INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Maria Thacker, Instructor
(mthacker@ringling.edu)
This course is a critical survey of major theories and concepts of intercultural
communication. It emphasizes the application of theoretical information using case
studies to illustrate the diversity of communication between persons of different
cultures.
Course Objectives
1. To help you understand how different cultural values can influence everyday
communication,
2. To increase your self-awareness and other-awareness concerning cultural/ethnic
group membership and personal identity issues,
3. To compare and contrast different culture based verbal and nonverbal
communication styles,
4. To identify challenges and perceptual biases both domestically and internationally
in intercultural relationship development,
5. To cultivate your mindful attitude and adaptive competencies in dealing with
culture shock stressors,
6. To assist you in additional exploration of a particular area of interest in
intercultural communication,
Learning Outcomes
Communication Skills: To demonstrate effective communication skills across
cultural boundaries, both domestically and internationally, using visual, written, and
spoken techniques.
Global Perspectives: To master an understanding and respect for the worldviews
of other cultures.
Social Responsibility: To recognize the social power and ethical responsibility of
creating art and design that is cross-culturally honest and free of ethnocentric bias.
Attendance Policy
Attendance in this class is very important. If you must miss a class for any
reason, in order to receive credit, assignments due for that day must be in my Faculty
Mail Box or delivered to me before class begins. Attendance will be taken by sign-in
during the first ten minutes of the class. If you would prefer to attend another section of
the class, please notify me. The following is the attendance policy related to grading.
Perfect Attendance – 5 points added to your final grade
One absence – no effect on your final grade
Two absences – will drop your grade by a letter but may be made up by special
assignments. These assignments usually mean effort equivalent to three hours.
Please see me upon your return to class.
Three absences – automatic D unless a written excused slip is presented from the
Dean of Students Office.
Absences beyond this – automatic failure
Special Note:
During the semester we will discuss and view materials that might be considered
by some to be controversial, adult, or otherwise “politically incorrect”. Culture and ideas
perceived as containing such content are presented for their educational value, not for
reasons for exploitation or confrontation.
The Ringling College of Art and Design makes reasonable accommodations for
qualified persons with documented disabilities. If you have a learning disability, a
chronic illness, or a physical or psychiatric disability that may have some impact on your
work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please notify the
Director of the Academic Resource Center (Student Center, 2nd FL), preferably before
the end of the drop/add period, so that such accommodations may be arranged.
If you are not a documented student with disabilities but find that it occasionally
takes an excessive amount of time to understand the readings or write the required
assignments, please exercise personal responsibility and seek help from the Academic
Resource Center or The Writing Lab; these two resources are here to help you succeed.
If at any time during the semester you have a problem with this class and would
like to meet with me please contact me directly. Together we will try to find a mutually
acceptable solution to the issues you bring up. I will be happy to talk with you before or
after class but not during class. Please remember that I will not discuss your individual
situation in the presence of other students. You may e-mail me (mthacker@ringling.edu)
to set up another time/place to meet if that is more convenient.
Grading Policy:
Grade Standard for Final Grades
Ringling College of Art and Design
A Superior Performance
B+
B Above Average
BC+
C Average
CD+
D Below Average
D - Lowest passing grade
F = Failing
Incompletes and pass/fail –See instructor
Requirements and percentage of grades:
Paper I
Paper II/Presentation
Mid -Term Exam I
Exam II
Class preparation/participation
20%
30%
20%
10%
20%
This course will be taught in a lecture-reading-experiential-discussion format. You will
be expected to arrive in class fully prepared and to participate actively in all classroom
discussions and activities.
Required Textbook
Ting-Tooney, S., & Chung, L. (2005). Understanding intercultural communication. Los
Angles, CA: Roxbury Press.
Weekly Schedule
Week 1
Introduction of the course
Review of objectives, expectations, and responsibilities
Why study intercultural communications: Six imperatives
Movie segment: Children of Heaven
After class: Complete biographical sketch
Week 2
What is intercultural communication?
Culture: A learned meaning system
Communication: A negotiated meaning process
Comparison of domestic diversity with international interculturalism
Simulation exercise: Barnga
Week 3
Essential cultural value patterns
Hofstede’s value patterns
Tompenaurs and Hampton -Turner’s variation on value patterns
Self - awareness
Case studies
Movie segment: My Big Fat Wedding
Week 4
Essential cultural value patterns (continued)
Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s value orientation questions
Hall’s proxemics work
Markus and Kitayama’s personal identity values
Self - awareness process: Personal value inventory with debriefing
Case studies
Week 5
Intercultural verbal styles
What is language and its function?
Compare and contrast cross-cultural verbal styles
DVD Segments : Understanding Conversational Styles Around the Globe
Tannen’s male and female conversational rituals in DVD clips
Practice linguistic sensitivity/empathy across cultures
Week 6
Intercultural nonverbal styles
What is nonverbal communication and its differing functions?
Identify body and boundary codes
Explore gesture patterns
DVD clips: Interpreting Non Verbal Communication
Practice decoding mindfully
Participate in Kinesics Role Plays
Week 7
Our communication filters
Principles of human perception
Ingroup/outgroup boundaries
Prejudice, discrimination, and racism
Michael Bennett’s work on Ethnocentrism to Ethnorelativism
Show short clips: Them and Us and Walls
Week 8
Toward a synthesis of communication
Identifying a personal style of communication
Identifying the American style of Communication
How do others “see” us?
Flexibility and competence in communications
Week 9
Comparative analysis of cultural values/norms
Paper I due on the comparative analysis of one other culture
and your own culture
Mid-term Exam I
Week 10
Entry strategies for intercultural living
I-D-O-S Model
Practicing mindful interactions
Case studies using decoding and reconstruction techniques
Week 11
Understanding culture shock
Underlying factors
Intercultural adjustment patterns
Reentry Cultural shock
Reality Check – Could this be you?
Storti’s culture shock experiential exercises
Week 12
Special projects in applied intercultural communication
Detailed instructions, conference with the professor, and bibliography will
be available for each topic. Choose one topic below.
1.Intercultural Intimate Relationships
Cultural/Ethnic membership values
Expectations of love
Autonomy /Connection Issues
Communication Decoding Issues
Encountering Racism/Prejudice
2. Intercultural comparison of the practices and attitudes of work.
Historical evolution of work/leisure
Cultural value patterns of two cultures
Culture bound rules of business etiquette
Power in intercultural business encounters
3. Specific area of interest related to Major.
Specify the interconnectedness of major area and IC
Identify research questions
Develop hypothesis
Create and test one case study among fellow majors
Must be pre approved by the instructor
Week 13
Managing intercultural conflict
Cultural based conflict lenses
Culture bound conflict styles
Negotiation skills / competencies
Developing scenarios
Week 14
Becoming an ethical intercultural communicator
Compare different ethical perspectives
Meta-ethics key concepts
Revisiting ethnorelativism
ECOTONOS simulation
Week 15
Presentation of special interest topics
Paper II - Special interest papers due
Special interest presentation Due
Topic teams give class presentations and instructional case studies
Week 16
Becoming a dynamic global image maker
Personal/cultural literacy
Social/business literacy
Articulation of your competencies as an intercultural communicator
Areas of strength/weakness
Exam II
Paper 1: Cultural/Ethnic Values and Communication Norms: A Comparative
Analysis
This assignment asks you to explore the effect that the cultural values of your own
cultural/ethnic group and the communication norms of a selected other cultural/ethnic
group have on potentially conflicted encounters. For the paper, you are to select another
culture (it can be one that you have already visited, are intending to visit, or are just
curious about) and research the cultural and communication norms and patterns that are
dominant. You will also need to assess your own cultural/ethnic values and
communication patterns and determine the degree to which you are “typical” or
“atypical” of your cultural group.
After you have completed both of the above, you are ready to write your paper. The paper
should identify and describe the most significant cultural value dimensions and
communication norms that you believe would influence your intercultural communication
with members of the culture or cultural group you have selected. Your explanation and
analysis should suggest how cultural values and communication norms might lead to
intercultural misunderstandings and how they might be managed competently or flexibly.
The paper is not simply a description of the cultural values and communication norms of
another culture. Rather, it should focus on the comparative analysis and the intercultural
implications of the two cultural groups. You should draw on all the theoretical and
practical materials presented in class and in the assigned readings to date.
An outline of your paper should look like this:
I. Two cultural profiles - Describe the two cultures selected and explain your selection
interest
II. Cultural values analysis - Own culture vs. the comparative culture plus relevant
examples
III. Important verbal and nonverbal communication norms/patterns of the two cultures
IV. Intercultural communication implications -From misunderstandings to understandings
V. References - Cite sources using a minimum of four / five credible sources. The open
reserve in the library will be an excellent place to begin to access information. Ms. Sarah
Carter, the research librarian, will be available for individual conferences.
Grading Criteria:
Well-organized paper format
Breadth and depth of research plus clear explanation
Connection between IC theory and application
Informative analysis and new insights gained
Persuasive and cogent writing style
Paper II/ Presentation: Special projects in applied intercultural communication
This assignment is designed to give you an opportunity to delve deeper into an area of
particular concern in the study of intercultural communication. After choosing a topic,
you will meet with the instructor who will help you design a plan of inquiry. Each topic
will be supplied with a short bibliography that will have significant resources to get you
started.
The topics with suggested areas of discovery are listed below. Choose one.
1.Intercultural intimate relationships
Cultural/ethnic membership values
Expectations of love
Autonomy /connection Issues
Communication decoding issues
Encountering racism/prejudice
2. Intercultural comparison of the practices and attitudes of work
Historical evolution of work/leisure
Cultural value patterns of two cultures
Culture bound rules of business etiquette
Power in intercultural business encounters
3. Specific area of interest related to your major
Specify the interconnectedness of major area and IC
Identify research questions
Develop hypothesis
Create and test one case study among fellow majors
Must be approved by the instructor
The next step is to describe your research in a five/six page paper. It should be reflective
of diligent research, follow RCAD writing standards, and be integrated with
intercultural theoretical principles learned during the semester.
The last step is a five to seven minute class presentation on your selected topic. This
may be done individually or with a small group depending of the selection of topics.
The goal is to deliver information and enthusiasm about the topic which your classmates
may use to foster their understanding/awareness/competency of intercultural
communication. Included in your presentation should be an original case study to be
deconstructed or a short training activity. Either way, your presentation should have an
interactive component.
Grading Criteria for the Paper:
Well-organized format
Breadth and depth of research plus clear explanation
Connection between IC theory and application
Informative analysis and new insights gained
Persuasive and cogent writing style
Grading Criteria for the Presentation :
Well-organized format
Articulate delivery style
Clearly understood visual aids
If working with a group, your collaborative ability. (You will be evaluated by
your teammates on how well you contributed to the overall team effort.)
The effectiveness of your original interactive case study or training module.
Each presentation will be peer critiqued.
Your Instructor: Maria Martin Thacker
is an applied cultural anthropologist specializing in global and domestic workplace
diversity issues. Her M.A from The University of Virginia at Charlottesville was based
on participant-observation field research in The Sudan in 1981 and was focused on the
emergence of an indigenous Christian church in the midst of conflict.
Ms. Thacker has a Master's in Multicultural Education from Antioch-Putney Graduate
School of Education. She has taught in an Islamic boys’ secondary school in Sierra
Leone, an inner city school in Washington, DC, a university in Tokyo, two high schools
in Bermuda, and colleges and universities in Virginia, West Virginia, and New York.
Over the last twenty years she has been an intercultural consultant and trainer for
multinational corporations and not-for-profit institutions specializing in issues of cultural
adjustment , multi-cultural team building and diversity in the workplace. She was the
founder and first director of Cultural Connections/Bermuda, an intercultural training
company concentrating on race relations.
She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, led Habitat for Humanity Builds
in India and Mongolia, and traveled extensively for business as well as pleasure on the
continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
She is an active member of SIETAR (Society of Intercultural Education, Training, and
Research) having presented at numerous international seminars. In Sarasota she is on the
Coalition for Inclusion and Diversity Task Force of SCOPE, a community development
organization.