Description

Students will explore the nature and importance of cultural differences in processes of communication. They will come to understand how culture is reflected in and created by social interaction. Through readings, lectures, and field observations, students in this course will: 1) learn to observe and describe language variations and communication practices occurring in London and Great Britain; 2) enhance their confidence in their ability to engage in intercultural communication; and, 3) demonstrate the ability to study intercultural communication at a level appropriate to their educational background.

The attached course schedule and reading list describe class topics, activities and reading assignments. Though this can change unexpectedly, I will follow this plan as closely as possible. I encourage everyone to read all of the articles before departing the U.S. and expect that all articles be read and/or reviewed before the class period for which they are assigned.

Evaluation

Journal (30%). Students must write an account (250 words) of the speaker/activity/reading that corresponds to the 5 major units of this class. These reports should identify and explain one or two of the central ideas related to the unit and then describe personal observations and/or assessments related to the idea. Each entry in the journal should refer to specific events experienced in Great Britain. I strongly recommend that you plan to allocate a period of time each day for preparing these accounts. On a weekly basis students will submit one written report and may be asked to make an oral presentation of it in class. One of these could become the basis of your final paper.

Exam (20%). A final exam will be given on Saturday, August 4. It will cover readings, lectures, assignments, and activities.

Major Paper (50%). Requirements for this assignment depend on the degree program (undergraduate or masters) the student is enrolled in. See details below. This assignment is due September 7, approximately 5 weeks following your return. You may e-mail your paper in .doc format as an attachment. For undergraduates it should be about 10 typed pages; 10-15 pages for masters students. The paper should be well organized, written grammatically, vividly illustrated with examples, and appropriately documented. Use quotation marks to indicate when you are using the words of another author. Plagiarism can result in a failing grade.

Attendance. Students are required to attend all class meetings. Failure to be present for lectures or other class events will result in a lowered final grade, possibly to an F.

Graduate Student Assignments

Students taking this course for graduate credit have additional reading assignments, clearly indicated on the attached list; will complete additional questions on the final exam; and, will meet periodically with me to plan and conduct an observational study of touching behavior.

Research Paper

Everyone is required to write a research paper appropriate to their educational background. Below are outlined several options. Alternate 1 is appropriate for any undergraduate, and may not be selected by graduate students. Alternate 2 is intended for graduate students but may be selected by undergraduates. Though group work is required to acquire the data for alternates 2 and 3, all students will write and submit their work individually.

Undergraduate Alternative 1: Cross-cultural Comparisons. The goal of your paper is to illustrate and analyze cultural differences in communication processes. You should identify the cultures or subcultures you are comparing, describe the differences you have observed, and discuss the causes, consequences, and/or implications of these differences. Ideas for contexts or communication facets to study should be taken from class lectures and readings. For example, in past classes students have written about social interaction in public parks, the use of compliments, and markers of “ingroup” membership.

Students are not required to utilize additional readings and library research for this assignment. If you would find this helpful, you may include relevant research.

The primary “data” for your paper should be examples and illustrations that come from personal observation of people, places, and events in and around London. Every day you should note examples of language, interaction, and nonverbal behavior that exhibit evidence of culture's impact on communication processes. More sustained efforts at observation can be performed on “free” days. These notes should be used as evidence for the research paper. Ideally you will select your research topic early during the course and then systematically search for examples and illustrations.

I have copies of papers that students have submitted in prior classes that you may examine.

Alternative 2: Cross-cultural Study of Touch. Students must systematically observe touch between dyads in multiple cultural contexts in order to answer a specified research question or hypothesis, e.g. “are American men more likely to initiate touch in male/female dyads than British men?”

In order to carry out this task, students should read the articles in the folder on touch. Additional background reading is permitted but not required. This alternative assumes some understanding of research methods, hence is appropriate for graduate students or advanced undergraduates. Following discussions with me in London, students will meet in groups to plan and implement an observational study to be conducted while abroad. Upon returning, each person will individually write a final paper that follows a traditional research format, i.e. with introduction/literature review, method, results, and discussion sections.

Alternate 3: Cross-cultural Study of Smiling. Students must systematically observe smiles by people in multiple cultural contexts in order to answer a specified research question or hypothesis, e.g. “Americans smile more frequently than British when being introduced to a stranger.”

In order to carry out this task, students should read the articles in the folder on smiling. Additional background reading is permitted but not required. This alternative assumes some understanding of research methods, hence is appropriate for graduate students or advanced undergraduates. Following discussions with me in London, students will meet in groups to plan and implement an observational study to be conducted while abroad. Upon returning, each person will individually write a final paper that follows a traditional research format, i.e. with introduction/literature review, method, results, and discussion sections.

Research Presentation. The British Studies Program will hold an evening of research presentations in the evening on Thursday, August 2^nd. Students must be prepared to give a brief synopsis of their research project describing what will be studied, and how the research has been or will be undertaken.

2007 Schedule

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July

Fri 6 Depart USA

sat 7 Arrive London ; first class meeting – intro to area session (time and place posted at residence hall)

sun 8 P rogram orientation -- 3:00 pm

mon 9 Class Introduction and Orientation; pm London Alive

tue 10 7:00 am: Fieldtrip to Oxford & Stratford (Varieties of English, 2A); pm, attend Royal Shakespeare Co. production of Macbeth; late return

wed 11 am: free; pm London Alive

thu 12 8:45 am: Field trip to House of Commons (VE, 2B); pm Field trip to British Library (VE, 2C); (return 4:30-5:30); evening social event at Stamford Arms

fri 13 9:15 am: Walking tour of City of London led by Dr. Cowlard (Social Interaction in Public Spaces); return 2-3

sat 14 Free (Optional trip to Canterbury/Dover)

sun 15 Free ( Optional trip to Salisbury/Stonehenge)

mon 16 Free

tue 17 9:15 am: Lecture by Dr. Mukadam at UCL ( Multilingualism in London ); pm field trip to Ealing Road with Dr. Mawani (return 4-5)

wed 18 am free; 3:00 pm: lecture by Ms. Lawson in our classroom (Humor); (optional dinner with Ms. Lawson); leave for Comedy Store @ 7:00; return 10-11pm

thu 19 humor field observations with Ms. Lawson (return 12-1); pm: student conferences

fri 20 Free

sat 21 Free

sun 22 Depart London for Edinburgh

mon 23 Edinburgh ( Language and Identity in Scotland ) ; reception at the English-Speaking Union

tue 24 Fieldtrip to Glasgow ; visit “Nil by Mouth” organization (Intergroup Conflict); possible nighttime event with late return

wed 25 Fieldtrip to legal courts in Edinburgh ; finish by 2:00 pm

thu 26 Free

fri 27 Free

sat 28 Free

sun 29 Free

mon 30 Free

tue 31 am free; 1:00 leave for gallery tour at British Museum (Communication in Ancient Civilizations) return 5-6

wed 1 travel by train to Cambridge for lecture by Dr. Robert Hinde (Biology and Culture); (lea ve 8:30 am; return 6:30-7:00 pm ).

thu 2 am: classroom session; pm student conferences; evening Research Program Event

fri 3 am: classroom session.

sat 4 Final exam; pm free

sun 5 Depart London for USA

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Notes: All times are approximate. Except for meetings in our classroom, students should meet on the courtyard steps prior to the stated “leave” time. Returns refer to expected arrival back at the residence hall. Everything is subject to change as indicated by the type ( Bold – planned events that cannot be changed; Italic – events are planned but not confirmed; Regular – events are confirmed, though subject to unexpected change).