CMN 203
Intercultural
Communication
Winter 2006
Dr.
Daniel Makagon
Office:
SAC 596
Office
Hours: Wednesday 1:00-2:00 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%
Quizzes 30%
Analysis
Paper (4-6 pages) 30%
Final
Paper (4-6 pages) 30%
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. This
paper must be turned in no later than seven days after we cover the reading
(e.g., if you're writing about Barbara
Meyerhoff's "Life Not Death in Venice" then your
paper would be due January 30th). The
last date to turn in this paper is February 22nd.
All
papers must be typed, double-spaced throughout the entire essay, and use a
consistent style (e.g., Chicago, MLA, or APA). Use 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.
For
assistance with your writing contact or visit the Writing Center: 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 10th by Noon. (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
(1/27, 2/3, or 2/17). 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.
Course
Policies
Attendance
and Active Participation are expected and required. Excessive absences will result in a
lower final grade.
Promptness is expected as a general rule.
If you are consistently late to class, your grade will be negatively affected.
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.)
If you
have a cellular phone or pager, turn it off or set it to vibrate. Plagiarism
will be discussed below but for now you should note that all cell phones must
be put away during quizzes and you should not be sending or reading text
messages during class sessions.
Plagiarism
I have
often found that plagiarism becomes tempting if students are feeling pressured.
Remember, when in doubt quote. If you are quoting somebody directly 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/handbook/code16.html).
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 78-79 C+
90-92 A-
73-77 C
88-89 B+ 70-72 C-
83-87 B 60-69
D
80-82 B- 0-59 F