Intercultural Communication is an all-English global-access online course designed for college students, both Chinese and international ones, especially for students majoring in Foreign Languages, International Business and Trade, International Communication, International Relations, and TESOL.
Important goal of this course: to help learners develop intercultural awareness, cultural sensitivity and empathy in order that they better fit and thrive in a multicultural educational or professional setting, which is important in an age of globalized mobility and interconnection.
Major topics for this course: Globalization and Intercultural communication; Communication and Culture; Cultural Diversity; Culture and Verbal Communication; Culture and Nonverbal Communication; Time and Space Across Cultures; Cross-cultural Perceptions; Intercultural Business Communication; Intercultural Adaptation; Intercultural Competence.
Major teaching methods: intercultural case analysis, passage reading and open discussion, intercultural lens, intercultural movie analysis, learning culture through proverbs.
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO ICC
1.1 What is Intercultural Communication?
1.2 ICC as a Human Social Phenomenon
1.3 ICC: Major Forms and & Historical Development of the Study of ICC
UNIT 2： COMMUNICATION & CULTURE
2.1 Basics of Communication: The Notion, Needs and Process of Communication
2.2 What is Culture?
2.3 Culture Metaphors
2.4 Characteristics of Culture
UNIT 3: CULTURAL DIVERSITY
3.1 Comparing & Contrasting Cultures
3.2 Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck's Values Orientation Theory
3.3 Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory
3.4 Edward Hall’s High-context & Low-context Culture
3.5 Movie Appreciation & Analysis: The Wedding Banquet
UNIT 4： LANGUAGE & CULTURE
4.1 Features of language
4.2 Relationship between Language & Culture
4.3 Movie Appreciation & Analysis : The Treatment Guasha
UNIT 5: LANGUAGE-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
5.1 Cultural Difference in Connotative Meaning 1
5.2 Cultural Differences in Connotative Meaning 2
5.3 Movie Appreciation & Analysis: Pushing Hands
UNIT 6: CULTURE & NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION (NVC)
6.1 Relationship between Culture & NVC
6.2 Types of Nonverbal Language
6.3 Culture and Nonverbal Communication
UNIT 7: TIME & SPACE ACROSS CULTURES
7.1 Attitudes Toward Time & Space
7.2 Three Time Orientations
7.3 Mono-chronic & Poly-chronic Time
7.4 Time and Space Across Cultures
UNIT 8: CROSS-CULTURAL PERCEPTION
8.1 Stereotype
8.2 Prejudice
8.3 Ethnocentrism
8.4 Movie Appreciation & Analysis: The Outsourced
UNIT 9: INTERCULTURAL SHOCK-ADAPTATION
9.1 Culture Shock
9.2 Four Stages of Culture Shock
9.3 How to Fight Back Culture Shock
9.4 Movie Appreciation & Analysis: The Terminal
UNIT 10: INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
10.1 Definition & Components of Intercultural Competence
10.2 Basic Tools & Necessary Skills
10.3 General Revision
General Revision
FINAL TEST
