CMN 103

Intercultural Communication

Winter 2008

 

Dr. Daniel Makagon                                                              

Office: SAC 596

Office Hours: Monday 2:00-3:00 and by appointment                     

Phone: (773) 325-7376

e-mail: dmakagon@depaul.edu

home page: http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/

 

                                               

Course Objectives

 

This course explores relationships among communication, intercultural cohesion, and intercultural conflict. We will consider the important role of context (social, cultural, and historical) in intercultural interactions across a variety of cultural groups (e.g., different nationalities, ethnicities, gender, sexualities, classes, and subcultures). Questions about cultural experience and meaning will primarily be located in everyday life, although we will connect the everyday to broader social, political, and economic issues. This course should facilitate greater understanding of the nuances of intercultural communication, enhancing self-reflection, flexibility, and sensitivity.

 

 

Required Texts

 

All course readings are available on-line. Download and print the files.

 

http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/student

 

 

Course Assignments

 

Class Participation (includes intercultural context presentation)          10%  ____(pts.) X .10 = ______

 

Analysis Paper (4-6 pages)                                                                  30%  ____(pts.) X .30 = ______

 

Quizzes                                                                                                30%  ____(pts.) X .30 = ______

 

Final Paper (4-6 pages)                                                                        30%  ____(pts.) X .30 = ______

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Final Grade= ____________

 

You are required to complete the reading assignments before you attend class. This will lead to more fruitful discussion.

 

Analysis Paper

 

The Analysis Paper should be 4-6 double-spaced pages in length. This paper asks you to analyze an issue that emerges for you based on your intellectual engagement with a set of readings. You should advance an argument that intervenes creatively in the broader conversation. While I want your paper to grow from a particular course reading, your approach to the topic should reflect your own theoretical interests. Your paper must make an argument. Merely summarizing a reading or stating that a reading is correct (or incorrect) because it speaks (or doesn't speak) to your own personal experience is not an argument. A complete description of the assignment is contained in the writing handout/syllabus addendum in the folder where you find our course readings.

 

This paper must be turned in no later than seven days after we cover the reading (e.g., if you're writing about Eric Klinenberg, "Dying Alone" then your paper would be due January 26). The last date to turn in this paper is February 18.

 

All papers must be typed, paginated, and double-spaced throughout the entire essay. Use a consistent style (e.g., Chicago, MLA, or APA), one-inch margins, and 12-point font. Do not send me electronic copies of your work. See the syllabus addendum (available in the folder that contains pdfs for this class) for a description of my grading policies and expectations as well as further details about written assignments.

 

Contact or visit the Writing Center for assistance with your writing: Lincoln Park at 802 W. Belden, 150 McGaw Hall, 773-325-4272. The Loop at 25 E. Jackson, 1620 Lewis Center, 312-362-6726. wcenter@depaul.edu.

 

Pop Quizzes

 

Quizzes will be short answer and will allow me to gauge how well you understand the arguments made in the readings. Unlike your papers and class discussion, where I am interested in your opinions about the issues and the strength of the writer's argument(s), the quizzes are designed for you to state the author's argument only. In other words, I am not striving to understand what you think about the issues; rather, I am interested in how well you understand the construction of the author's argument. If we do not understand what s/he's saying then our critique of her/his work will not be properly grounded. Possible points for each quiz question will be listed after the question (usually 10 or 20 points per question and usually 1-3 questions per quiz). Answers will be graded based on your ability to clearly summarize the author's argument(s) and use examples from the reading to support your answer(s).

 

Final Paper

 

For this paper you are asked to select three readings from the quarter from three different sections and discuss the ways in which these three readings have facilitated your increased understanding of intercultural communication. Your essay should be 4-6 double-spaced pages in length. Papers are due March 16 by 1:00 at my LPC office or mailbox (5th Floor SAC). (A full description of the assignment is available in the folder that contains pdfs for this class.)

 

Intercultural Context

 

The goal of this assignment is to offer material examples of intercultural practices and artifacts, allowing us to make connections between the realm of theory and our everyday lives. Each class member will share one (1) cultural artifact (song, clip from a film or TV show, excerpt from a newspaper, comic, documentary sound recording, piece of clothing, etc.) during a class session. Your presentation should explicitly address why and how the artifact connects to intercultural communication. The presentation shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes. Your artifact can connect directly to a course reading or you can share something that reflects an intercultural context that is not covered in class. Also note that the presentation is part of your class participation grade. If you do not present then you cannot earn an "A" for your participation grade. I will grade your presentation on a credit/no credit basis. Presentations will occur on 1/28 and 2/16.

 

Course Policies

 

Attendance and Active Participation are expected and required. Participation grades are factored by considering how often you participate in class discussion and how that discussion advances our overall learning (i.e., I will consider how your questions help us understand difficult passages, how your contributions further discussion rather than hinder discussion, how your comments foster lively debate, how your participation grows from an engagement with the reading and college experience rather than functioning to advance an autobiographical tale only). If you miss very few classes and your participation level is excellent, you can expect an "A" for this portion of your grade. If you miss very few classes and your participation level is above average (i.e., you participate every other class rather than every class session), you can expect a "B" for this portion of your grade. If you miss very few classes and your participation level is average, you can expect a "C" for this portion of your grade. If you miss the most possible classes you can miss without failing the class and your participation level is average, you can expect a "D" for this portion of your grade.

 

Promptness is expected as a general rule. If you are consistently late to class, your grade will be negatively affected.

 

You are allowed one (1) unexcused absence in this class and three (3) absences total if two or more of those absences are excused. If you miss more than three class sessions, which means you will have missed 20% of the term, then you will receive an "F' for the class (even if the absences are excused). Missing this many class sessions undermines the integrity of the classroom experience. If you miss this much class because of illness or a family emergency, you should meet with the Dean of Students to discuss withdrawal options.

 

All assignments are due on assigned days. There will be NO MAKE UPS. Documented illnesses or documented emergencies are the only exception to this policy. Changes in work schedules, personal celebrations (e.g., birthdays), or vacations are NOT considered to be legitimate reasons for missing assignment deadlines or class meetings. If you miss a quiz and have documentation for your absence then you will take the quiz on the next date you attend class. Similarly, if you have an excused absence for a class session when you would turn in a paper then you can give me the paper on the next date you attend class. (Note: If you will be missing a class because of a religious holiday, let me know in writing at least two weeks before the holiday so we can make arrangements to make up missed work.)

 

Students with disabilities should provide me with documentation from the Office of Students with Disabilities.

 

Cellular Phones: If you have a cellular phone or pager, turn it off or set it to vibrate, and keep it in your backpack or purse. All cell phones must be put away during the class session. I will confiscate cellular phones for the remainder of the class session if you are sending or reading text messages or using your phone to check email/surf the Internet.

 

Written Assignment Requirements: All papers should be typed, double spaced, and use a consistent style (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.). Use one-inch margins and 12-point font. Further details on written assignments can be found in a syllabus addendum on writing academic papers.

 

You must make sure your preferred email address listed in Campus Connect is correct and make sure emails from me will pass through any spam blockers. I will only send email to you from dmakagon@depaul.edu.

Plagiarism

 

I have often found that plagiarism becomes tempting if students are feeling pressured. Remember, when in doubt quote. If you are quoting someone else in your presentation, you need to clearly identify the information as a quote and the source. Similarly, when paraphrasing, you should clearly identify your source. If you are quoting somebody directly in your paper then you need to list the information within quotation marks and cite a page number. If you are paraphrasing then you need to cite the person and a page number. Never copy and paste entire documents into your paper and do not quote others to the point where your ideas become indistinguishable from your source's ideas. There is no reason to plagiarize given the resources available to you (e.g., opportunities to meet with me; coaches in the writing center; my handout on writing for the class; and DePaul’s policy on academic integrity, which can be found at http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/). If you do plagiarize, you will automatically receive a grade of "F" in this class. Moreover, the Academic Affairs office will be contacted.

 

Grade Scale

 

93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 88-89 B+, 83-87 B, 80-82 B-, 78-79 C+, 73-77   C, 70-72   C-, 60-69  D, 0-59    F