Faculty
Professor Mary M. Munter
Objectives
This course examines cross-cultural and gender-based differences in communication not only in terms of visible behavioral differences (such as rituals and nonverbals), but also in terms of the hidden values that drive these behaviors (including individual motivation, group attitudes, and large-group values).
Course goals: As a result of taking this course, you will enhance your ability to analyze, reflect on, and improve your cross-cultural skills, specifically, to . . .
Increase your awareness of your own culture(s) and of your default behaviors
Understand differences among specific cultures and between the two genders by developing two toolkits:
--What to ask: A set of theoretical frameworks—drawn from a wide variety of fields(including communication, psychology, sociology, anthropology, organizational behavior, and linguistics)—so you will know what questions to ask to get a handle on a new culture
--How to find out: A set of research tools to answer such questions—including gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing information from a huge and uneven body of information
Modify your default behaviors as you deem appropriate in a variety of cultural settings
Increase your tolerance for ambiguity dealing in an ever-changing and unpredictable context in which there are no "correct answers"
Requirements
Teaching methods: The pedagogy for this course will be based on the latest research into psychological and brain science, which can be summarized as follows: "The person who does the talking does the learning." Therefore. . .
My job will be to:
Facilitate and coach your learning, rather than present you with finalized content.
Offer a series of carefully-designed learning opportunities for your participation.
Provide guidance for your research into a variety of cultures and frameworks for understanding them.
Maintain an atmosphere of mutual learning, respect, and enjoyment.
Your job will be to:
Take responsibility for your learning. You will get out of it what you put into it.
Maintain a Thought Journal in which you will include your homework assignments, research, class notes, self analysis, and after-class assignments for each class session. This journal will comprise the bulk of your preparation time and will be turned in regularly and finalized at the end of the term.
Research a variety of topics for several different cultures.
Expect to speak in class every day rather than being a passive observer—sharing your research findings, participating in role plays, and taking an active part in discussions.
Maintain an atmosphere of mutual learning, respect, and enjoyment.
Thought Journal Assignment
Your Thought Journal is a word document that will include all of your homework assignments, research, class notes, self analyses, and after-class assignments for each class session. Bring this Journal (hard or electronic copy) to class daily.
The teaching objective of the Thought Journal is to encourage you to organize your research before class and to reflect on your class learnings after class. The Journal will also serve as a “dialogue” with me, because I will comment on the Journal and you will respond to my comments; these back-and-forth annotations will then become a permanent part of your Journal.
You may use any sources you wish, ranging from a fellow student to an academic study. Remember, however, the differences among sources: your own and those you interview are based on the experience one person only; websites may not be vetted; and academic studies will be thoroughly vetted but may be out-of-date. Please include your source(s) for every journal entry.
This journal will comprise the bulk of your preparation time and will be turned in randomly and finalized at the end of the term. The Journal will count as 50% of your grade. The grading criteria include:
Understanding of the readings
Analytic connections between readings and specific cultures
Depth of research,not just off the top of your head
Personal insights and self-reflection
There is a list of possible sources at Feldberg Library, available in the course packet and in the course folder.
Materials
Readings
Two required texts: (1) Guide to Cross-Cultural Communication by Reynolds and Valentine and (2) Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men in the Workplace: Language, Sex and Power by Tannen.
Your choices from a wide variety of sources: (1) sources available in Feldberg (see list in course packet), (2) internet resources, and (3) other resources that you discover, cite all of your sources in your journal.
Honor Code
I trust you to behave honorably. All assignments (unless otherwise noted) are meant to be individual efforts. By individual effort, I mean no one else is to read, listen to, comment on, proofread, or even type your thought journals or PowerPoint slides. Similarly, my hope is that you will trust me to behave honorably and treat anything you write in your journal as totally confidential.
Grading
The following will be graded on the (1) thoroughness of the research and other preparation, (2) thoughtfulness of your analyses, and (3) self awareness of your own default and newly-gained behaviors
• 50%: Daily in-class participation
• 50%: Journals, turned in periodically and finalized at the end of the course
Schedule
MONDAY
OCTOBER 12, 2009
DEFINING CULTURE AND ANALYZING YOUR CULTURES
1. Definition of culture
Before class: Using any sources you wish, define culture.
After class: Refine your definition, based on class discussion.
2. Analysis of your own cultures
Before class: Complete the Cultural Identity Questionnaire (course folder). Leave column 4 blank for now. Insert the completed questionnaire into your journal.
After class: Analyze your own cultures, based on the questionnaire and any new insights from the class discussion.
3. Analysis of your default behaviors
Before class: Read and familiarize yourself with the terms from Guide to Cross-Cultural Communication (GtoCCC), chapter 7.
After Class: (1) Analyze your default behaviors, based on the role-plays and discussion. Analyze both what you did verbally (what kinds of comments and questions) and what you did nonverbally. (2) Select a country for the October 26 class on frameworks and join a group for November 2 on religion. (Sign-up sheets are in the course folder).
MONDAY
OCTOBER 26, 2009
APPLYING FRAMEWORKS TO ANOTHER CULTURE
4. Framework analysis of another culture
Before class: (1) Read GtoCCC, chapters 1-4 and Munter article (course packet). (2) Research a culture (other than your own) that you would like to know more about. Drawing on ideas from CtoCCC and the Munter article, analyze this culture on any three dimensions of your choice. Insert downsized versions of the frameworks (availabe in the share course folder) into your Journal if appropriate.
After class: Synthesize any insights gained from class discussion.
5. Scenario
Before class: Prepare a short business scenario/role-play in which you will role-play an exaggerated version of someone from this culture and another student will role-play him-or herself. Bring two hard copies of this scenario to class.
After class: Discuss what you learned from the role-plays.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 27
PREPARING FOR A DIFFERENT CULTURE
6. Case discussion: The Floundering Expatriate
Before Class: (1) Read "The Case of the Floundering Expatriate" (course packet). List Donaldson's cultural faux pas in the case. (2) Read "Over There" (course packet). How do the four main points in this article illuminate the class?
After class: (1) Group the ideas (from the brainstormed list we compiled in class) and discuss what was going on "under the waterline" (based on the frameworks we've discussed) for each group. (2) come up with a list of generic questions regarding cultural norms (i.e., the questions Donaldson should have learned about in advance).
MONDAY
NOVEMBER 2, 2009
BUSINESS IMPLICATIONS OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
7. Presentations on religions
Before class: (1) Present 10-minute stand-up presentation (about a dozen slides), with each person in the group speaking. (2) Emphasize the business implications of the religion (e.g., not details of its history, rituals, etc.). (3) If appropriate, the effect of religious beliefs for women doing business in that culture. (4) Include a map and statistics about the number of adherents in various countries. (5) Include one or two slides dealing with the differences among different countries or regions within the same religion. (6) List your sources.
After class: (1) Put your group's slides in the shared course folder for others to review. (2) Summarize the main take-awyas from the class discussion of all the religions. Specifically, list one to three main business implications take-aways for each religion.
TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 3, 2009
LINGUISTIC & SOCIOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF CULTURES
8. Linguistic analysis of another culture
Before class: (1) Choose another culture-one in which either you or someone you know speaks the language fluently. (2) Read "The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis" (course packet). Discuss two or three examples applying Sapir-Whorf to that culture. (3) Analyze your reactions to the course pedagogy and what it has taught you about yourself and your own culture.
After class: Discuss what you learned from class discussion about the implications of Sapir-Whorf.
9. Sociological analysis of that culture
Before class: Analyze the same culture in terms of family, social classes, customs, and gender expectations. If you wish, you may use any of the frameworks discussed on March 25. (2) Bring two hard copies of a scenario to role-play this culture.
After class: Discuss what you learned from class discussion.
MONDAY
NOVEMBER 9, 2009
GENDER-BASED CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
10. Genders as cultures
Before class: How are the two genders like two different cultures? How can cross-culture ideas help us understand cross-gender communication? What differernces have you observed in the way women and men tend to commuicate? (2) Prepare a short two-person presentation on your assigned chapter from Tannen.
--Read through your assigned chapter carefully, culling out the salient take-aways, if possible presenting these in a two-columns format: Woman tend to...Men tend to...
--Present a 5-minute seated deck presentation for each chapter, with each student speaking about half of that time.
--Aim for one or two slides per chapter, no cover page, printed two-per page. Bring 12 hard copies to distribute to your classmates.
After class: Insert a downsized version of your Tannen slides into the shared course folder.
After class (November 9): (1) Summarize and reflect on what you learned in today's class. (2) Fill in column 4 of the Cultural Identity Questionnaire. (3) Discuss how and when (if ever) you feel "marked." (4) Start thinking about your general questions, due November 16. I encourage you to take the time to go back through your Thought Journal and think about this assignment carefully, instead of doing it at the last minute.
After class (November 10): (1) Discuss your take-aways from the Tannen deck presentations-not just the chapter you presented, but also the entire book. (2) Think back on what we've discussed in the entire minicourse. What questions would you like to discuss further? Email two questions to Professor Munter by Thursday, November 12; all of the questions will be compiled anonymously and passed out at next week's class for group discussion.
TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 10, 2009
GENDER-BASED CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
10. Genders as cultures
Before class: How are the two genders like two different cultures? How can cross-culture ideas help us understand cross-gender communication? What differernces have you observed in the way women and men tend to commuicate? (2) Prepare a short two-person presentation on your assigned chapter from Tannen.
--Read through your assigned chapter carefully, culling out the salient take-aways, if possible presenting these in a two-columns format: Woman tend to...Men tend to...
--Present a 5-minute seated deck presentation for each chapter, with each student speaking about half of that time.
--Aim for one or two slides per chapter, no cover page, printed two-per page. Bring 12 hard copies to distribute to your classmates.
After class: Insert a downsized version of your Tannen slides into the shared course folder.
After class (November 9): (1) Summarize and reflect on what you learned in today's class. (2) Fill in column 4 of the Cultural Identity Questionnaire. (3) Discuss how and when (if ever) you feel "marked." (4) Start thinking about your general questions, due November 16. I encourage you to take the time to go back through your Thought Journal and think about this assignment carefully, instead of doing it at the last minute.
After class (November 10): (1) Discuss your take-aways from the Tannen deck presentations-not just the chapter yo presented, but also the entire book. (2) Think back on what we've discussed in the entire minicourse. What questions would you like to discuss further? Email two questions to Professor Munter by Thursday, November 12; all of the questions will be compiled anonymously and passed out at next week's class for group discussion.
MONDAY
NOVEMBER 16, 2009
YOUR QUESTIONS AND BEHAVIORS
11. Default and new behaviors
Before class: Write a scenario role-play for practicing various gender-based differences in communication. Bring two hard copies of a scenario to class.
After class: Summarize what you learned from the gender scenarios by (1) summarizing the two different styles generally (or, if yo wish, by filling out the "Optional Extra Credit" table, to be handed out in class) and (2) analyzing your own self perceptions, default behaviors, and any new behaviors you would like to develop. Comment on your default behavior on the first day of class and the Cultural Identity Questionnaire.
12. General discussion
Before class: Think about your classmates' questions, emailed to you Friday, November 13.
After class: (1) Answer your own two questions. (2) Discuss what you learned from the discussion of your classmates' questions.
TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 17, 2009
FINAL PRESENTATIONS
Before class: Prepare a 3-4 minute informal deck presentation (one or two slides) on your personal take-awyas from the entire class. Think about this assignment as your own personal goals - what you hope you'll be doing in your future job. In fact, you could even write these as a list of reminders to yourself. Bring 12 hard copies to class.
After class: Summarize what you have learned in the course by expanding any entries in your journal. Email your final journal to Professor Munter by Thursday, November 19.
--Leave all color-coded comments as is.
--Insert answers or responses to any questions or comments I worte in a different color.
--If you have inserted any new material before the October 27 entries (the "Floundering Expatriate"), do so in a different color.
--For the subject line in your email, please write: Journal: Last Name.
