Activities and Readings 499/599 – Summer 2007

 

1.  Introduction.  In the first class I will overview the units, activities and assignments for this course.  The articles below do not correspond with any lecture or specific course topic but provide a general overview to the subject of intercultural communication.   You will find these ideas helpful throughout the class and will see some of them on the final exam.  Bryson’s list identifies common words that are used differently in American and British English and will help you bridge the gap created by our “common” language

 

Argyle, Michael.  (1982).  Intercultural communication.  In Stephen Bochner (Ed.), Cultures in Contact.  (pp. 32-45).  Oxford: Pergamon Press. 

 

Gudykunst, W.  (1994).  Understanding group differences.  In Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication, 2nd Ed. (pp. 35-72).  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 

Bryson, Bill.  Glossary.  In Notes from a Small Island (pp. 319-324).  New York: Avon Books.

 

Additional Readings for Graduate Students

Gudykunst, W. B., & Lee, C. M.  (2001). Cross-cultural communication theories.  In W. B. Gudykunst & B. Moody (Eds.), Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication, 2nd ed. (pp. 25-50)  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 

 

2.  English and its Varieties.  It is more accident than intent that the first substantive topic of this course focuses on our language.  None-the-less, we’ll appropriately start our course by examining the varieties of English spoken in Great Britain.  Please examine the following website closely for an introduction: http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/index.html.  Please follow the links provided by the major tabs across the top of this page as well as the sub-tabs on each of the linked pages.   Also, link and listen to the sound files.  You should spend 30-60 minutes perusing this site.

 

2A.  Shakespeare’s Influence on the English Language.   On the second day of class we will take a day trip to Oxford and Stratford.  We will see the play Macbeth performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, whose home is in Stratford.  The essay bellow describes how Shakespeare shaped the English language, even as we use it today.

 

McCrum, R., Cran, W., & MacNeil, R. (1986).  The Story of English (pp. 90-106).  New York: Elisabeth Sifton Books. 

 

2B.   Public Communication.  On this morning we will walk to Parliament and observe a session of the House of Commons. No only will we hear different varieties of English spoken in this public forum, but we will also observe different political rituals that form the bases of this country’s system of democracy. 

Some Traditions and Customs of the House of Commons  (December 2004). London: House of Commons Information Office.

 

Parliamentary Questions  (March 2007).  London: House of Commons.

 

2C. Dialects in Great Britain.  In the afternoon we will visit the British Library to see some of the most important written artifacts in existence, and to examine their archive of English dialects.  A representative of the library will first provide a general orientation to this amazing institution and then a specialist will introduce us to their sound archives and discuss the meaning and interpretation of variations in spoken English. 

 

 

3. Social Interaction in Public Spaces.  Dr. Keith Cowlard, a geographer, will lead us on a walking tour to examine parks and public spaces around the City of London.  The session introduces students to the history of London and illustrates factors that promote or discourage social interaction in public.

 

W. Whyte, The Life of Small Urban Spaces (pp. 16-23).  Conservancy Foundation: Washington, DC.

 

 

4.  Language, Dialect  & Multilingualism in London.  Dr. Anjoon Mukadam of the University of London’s  School of Oriental and African Studies  will overview issues of language and identity, with a particular emphasis on East Asians and London.   In the afternoon she and her colleague, Dr. Sharmina Mawani, will lead us on a field trip to observe language use in an Indian  neighborhood of London. 

 

Giles, H., & Noels, K. A. (1998).  Communication accommodation in intercultural encounters.   In J. N. Martin, T. K. Nakayama, & L. A. Flores (Eds.), Readings in cultural contexts (pp. 139-149).  Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

 

Folder of readings provided by Dr. Mukadam.  Everyone should read the 5 short newspaper stories.  Graduate students read the two additional articles in the folder about language and identity.

 

Additional Reading for Graduate Students

Sachdev, I., & Bourhis, R. Y. (2001).  Multilingual communication.  In W. P. Robinson & H. Giles (Eds.), The New Handbook of Language and Social Psychology.  (pp. 407-428).  Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.

 

Abrams, J., O’Connor, J., & Giles, H. (2001).  Identity and intergroup communication.  In W. B. Gudykunst & B. Moody (Eds.), Handbook of Intercultural and International Communication, 2nd ed. (pp. 225-239).  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 

 

5.  Humor.  Ms. Wendy Lawson, M.A. Cambridge University, will discuss the functions of humor in everyday life.  After a classroom session, we will attend an improve performance at the Comedy Store.  The following morning we will take a field trip to a street market to observe the use of humor by street vendors and their customers.

 

Foot, H., & McCreaddie, M.  (2006).  Humor and laughter.  In O. Hargie (Ed.), Handbook of Communication Skills, 3rd Ed. (pp. 393-322). New York: Routledge.

 

Additional Readings for Graduate Students

Lefcourt, H. M.  (2001). The pervasiveness of humor.  In Humor: The psychology of living buoyantly  (41-53).  New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum. 

 

 

6.  Language and Identity in Scotland.  We will join several other classes for a 4-day trip to Scotland.  In Edinburgh, we will engage in several activities arranged by the English Speakers Union, an international charity for the promotion of the English language (http://www.esu.org/what/index.asp), including a reception at their headquarters.  In addition to learning something about the culture and politics of Scotland, students will have some time for sightseeing and for working on class assignments.

 

6A.  Cultural identity and intergroup conflict: Combating sectarianism.  We will travel to Glasgow to visit the “Nil by Mouth” organization whose goal is reduce religious bigotry.  Please examine their website:  http://www.nilbymouth.org/.  Relations between Catholics and Protestants have been a significant problem for many years and we will hear what this organization does to promote understanding and acceptance by these groups. 

 

Foer, F. (2004).  How soccer explains the pornography of sects.  In How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization (pp. 35-64).  New York: Harper. 

 

7.  Communication in Ancient Civilizations.  The British Museum's Egyptian and Mesopotamian sections contain a wealth of artifacts related to the development of written communication.  Dr. Paul Collins, a British Museum specialist on Mesopotamia, will lead a gallery tour that focuses on the functions and uses of writing in ancient cultures. 

 

Forsdale, L. (1981).  A history of communication.  In Perspectives on Communication (pp. 43‑58). Reading, MA: Addison‑Wesley.

 

8.  Biology and Culture.    The class will travel to Cambridge to meet with Dr. Robert Hinde, Professor Emeritus of Ethology from St. John’s College, Cambridge.  Dr. Hinde is a biologist who applies the principles of this field to the understanding of human social behavior, including issues or morality, religion, and personal relationships.  Dr. Hinde will talk to us about his forthcoming book, Bending the Rules: Morality in the Modern World ---from Relationships to Politics and War.   I hope to provide a reading for this topic prior to the event.

 

9A.   Supplemental Readings, General. These articles provide additional ideas and insights that I think you will find useful   9A and 9B will be helpful if these topics are chosen for your final paper.  See course syllabus for details.

 

Smith, S. L. (1998).  Identity and intercultural communication competence in reentry.  In J. N. Martin, T. K. Nakayama, & L. A. Flores (Eds.), Readings in Cultural Contexts (pp. 304-314).  Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

 

Additional Readings for Graduate Students

 

Kim, Y. Y. (2001).  Adapting to an unfamiliar culture: An interdisciplinary overview.  In W. B. Gudykunst & B. Moody (Eds.), Handbook of Intercultural and International Communication, 2nd ed. (pp. 259-273).  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 

 

9B.  Supplemental Readings, Touch

 

Field, T. (1999).  American adolescents touch each other less and are more aggressive toward their peers as compared with French adolescents.  Adolescence, 34, 753-758.

 

McDaniel, E., & Andersen, P.A.  (1998). Interactional patterns of interpersonal tactile communication: A field study.  Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 22, 59-75.

 

Remland, M. S., Jones, T. S., Brinkman, H. (1995). Interpersonal distance, body orientation, and touch: Effects of culture, gender, and age.  Journal of Social Psychology, 135, 281-297.

 

Remland, M. S. (1991).  Proxemic and haptic behavior in three European countries.  Journal of Nonvrebal Behavior, 15, 215-232.

 

Hall, J. A., & Veccia, E. M. (1990).  More “touching” observations: New insights on men, women, and interpersonal touch.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1155-1162.

 

Guerrero, L. K., & Andersen, P. A. (1994).  The waxing and waning of relational intimacy: Touch as a function of relational stage, gender and touch avoidance.  Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8, 147-163.

 

 

9C.  Supplemental Readings, Smiling

 

LaFrance, M., Hecht, M. A., Paluck, E. L.  (2003).  The contingent smile: A meta-analysis of sex differences in smiling.   Psychological Bulletin,  129,. 305-334.

 

Parkinson, B. (2005).  Do facial movements express emotions or communicate motives?   Personality and Social Psychology Review,  9,. 278-311

 

Ruiz-Belda, M.-A., Fernandez-Dols, J.-M., & Carrera, P. (2003). Spontaneous facial expressions of happy bowlers and soccer fans. Cognition & Emotion, 17, 315-326.

 

Matsumoto, D., Willingham, B.  (2006).  The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat: spontaneous expressions of medal winners of the 2004 Athens Olympic games.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 568-581.

 

Grandey, A. A., Fisk, G. M., & Steiner, D. D.; (2005). Must 'service with a smile' be stressful? The moderating role of personal control for American and French employees, 90,  893-904.