HCOM 320Intercultural Communication

Summer Session 12008

Instructor: Dr. S. Irene Matz Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 7:00-8:00 a.m.Wednesday 10:20-11:20 a.m.Or by appointment

Office: CP 420-26 Email: imatz@fullerton.eduMail: CP 420 Website: Phone: (714)278-4418 http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/imatz

Day Schedule No. Time Classroom_____

MTW 10445 8:00-10:20 a.m. CP 129

Course Description: Prerequisite: Human Comm 100. This course provides a critical survey of major theories and concepts related to intercultural communication. The course objectives are to understand the differences in cultures, perception of communication’s functionality, value orientations, nonverbal behavior, and language; and to learn how these differences can enhance our understanding and communication with other ethnicities.

Course Goals:

1. To help you understand how different cultural values can influence everyday communication.

2. To increase your self-awareness concerning cultural/ethnic group membership and personal identity issues.

3. To cultivate your mindful attitude and adaptive competencies in dealing with culture shock stressors.

4. To compare and contrast different culture-based verbal and nonverbal communication styles.

5. To reinforce your respect for diversity in communicating with various cultural situations and environments.

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Required Text:

Ting-Toomey, S. & Chung, L. (2005). Understanding intercultural communication. Los Angeles: Roxbury.

Other readings: To be announced.

Learning Outcomes:1. An understanding and sensitivity to intercultural communication.2. Become a better communicator with others from various ethnicities and

environments.3. Experience successful communication outcomes both professionally and personally.4. Through understanding others, promote a more peaceful, harmonious community.

Assignment & Assessment Percentage:Attendance & Participation 10%Reaction Paper I 10%Reaction Paper II 15%Final Project & Paper 20%Mid-Term Exam 20%Final Exam 25%

Grading: This course will utilize a plus/minus grading system as follows:

GRADING SYSTEMPLUS/MINUS GRADING

Definition of Grades andTheir Corresponding Grade

Points

A+ 4.0A 4.0 A- 3.7B+ 3.3B 3.0 B- 2.7C+ 2.3C 2.0C- 1.7D+ 1.3D 1.0D- .7F Failing

Attendance & Participation (10% of grade)

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0-2 = A3 = B

4 = C5 = D

Below = FCourse Policies

University regulations require that you are provided with a statement about plagiarism in the course syllabus.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as the act of taking the specific substance of another and offering it as one’s own without giving credit to the source. Sources must be cited accurately and appropriately. When sources are used, acknowledgment of the original author or source must be made following standard scholarly practice. Cases of plagiarism will constitute dismissal from the course with a failing grade.

Honesty: Academic honesty is a core value at Cal State Fullerton. It is cheating if you develop your answers from sources other than those permitted by your professor or represent the work of others as your own. A few specific examples are:

Using the notes of others for exams and papers Using the work of other students Handing in work that isn’t yours Taking a test for someone else Sharing your answers to examination questions or class

assignments with others

Attendance: Part of your grade will depend on your attendance. Please reference the attendance scale for your letter grade that will be factored into your final grade. Good attendance and promptness are professional behaviors that reflect a responsible employee who is valued. If you must miss a class, please email or phone the professor prior to the class meeting. Please be on time for classes; tardiness interrupts the entire class – use this opportunity to develop habits that lead to your success. A “F” on attendance will automatically earn you a failing grade for the course unless you previously have contacted the professor. Participation is rated on respect for other students and your professor in addition to your active interest and comments in the course content. Doing other work in our class; reading other materials; studying for exams; using your computer for work other than class note taking; texting are all examples of behaviors that are unacceptable.

Cell phones: Please make certain that all cell phones and other technical equipment are turned off during class meetings.

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Laptops: If you take notes on your computer, please see me for discussion. Checking for messages or other use is unacceptable. It disturbs those around you and also your professor.

Flexibility: Please allow for flexibility with our schedule due to class enrollment, class speakers, or other events.

Assignments: All assignments are accepted on or before the due date. Assignments should be “professional” quality and must be completed and handed in for a final grade. Please type all assignments.

Grading: Use this as a guide for your written assignments:

CLARITY – structural pattern clear, sentences and paragraphs well developed, transitions and report development.

CONCISENESS – strive for brevity, avoid redundancies, and include well-developed ideas.

COMPLETENESS – introduction, body, and conclusion with support and good development.

GRAMMAR – capitalization, punctuation, references, grammatical correctness, proofreading, professional appearance.

APA STYLEAPA STYLEPlease see the following website:Please see the following website:

http://www.library.fullerton.edu/default.aspxhttp://www.library.fullerton.edu/default.aspxgo to research area,go to research area,then “How Do I….”then “How Do I….”

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition.

COURSE SCHEDULE

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Week 1: Assignment Chapter

May 26 HOLIDAY – MEMORIAL DAYMay 27 Introduction to course; Ice breakersMay 28 Why Study Intercultural Communication? 1

Week 2:

June 2 Activity – Bafa BafaJune 3 What is Intercultural Communication? 2June 4 What Are the Essential Cultural Value Patterns? 3

Week 3:

June 9 Understanding Cultural & Ethnicity IdentitiesREACTION PAPER I DUE 4

June 10 What is Cultural Shock? 5June 11 Language & Culture; Verbal Styles 6

Week 4:

June 16 MID-TERM (Chapters 1,2,3,4,5,6)Major Differences in InterculturalVerbal Styles 7

June 17 Nonverbal Across Cultures 8June 18 Biases Against Outgroups 9

Week 5:

June 23 Managing Intercultural Conflict 10REACTION PAPER II DUE

June 24 Challenges I-I Relationships 11 GUEST SPEAKER: DR. STELLA TING-TOOMEY

June 25 Global Identify 12

Week 6:

June 30 Intercultural Communicators 13July 1 GENOGRAMS & PAPERS DUE

POTLUCK BRUNCH

July 2 FINAL EXAM (Chapters 7,8,9,10,11,12,13)

ASSIGNMENTS

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Reaction Paper I:

1. After participating in Bafa Bafa, select one concept from Chapter 1 and one concept from Chapter 2.2. Illustrate how these two concepts were part of your experience in the Bafa Bafa activity.3. Provide one personal insight for each concept that relates to your experience.Paper: At least two pages, double-spaced.Due: Monday, June 9 th at the beginning of class. Note: No late papers or submissions by email, please.

Grading: Grading will be based on the criteria outlined in the syllabus:Clarity, conciseness, completeness, and grammar (sentence structure, spelling and grammatical correctness). Be sure to proofread your paper.

Reaction Paper II:

1. Select one concept from Chapter 5 and one from Chapter 6.2. Illustrate how these two concepts are or have been relevant to our personal

experience.3. Provide one “insight” for each concept.Paper: At least two pages, double-spaced.Due: Monday, June 23 rd at the beginning of class. Note: No late paper or submissions by email, please.

Final Project/Paper:

The final project should be fun and interesting to you personally. Since the course is focused on ethnic differences, understanding various cultures, concepts, theories, I wanted you to have the experience of researching your own family. I will guide you through design and creation of a genogram, then you will design your family’s genogram. I believe in utility with your assignments and this gives you an opportunity to design a family document that hopefully will become a family treasure.

Requirements:1. Create a family genogram that includes names, dates, professions.

a. Poster size (make a copy for your paper, reduced size)b. This would make a nice insert in your holiday greeting card.

2. Need permission from instructor to create a genogram other than your own family.a. Must have a legitimate reason for doing this.b. If you create a genogram for another family, you must research family

members and use this research as you would interview information. 3. Interview as many family members as possible to gather their stories.

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4. Write a paper that includes your family history, origination, traditions, customs, rituals, verbal, nonverbal, values, conflict management, and any other concept that we studied in this course. Relate your findings to conceptual relevance to our course concepts and theories.

a. Double-spaced, 5-6 pages (body)b. Include a title page, table of contents, reference page, and appendix.c. Include at least two course concepts or theories, relate to your findings, and

discuss implications (reference research).d. Use APA style; remember, you must cite all research.e. Include at least five outside sources (journal, books, other).

Grading will be based on the criteria outlined in the syllabus:

Clarity, conciseness, completeness, and grammar (sentence structure, spelling and grammatical correctness). Be sure to proofread your paper.

Genogram posters hang on the walls surrounding the room. You will have an opportunity to share your family history with us. We will also have a “potluck” brunch where we will share ethnic foods. Please bring a name for your dish and if your family allows, copies of the recipe. You may also dress in the customary attire for your country. I will invite special guests to share this experience with us (college dean, Dr. Pullen; department chairs, Dr. Reinard, Dr. Fellow, Dr. Fink).

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Legend of Abbreviations (report feedback)

APOS Missing or improperly placed apostrophe

AGR Lack of agreement (verb tense or number)

AWK Awkward locution or phrasing of thought

CIT Citation missing

CS Comma splice

ELAB Need to elaborate or develop this point further

FRAG Fragment; not a compete sentence

FS Fused sentence

GEN Too general in expressing your ideas; be more specific

INT Integration of quotation is inadequate

NOT GRAM Not a grammatical sentence

Q Improper use of Quotation marks

QTL Quotation is too long; select only essential point(s)

REF Unclear reference (noun or pronoun)

SP Incorrect spelling

SS Should be single-spaced

TRANS Better transition needed

VAGUE Point is unclear

WC Word choice could have been more appropriate

WW Wrong word

√ Good point

¶ Need a new paragraph

¶ DEV Ideas in the paragraph need more development ¶ FOC Ideas in the paragraph are not focused or unified

⁄ ⁄ Faulty parallelism

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GRAMMARWRITING TIPS

NUMBERS

Brief Handbook Associated Press• use numerals for numbers that are • 10 or above, use the number, expressed as more than two words, e.g., 10, 11, 12 e.g., 1,568 • under 10, spell out,

3 1/2 e.g., one, two, three

• spell out numbers expressed as one or two words, e.g., twelve,seventy-seven, forty billion

Both sources agree: spell out numbers that begin sentences.

WRONG: 993 juniors entered college last year.

RIGHT: Last year, 993 junior entered college.

EXCEPTION: when referencing a year.e.g., 1990 was a very good year.

SPELL OUT CASUAL EXPRESSIONS:

e.g., A thousand times no.Thanks a million.He walked a quarter of a mile.

MIXTURES

Brief HandbookThey had twelve station wagons and 3 1/2 buses.Associated PressThey had a fleet of 10 station wagons and two buses.

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APOSTROPHE

Brief Handbook Associated Press1900s, 9's 1900s, 9suse apostrophe, no apostropheexcept dates

LETTERSa's a's

MULTIPLE LETTERSIOU'S IOUsVIP'S VIPs

TIME OF DAYA.M./P.M. a.m./p.m.

Webster shows both usages.

Avoid 10:00 p.m. tonight.Use 12:00 noon or midnight.

YOUR/YOU'REyour — adjectiveexample: your desk, your health

you'reconjunctive — you areexample: you're my friend, you're the best class

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PERSONAL/PERSONNELPersonal is an adjective meaning "of or pertaining to an individual person."

example: He left work early because of a personal problem.

Personnel is a noun meaning a "group of people engaged in a common job."

example: All personnel should pick up their paychecks on Thursday.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO USE PERSONNEL WHEN THE WORD YOU NEED IS PERSONS OR PEOPLE.

INDIVIDUAL/PERSONAvoid using individual as a NOUN if person is more appropriate.Change:Several individuals on the panel did not vote.TO:Several persons on the panel did not vote.OR:Several people on the panel did not vote.

Individual is most appropriate when used as an adjective to distinguish a single person from a group.example: The individual employee's obligation to the firm are detailed in the booklet that describes company policies.

WHOSE/OF WHICHWhose should normally be used with persons; of which should normally be used with inanimate objects.

examples: The man whose car had been towed away was angry.The mantle clock, the parts of which work perfectly, is over one hundred years old.

If these uses cause a sentence to sound awkward, however, whose may be used with inanimate objects.

example: there are added fields, for example, whose totals should never be zero.

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WHO'S/WHOSEWho's is a contraction of who is.example: Who's scheduled to attend the productivity seminar next month?

Whose is the possessive for who or of which.example: Whose department will be affected by the budget cuts?

Who's and whose are not interchangeable.

ITS/IT'Sits — ownership, possessive form of it, possessive pronoun, no apostrophe

it's — a contraction of it is; it has

example: It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas.

example: It's now twelve o'clock.

example: The surface of the table has lost its shine.Although nouns normally form the possessive by the addition of an apostrophe and an s, the contraction of it is (it's) has already used that device; therefore, the possessive form of the pronoun it is formed by adding only the s.

AMOUNT/NUMBERAmount is used with things thought of in bulk (mass nouns).

examples: The amount of electricity available for industrial use is limited.

The amount of oxygen was insufficient for combustion.

Number is used with things that can be counted as individual items (count nouns).

change:Because the amount of thefts has increased, the doors will be locked in the evening.to:Because the number of thefts has increased, the doors will be locked in the evening.

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change:I was surprised at the amount of errors in the report.to:I was surprised at the number of errors in the report.

example:A large number of stockholders attended the meeting.The number of employees who are qualified for early retirement has increased in recent years.

Avoid using amount when referring to countable items.

change:The amount of people in the room gradually increasedto:The number of people in the room gradually increased.

ADVICE/ADVISEAdvice is a noun that means "counsel" or "suggestion."example: My advice is to sign the contract immediately.

Advise is a verb that means "give advice."example: I advise you to sign the contract immediately.

ACCEPT/EXCEPTAccept is a verb meaning "to consent to," "agree to take," or "admit willingly."

example:I accept the responsibility that goes with the appointment.

Except is normally a preposition meaning "other than" or "excluding."example:We agreed on everything except the schedule.

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COMPLEMENT/COMPLIMENTComplement means "anything that completes a whole." It is used as either a noun or verb.example:A complement of four employees would bring our staff up to its normal strength. (noun)

The two programs complement one another perfectly. (verb)

Compliment means "praise." It is used as either a noun or a verb.

example:The manager complimented the staff on its efficient job. (verb)

The manager's compliment boosted staff morale. (noun)

A LOT/ALOTA lot is often incorrectly written as one word (alot).

Write the phrase as two words: a lot.The phrase a lot is very informal, however, and should not normally be used in business writing.change:They had a lot of objections.to:They had many objections.

HYPHENSHyphens are used to join descriptive words that precede a noun and are used as one-word descriptors. Hyphens are not always used when descriptors follow nouns.

A new car salesmanThe phrase means a new person who sells cars.

A new-car salespersonThis phrase means a person who sells new cars.

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His two base hits won the game.The phrase means two hits, but they could have been singles, doubles, triples or home runs.His two-base hits won the game.The phrase means doubles, but the number of such hits is not revealed.

Two-day seminars and two day seminarsThe first phrase means the seminar lasted two days; the second phrase means that there were two day seminars.

COMMAS

1. PREVENTS AMBIGUITYTo be successful, managers with MBAs must continue to learn. (The comma makes clear where the main part of the sentence begins.)

2. LINKING INDEPENDENT CLAUSESThe cable snapped, and the power failed.When you see an airport, fly directly over it at an altitude of 1,500 feet.

3. PARTICIPIAL PHRASE PHRASESThe lathe operator, working quickly and efficiently, finished early.While the angry crowd outside the embassy waited, the ambassador drank cocktails.

4. MODIFYING PHRASES PRECEDE THE MAIN CLAUSE, THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BE FOLLOWED BY A COMMA.During the first series of field-performance tests last year at our Colorado proving ground, the new motor failed to meet our expectations.

5. INTERJECTIONIndeed, I will be glad to send you further information.Yes, I will make sure your request is approved.

6. SEPARATING ITEMS IN A SERIESRandom House, Irwin, Doubleday and Dell are publishing companies.MAY OMIT THE LAST COMMA UNLESS IT IS CONFUSING.E.G., IS DOUBLEDAY AND DELL ONE OR SEPARATE.

7. ADJECTIVES MODIFYING A NOUNHe is a conscientious, honest, reliable worker.

8. CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS(however, nevertheless, consequently, for example, on the other hand) Your idea is good; however, your format is poor.

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9. QUOTATION MARKSAlthough he called his presentation “adequate,” the audience thought it was superb.Although we left late (at 7:30 p.m.), we arrived in time for the keynote address.

“I have finished the project,” he said.“Have you finished the project?” I asked. (omit the comma)

10. NUMBERS AND NAMESCommas are used to separate distinct items.e.g., Walter James, 4119 Mill Road, Dayton, Ohio 45401DateA date can be written with or without a comma following the year if the date is in the month-day-year format.e.g., October 28, 1997, was the date the project began.October 28, 1997 was the date the project began.

If the date is in the day-month-year format, do not set off the date with commas.e.g., The date was 28 October 1997 when the project began.

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