Discussion Notes / Assignments (Class Moodle)
This course explores the nature of communication within and between cultures. If we are shaped by our communication, we are also shaped by the culture in which we do that communication. Our culture shapes our expectations of others, the things we assume are normal and reasonable, the way we think, the ways in which we communicate, and the things we teach our children. This class will challenge students to thing about their own cultural assumptions while exploring the ways in which these assumptions differ from those held by people in other cultures. We will do this by exploring contemporary theory of intercultural communicaiton, applying qualitative communication research methodologies to both the participant observation of communication associated with other cultures and interrogation of our own cultural experience.
- Judith Martin & Thomas Nakayama. (2008). Experiencing Intercultural Communication: An Introduction (5rd Edition). New York: McGraw Hill.
- Agar, M. (1994). Language Shock: Understanding the Culture of Conversation. New York: William Morrow.
- Articles which I will supply online.
The Agar text is only available in hard copy, but is inexpensive ($15 online). Online prices seem to be better than the bookstore’s price.
The Martin text and Nakayama text is expensive (about $140) in its paper edition. I recommend getting a electronic copy that runs on your computer, tablet, or e-reader. Both Barnes and Noble and Amazon rent the electronic version of the text for roughly half that price (about $70) and sell it for about $110. Used hardcopy versions are more expensive. You may find used copies available at better prices from other sources.
The electronic version works on computers and color tablets. Amazon supplies free Kindle software that you can download to your computer to read the text. So does Barnes and Noble. I read my copy on my iPad using the Kindle tablet application for iPad. Other e-book software should work with electronic editions available from other booksellers, including Barnes and Noble. I find the electronic version more readable than the text version, but it's your choice. The only option you don't have is to NOT read the assigned chapters in the text.
Attendance is mandatory. The Brooklyn College Bulletin states that "Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions of every class for which they register. Students late for class may be excluded from the room. An instructor may consider attendance and class participation in determining course grade." While I am unlikely to lock the door, I will take account of missed class time in computing grades. You should not, as a general note, ask me for "permission" to miss class. While I will try to be understanding of documented emergencies, the basic reality (which has more to do with your ability to learn when you aren't in class than anything else) is that absences make your grade grow smaller.