A Brief Introduction
Course: Intercultural Communication
Textbook: Intercultural Communication in English (Revised Edition), by Xu Lisheng, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2010.
Teaching aim of this term:
To make students understand the relationship between language and culture to foster intercultural communication awareness and develop intercultural communicative competence and to comprehensively improve the overall capacity. Requirements for the course:
before class -- prepare the lesson;
during the class -- take part in the discussion and case study; take notes very carefully;
after class -- finish the exercises; review what’s learned. Your final score:
class presentation + class performance + term paper = 40% final examination = 60% Introduction:
Intercultural Communication & Cross-cultural Communication
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Unit One Communication Across Cultures I.
Warm Up
Please read the folk tale, then answer the questions:
1. Why is it difficult to explain to a blind person what colors are? 2. Do you sometimes find it hard to make yourself properly understood by others? If you do, why do you think it is hard? II. Reading
1. Read the article of “Intercultural Communication: An Introduction” and answer the questions.
? Supplement:
What is intercultural communication (IC)? What do you know about it?
1. Definition
IC is concerned with communication among people from different cultural backgrounds.
Intercultural communication refers to communication between people whose cultural perception and symbol system are distinct enough to alter the communication event. 2. Forms of IC
(1) International Communication: International communication takes place between nations and governments rather than individuals; it is
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quite formal and ritualized(仪式化) .
(2) Interethnic Communication: Ethnic groups usually form their own communities in a country or culture. These groups share a common origin or heritage that is apt to influence family names, language, religion, values, and the like.
(3) Interracial Communication: Interracial communication occurs when the sender and the
receiver exchanging messages are from different races.
(4) Intracultural Communication: It is defined as communication between or among members of the same culture. 3. Features
(1) It is a branch of communication.
(2) It mainly deals with verbal and nonverbal interaction and related factors in intercultural communication.
(3) Its verbal medium is language while its nonverbal communication systems include body language, facial expressions, etc.
2. Read the article of “The Challenge of Globalization” on page 13-16 and answer the questions?
?Supplement: History and Present State of IC Studies (1) IC and IC studies
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IC studies are rather new while IC (activities) is almost as long as our human history:
(2) IC Studies in USA and China
In 1950s and 1960s America, as the most powerful country, had frequent contacts with other countries. Some of these activities were successful but others were failures. Some of the Americans left a bad or even disgusting impression on the native people. Thus in 1958 The Ugly American shows the American officials in Southeast Asia. (The trigger of IC studies)
In 1959 The Silent Language by American cultural anthropologist Edward Hall signified the emergence of this discipline.
This course was offered in USA in late 1960s in five universities. Since 1970s it has been popular in USA with 200 universities and 60 graduated schools offering it in 1978.
This course was introduced to the Chinese scholars in 1980s. According to Hu Wenzhong in 1995 there were only Beijing Foreign Studies University, Heilongjiang University, Harbin Industrial University, Shanghai Foreign Studies University and Fujian Teachers University. It is rather new in China.
?Homework: Read the article of “Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication”. Some questions will be asked next class.
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3. Read the story on page 9, then discuss the question: Which do you think is the mark of beauty, thin or fat? Why is it often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
4. Discuss the cases of communication given on page 11-12 is possibly intercultural or not and, if it is, to what extent it is intercultural.
5. Read these two different views on IC mentioned on page 12, then state your point of view clearly and support your argument with convincing and substantial evidence.
6. Read the story of “How We Address Each Other?” and identify the differences on addressing between Chinese people and Americans.
?Supplement(补充): formal situation In England, people call each other by first name, such as between employers and employees. in less formal People usually use first name, even they meet for the first time, regardless of age and status first names are less likely to be used use of the first name among colleagues is customary; use the title plus last name would be taken as an open declaration of dislike 第 5 页 共 7 页
settings informal situation in many offices
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