Course Description
This course explores the nature of communication across cultures from a contextual perspective. The text begins with the necessity of intercultural communication and then it explores the field using a contextual approach. The first context is cultural. This is also referred to as the macrocultural context. The next context is microcultural and has to do with various groups within a culture that differ in terms of language, religion, history, and other significant ways. These are not subcultures as they are part of the macroculture but differ from them in various ways. The third context is environmental. This involves the concept of code-switching. There are many social varieties of English and they are used in different contexts. For example, Formal varieties of Standard English are used in the classroom. The fourth context is perceptual. Individuals differ with regard to their psychological traits (intuitive, sensate, logical, and affective) and this impact on how language and culture are modified. The fifth context is the verbal code or language. You will learn more about linguistics as a discipline and how it relates to human communication. The sixth context is non-verbal and most human communication takes place at this level. Other aspect s of the course deal with the organization of intercultural communication and it includes the process of acculturation and intercultural competence.
There are 12 chapters to the book and there will be 12 online examinations (1,200 points), Final Paper (800 points), and a Final Examination (2,000 points. Total value of points is 5,000