Intercultural Communication – COMS 624

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

Analysis of theories and research of communication between people from various generational, racial, ethnic, regional, and international cultures.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course provides an overview of both cross-cultural communication (the study of how communication practices vary among cultures) and intercultural communication (the study of variables and barriers affecting communication between individuals from different cultures).

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 400 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge, and include at least 3 citations in current APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words.

Intercultural Interaction Conversation Paper Assignment

The student will spend 1–2 hours with an individual from a culture other than his/her own. The student must investigate the culture and formulate questions to pose to the individual as part of his/her preparation for the actual meeting. The student will then submit a 3–4 page reflection paper in current APA format.

Discussion: Summary of Intercultural Interaction Conversation Paper

Students will post a 400-word synopsis of their Intercultural Interaction Conversation papers (but without any identifying names or locations mentioned) in the Discussion post so that other students can read and comment on those documents.

Students will reply to two students’ postings. These replies must be at least 200 words in length and should compare and contrast the replying student’s cultural interaction conversation paper to the one being read.

Book Project Assignment

The student will select to read and analyze a book (from the recommended resources list) that depicts intercultural communication and/or cross-cultural variability in communication. The resulting essay must be 1,500 words and must include at least 8 references comprised from the course readings, the Bible, and pertinent outside sources. The assignment must adhere to current APA format.

Students will post their book project and will interact with at least one other student's project. These replies must be at least 200 words in length and should compare and contrast the replying student’s book project to the one read by the student.

Quiz: Final

The Quiz: Final will be comprised of multiple-choice and true/false questions covering the textbook and the three assigned articles for this course. The quiz will be open-book/open-notes and will contain 50 multiple-choice and true/false questions. There will be a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the examination.