in class. The paper will incorporate your journal entries and use examples from them. You should have a minimum of eight journal entries to turn in with the paper. The paper should be about 6-8 pages, double spaced, typed, 11-12 pt font and utilize concepts from the Samovar and Porter textbook and associated reserve readings as support.
Discussion Quizzes (included in participation): In order for discussion to be productive in class, it is important that the majority of class has read the required reading assignments for the week. Therefore, I will be quizzing you briefly at the beginning of class with 4-5 quick questions on the reading. Each student will grade their quizzes and turn them in immediately.
Current Events (10%): Students will be required to present at least three double-paragraph papers that address a current event either locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally involving one of the concepts from the reading assignments that week and present it in class. The first paragraph will give background on the event. The second paragraph will address the concept that integrates with the event. Students will present their current event in class.
Individual Research Paper (25%): You will be required to read the text “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and utilize a major theory of intercultural communication to 1) explain and interpret a major intercultural communication problem or issue in the story (be specific). 2) You will utilize your knowledge of intercultural communication to make recommendations to medical professionals to utilize based on this case to improve the outcome of similar situations between healthcare professionals and the constituents they serve. You will need additional outside material on your theory to support your claims.
Exams (30%): There will be a midterm and a final exam in this class. The exams will utilize the discussion questions from the readings. The exams will be written short answer tests. Additionally, I may cover some of the lecture material not covered in the reading with additional questions. I will develop a review sheet for the lecture material not covered in the readings. The final will not be cumulative for the whole class, only from the midterm until the end of the semester.
Tentative Schedule Subject to Change via Instructor discretion and in consultation with the class
Tuesday January 13:
Go over syllabus. To print out syllabus, please visit MU Online
Thursday January 15:
Lecture: Ch 1 pp. 1-16 Samovar, Porter and McDaniel
Current event
Tuesday January 20:
Lecture: Ch 1 pp. 17-34 Samovar, Porter and McDaniel
Current event
Thursday January 22:
Lecture: A Dialectical Approach to Intercultural Communication
On Reserve
Tuesday January 27:
Lecture: Ch 2 pp. 35-52 Samovar, Porter and McDaniel
Case Study: The Rhetoric of La Familia among Mexican Americans
On Reserve
Current Event
Thursday January 29:
Lecture: Chapter 2 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
pp. 52-71
Case Study: Views From the Other Side: Perspectives on the Cyprus Conflict
On Reserve
Current event
Tuesday February 3:
Lecture: Chapter 3 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Current event
Thursday February 5:
Case Study: Dismantling Misconceptions About Islam in Egypt
On Reserve
Case Study: An Examination of Taoist and Buddhist Perspectives on Interpersonal Conflicts, Emotions, and Adversities
On Reserve
Tuesday February 10:
Lecture: Chapter 4 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Case Study: Voicing Identities Somewhere in the Midst of Two Worlds
On Reserve
Current event
Thursday February 12:
Lecture: Chapter 5 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel pp. 127-151
Case Study: Cultural Values and Argumentative Orientations for Chinese People in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China
On Reserve
Current event
Tuesday February 17:
Lecture: Chapter 5 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel pp. 151-163
Case Study: The Chinese Conceptualizations of Face: Emotions, Communication, and Personhood
On Reserve
Current event
Thursday February 19:
Lecture: Chapter 6 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Current event
Tuesday February 24:
Case Study: Public Speaking Patterns in Kenya
On Reserve
Thursday February 26:
Review for Midterm
Tuesday March 3:
Midterm Exam
Thursday March 5:
BARNGA
Lecture: Chapter 7 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Tuesday March 10:
Lecture ch 7 continued
Thursday March 12:
Case Study: Japanese Non-verbal Communication
On Reserve
Current event
Tuesday March 17:
Lecture: Chapter 8 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Case Study: US Americans and Mexicans Working Together: Five Core Concepts for Enhancing Effectiveness
On Reserve
Current event
Thursday March 19
Lecture: Chapter 9 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Case Study: Help! My Professor (or Doctor or Boss) Doesn’t Talk English
On Reserve
Current event
Sign Up for Discussion Postings
Rough Drafts of conversation papers due
Spring Break Saturday March 21-Sunday March 29
No Class
Tuesday March 31:
Lecture: Chapter 10 Samovar, Porter, McDaniel
Case Study: Begin “The Spirit Catches You…
Read first three chapters (3-32)
Thursday April 2:
Readings: The Spirit Catches You…Chapters 4, 5 (33-59)
(Online Discussion Posts Due)
Tuesday April 4:
Readings: The Spirit Catches You…Chapters 6, 7 (60-92)
Conversation Partnership papers due
Thursday April 6:
Readings: The Spirit Catches You…Chapters 8,9 (93-118)
(Online Discussion Posts Due)
Tuesday April 14
Readings: The Spirit Catches You…
Chs: 10, 11 (pp. 119-153)
Discuss Papers
Thursday April 16:
Readings: The Spirit Catches You…
Chapters: 12, 13,
(pp. 155-180)
(Online Discussion Posts Due)
Tuesday April 21
Readings: The Spirit Catches You…
Chapters 14, 15 (pp. 181-224)
Thursday April 23
“The Spirit Catches You…”
Readings: Chs 16, 17, 18, 19
(pp. 225-290)
Study Questions Due
(Online Discussion Posts Due)
Tuesday April 28:
Readings: Chapter 11 Samovar & Porter
Final Papers Due
Presentations
Thursday April 30
Review for Final Exam
Remaining Presentations
Final Exam
Tuesday May 5
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.