Intercultural Communication

obligatory courses

Classroom

The following Intercultural Communication course constitutes an introduction to the fundamental concepts, theories, and topics connected to communication amongst cultures. One of its main aims is to help students to have a better understanding of their own cultural identities and how the values, beliefs, traditions, and ethnicities that they hold and represent influence the ways in which they communicate with others. Additionally, the course will aid students with the development of proper sensitivity and behavior most appropriate to the setting.

1. Introduction to intercultural communication & the meaning

of culture

a. Introduction to the course, assessment methods and grading system

b. Global facts on culture

c. FoM Mission

d. What is intercultural communication?

e. Culture – definition and elements

f. Sources of culture

g. “Culture” and “culture”

h. Iceberg of culture

i. Values, beliefs, and behaviors

2. Intercultural communication

a. Assumption of similarities (world example, perception)

b. Tendency to evaluate

c. Stereotypes and prejudices

d. The role of diplomacy in IC

3. Intercultural communication misunderstandings

a. Case studies

4. Language differences (verbal and nonverbal)

a. Verbal and nonverbal communication

b. Cross-Cultural Communication Styles

c. Gendered Language Style Across Cultures

d. Language and Ethnic Identity

e. Edward T. Hall’s model of nonverbal communication (context, space, time)

f. Definitions of Nonverbal Communication

g. Relationship between Verbal and Nonverbal Codes

h. Channels of Nonverbal Communication

5. The cultural context, culture as the “software of mind” (by G. Hofstede & three layers of culture (by F. Trompenaars)

a. Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Values

b. Kluckhohn and Strodbeck’s Value Orientations

c. Cultural theories - G. Hofstede & F. Trompenaars

6. The environmental context

a. Environments and Information Load

b. Culture and the Natural Environment (Worldviews of the Natural Environment; Natural Disasters as Cultural and Social Events)

c. Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Housing

d. Cross-Cultural Variations of Privacy

7. Organizational culture & IC in business environment

a. Edward Schein’s Three Levels of Organizational Culture

b. Intercultural Management

c. Management Practices Across Cultures

d. Savoir-vivre

8. Intercultural communication in the context of celebration and traditions

a. Religious traditions

b. Birthday celebrations

c. Culture-specific traditions

9. Culture shock

a. Symptoms and stages

b. Own culture shock stories

10. Student video presentations

a. Video project presentations

b. Short commentary on each video in the intercultural context (based on essay)

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Althen, G., and J. Bennett. American Ways: A Cultural Guide to the United States of America. 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, 2011.

Asante, M. K., Y. Miike, and J. Yin, eds. The Global Intercultural Communication Reader. 2nd ed. London, UK: Routledge, 2013.

Baldwin, J. R., R. M. Coleman, A. Gonzalez, and S. Shenoy-Packer. Intercultural Communication for Everyday Life. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.

Bennett, M. J., ed. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication: Paradigms, Principles, and Practices. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press, 2013.

Chen, G. M., and X. Dai. Intercultural Communication Competence: Conceptualization and its Development in Cultural Contexts and Interactions. Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014.

Cooper, P. J., C. Calloway-Thomas, and C. J. Simonds. Intercultural Communication: A Text with Readings. Boston, MA:Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2007.

Deardorff, D. K. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2009.

Guerrero, L. K., and M. Hecht, eds. The Nonverbal Communication Reader: Classic and Contemporary Readings. 3rd ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 2007.

Hall, E. T. Beyond Culture. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1981.

Jackson, J. The Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication. New York, NY: Routledge, 2012.

Lustig, M. W., and J. Koester. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012.

Nisbett, R. E. The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently... and Why. New York, NY: Free Press, 2003.

Samovar, L. A., R. E. Porter, E. R. McDaniel, and C. S. Roy. Communication Between Cultures. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2012.

Ward, C. Beyond Culture Shock. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013.

GLOBAL BUSINESS

Adler, N. J., and A. Gundersen. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. 5th ed. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Pub., 2007.

Comfort, J., and P. Franklin. The Mindful International Manager: How to Work Effectively Across Cultures. London, UK: Kogan Page, 2014.

Gundling, E. Working GlobeSmart: 12 People Skills for Doing Business Across Borders. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey, 2011.

Hofstede, G., G. J. Hofstede, and Michael, M. Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind. 3rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Javidan, M., and J. L. Walker. Developing Your Global Mindset: The Handbook for Successful Global Leaders. Edina, MN: Beaver's Pond Press, 2013.

Maude, B. Managing Cross-Cultural Communication: Principles and Practice. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Schein, E. H. Organizational Culture and Leadership. 4th ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010.

Trompenaars, F., and C. Hampden-Turner. Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business. 3rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2012.

Trompenaars, F., and C. Hampden-Turner. Managing People Across Cultures. Oxford, UK:Capstone, 2004.

Trompenaars, F., and P. Woolliams. Business Across Cultures. Chichester, UK: Capstone, 2003.

Varner, I., and L. Beamer. Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace. 5th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, 2010.

Upon completion of the course, each Student should have had developed intercultural communication competence. That is, inter alia, the ability to:

- communicate in various and unfamiliar cultural settings;

- describe what culture means and what defines it;

- recognize the influence of culture on communication;

- identify reasons for behaviors based on cultural differences;

- understand how culture influences human self-perception;

- list many different cultural traditions and their meaning;

- recognize the differences between verbal and nonverbal communication;

- grasp the concept of organizational culture and its elements;

- indicate and make use of differences in running

business in different cultures;

- take into account multiple interests and worldviews in

the decision making process.

Final grade breakdown:

1. Class activities and active participation (25%)

2. Short tests and/or case studies during class sessions (25%)

3. Final group project (50%): preparation of a video material (duration of max. 3 minutes) about cultural differences and misunderstandings, accompanied with an essay on thereof (with references) – max. 1000 words.

Students are allowed to have one absence during the entire semester.

Final grade scale:

2.0: 0-49%

3.0: 50%-59%

3.5: 60%-69%

4.0: 70%-79%

4.5: 80%-89%

5.0: 90%-100%