Appendix 1: Module materials

Issues in Intercultural Communication

Level 1: FEL 103/104

Module Leader: Donna Humphrey

Introduction to the module

The real voyage of discovery is not in seeing new lands but in seeing with new eyes.
(Marcel Proust)

The module targets non-native English language speakers who use English as a second, foreign or international language. It examines current theories on verbal and non-verbal communication across cultural boundaries and the impact this has on effective intercultural communication. The module explores how speakers of English can be involved in developing the awareness, knowledge, skills and strategies for effective intercultural communication.

The course will involve lectures, seminars based on guided reading, case studies, simulations, personal diaries/journals, critical dialogue, peer tutoring, practical research assignments, language study and student-led presentations

In this module you will:

· explore the key concepts of culture, communication, and intercultural communication and discuses the inter-relationship between them;

· explore other concepts including enculturation, cultural relativity, ethnocentrism, stereotyping, culture shock, culture learning, culture awareness, insiders and outsider perceptions, ethnography;

· explore culture-general & culture specific descriptions;

· explore self-identity, the psychology of intercultural interaction, facework, cultural identity, group dynamics and interpersonal communication across cultures;

· explore the theories and practice of critical ethnography and its application to specific contexts;

· evaluate current intercultural communication theory in the light of the your own lived experience.

The course will engage you in developing greater self-awareness and self-reflectiveness. It may test your ability to be flexible, open, tolerant and accepting. It is important, therefore, that the classroom climate encourages self-discovery and provides a supportive atmosphere. You have the following rights at all times:

· You have the right to a personal level of disclosure. You can say as little or as much as you wish about yourself.

· There is no right or wrong, no level of success or failure and therefore no level of embarrassment. All answers are valid for each individual but can not be prescribed for a group.

· There should be no risk to your cultural identify. Pride in one's own identity is essential, as long as this pride does not exclude or deny others their differences.

· Self-awareness is a wonderful gift albeit a sometimes painful one.

The purpose of intercultural education is not to overwhelm you. The purpose is to motivate and heighten your enthusiasm for the intercultural adventures ahead.

Areas of Study

Phase 1. This involves a reflection about one's own values, attitudes and cultural identity. These reflections are combined with a positive and confident attitude towards one's self-image and identity. These reflections lead to an awareness that what you may take as obvious is not universally true for others.

Phase 2. This involves moving from the personal study of cultural identity towards a study of interpersonal communication across cultures; you are taught to examine, challenge or verify intercultural communication theory as part of your experience.

Phase 3. This involves the teaching of specific research tools and techniques in order to facilitate the process of discovery, to explore the unknown, and discover patterns of thinking. This is coupled with the development of strategies and skills such as active listening skills, ethnographic research methods to support the learning experience.

These phases are recycled throughout the programme. With each new cycle you are given new challenges. Each new challenge builds on what has been taught previously and prepares you for the next learning phase.

Topics Covered

· Unit 1 Cultural identity

· Unit 2 Culture, communication and intercultural communication

· Unit 3 Communication and the communication process

· Unit 4 The effective intercultural communicator

· Unit 5 Values, beliefs and assumptions

· Unit 6 Ethnography

· Unit 7 Language and communication

· Unit 8 The way forward

The following texts are sample extracts from teaching material demonstrating the four approaches in action

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 680