COM 5531 - Communicating Across Cultures

Credits: 4

Our primary area of interest in this class is the exchange of messages (verbal, nonverbal, mediated, and non-mediated) among members of different cultures. Specifically, this course will focus on “interaction between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems differ enough to influence the communication event” (Samovar, Porter, MacDaniel, and Roy, 2013, p. 8). Globalization, changes in media technology, competition for natural resources, and other current realities are making competent intercultural communication increasingly important for those working in public sectors, both in the U.S. and internationally.

In this class we will focus on intercultural communication as it takes place in two overlapping arenas. First, we will closely interrogate intercultural communication as it occurs among the many “co-cultures” that exist here in the United States. Specifically, we will take a concerted look at how members of varying co-cultures communicate in organizational and work settings. Second, we will also focus on intercultural communication as it takes place in international contexts such as travel, business, political arenas, and educational settings.