Intercultural Communication 2600-IBP-IC
1. Introduction to intercultural communication & the meaning
of culture
a. Introduction to the course, assessment methods and grading system
b. Global facts on culture
c. FoM Mission
d. What is intercultural communication?
e. Culture – definition and elements
f. Sources of culture
g. “Culture” and “culture”
h. Iceberg of culture
i. Values, beliefs, and behaviors
2. Intercultural communication
a. Assumption of similarities (world example, perception)
b. Tendency to evaluate
c. Stereotypes and prejudices
d. The role of diplomacy in IC
3. Intercultural communication misunderstandings
a. Case studies
4. Language differences (verbal and nonverbal)
a. Verbal and nonverbal communication
b. Cross-Cultural Communication Styles
c. Gendered Language Style Across Cultures
d. Language and Ethnic Identity
e. Edward T. Hall’s model of nonverbal communication (context, space, time)
f. Definitions of Nonverbal Communication
g. Relationship between Verbal and Nonverbal Codes
h. Channels of Nonverbal Communication
5. The cultural context, culture as the “software of mind” (by G. Hofstede & three layers of culture (by F. Trompenaars)
a. Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Values
b. Kluckhohn and Strodbeck’s Value Orientations
c. Cultural theories - G. Hofstede & F. Trompenaars
6. The environmental context
a. Environments and Information Load
b. Culture and the Natural Environment (Worldviews of the Natural Environment; Natural Disasters as Cultural and Social Events)
c. Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Housing
d. Cross-Cultural Variations of Privacy
7. Organizational culture & IC in business environment
a. Edward Schein’s Three Levels of Organizational Culture
b. Intercultural Management
c. Management Practices Across Cultures
d. Savoir-vivre
8. Intercultural communication in the context of celebration and traditions
a. Religious traditions
b. Birthday celebrations
c. Culture-specific traditions
9. Culture shock
a. Symptoms and stages
b. Own culture shock stories
10. Student video presentations
a. Video project presentations
b. Short commentary on each video in the intercultural context (based on essay)
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, each Student should have had developed intercultural communication competence. That is, inter alia, the ability to:
- communicate in various and unfamiliar cultural settings;
- describe what culture means and what defines it;
- recognize the influence of culture on communication;
- identify reasons for behaviors based on cultural differences;
- understand how culture influences human self-perception;
- list many different cultural traditions and their meaning;
- recognize the differences between verbal and nonverbal communication;
- grasp the concept of organizational culture and its elements;
- indicate and make use of differences in running
business in different cultures;
- take into account multiple interests and worldviews in
the decision making process.
Assessment criteria
Final grade breakdown:
1. Class activities and active participation (25%)
2. Short tests and/or case studies during class sessions (25%)
3. Final group project (50%): preparation of a video material (duration of max. 3 minutes) about cultural differences and misunderstandings, accompanied with an essay on thereof (with references) – max. 1000 words.
Students are allowed to have one absence during the entire semester.
Final grade scale:
2.0: 0-49%
3.0: 50%-59%
3.5: 60%-69%
4.0: 70%-79%
4.5: 80%-89%
5.0: 90%-100%
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: