Intercultural Communication for Professional Purposes

PLEASE NOTE: COURSE MATERIAL/DESCRIPTION SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Overview:
This course describes different factors involved in communication across cultures by discussing cultural variables that enable people to understand each other across group boundaries. The course applies this knowledge to the languages professional setting, focusing on the role that communication has in the creation and dissemination of culture. Students will learn to recognize cultural variables to communicate effectively.

Description:
This course aims to make students aware of the variety of factors involved in
communication, especially when between speakers from different cultures. Concepts
such as communication, culture and interculturality will be thoroughly discussed in
order to understand the role each element has in the creation and dissemination of
culture and the associated stereotypes. Furthermore, culture-specific communication
styles and the variety of factors interfering in intercultural communication acts will be
analysed. Students should become aware of the difficulties they might encounter in
interpersonal exchanges abroad. After the course students are expected to have the
knowledge and skills required so as to overcome intercultural difficulties and to
communicate effectively with speakers from different cultural backgrounds.

Learning objectives
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to acquire:

General skills:
- Ability to present clearly, in written and oral form, complex problems and
projects within the field of study;
- Capacity for learning and self-motivation;
- Ability to work in teams, to integrate into multidisciplinary groups and to
collaborate with professionals from other fields;
- Ability for interpersonal communication and awareness of one?s own
aptitude and resources;
- Ability to adapt to new situations;
- Ability to recognize and respe
ct diversity and multiculturalism;
- Sensitivity to environmental issues and to cultural and linguistic heritage;
- Ability to document one's own culture and acquire the knowledge and
skills to communicate with other cultures;
- Ability to integrate knowledge in
its theoretical and practical dimensions through critical reflection and to apply it to intercultural conflict mediation
and multilinguistic spaces;
- Having the required academic background to continue postgraduate
studies (Master), both nationally and internationally

Specific skills:
- Be able to develop communicative competence in particular languages,
applying oral and written communication strategies in the personal,
social and professional spheres;
- Improve command of a non-native language, with special emphasis on
the knowledge and use of the grammar, lexicon, and pragmatics of each
specific language and understanding the complexity of the
communication act, considering all its components;
- Being capable of using different types of communication, verbal
and non-verbal, in the learnt languages in different cultures and in
professional settings;
- Ability to transmit ideas, knowledge and opinions as well as to express
ideas accurately in different languages;
- Ability to read, understand, infer, analyse, summarise and explain oral
and written texts related to non-native languages.

After the course, students will be capable of:
- Applying their linguistic knowledge in the professional field of languages,
being able to solve communication problems in different situations,
using different channels and communication styles;
- Understanding the socio-cultural rules and culture-specific linguistic features in communicative acts across borders;
- Effective use of verbal and non-verbal communication skills and
understanding the role each has when communicating with members of different countries and cultures;
- Developing tolerance to multiculturality and diversity by becoming aware
of culture diversity and understanding the main issues involved in
plurilinguism;
- Adapting to new cultural situations
- Applying the different concepts and strategies learnt in their previous
subjects related to communication to new international and intercultural contexts

Educational activities will be developed by means of different didactic
strategies:
- Theory and Practice
- Collective and individual tutoring
- In-class presentations
- Daily assignments
- Team work assignments
- Workshops and additional training
- Extra-curricular activities

Methodology
The course syllabus follows the Communicative Approach
methods, based on the core principles of procedure conception and constructive acquisition of knowledge. The
methodology is based on the teaching-learning procedures, focused on the learner,
which encourages active participation and results in the development of general and
specific competencies that provide capacities and attitudes for their future
professional careers.

Form of Assessment
The form of assessment is based on the core principles of the educational assessment, i.e., an active and participative teaching-learning process focused on the learner. The instructor uses numerous and differentiated forms of assessment to calculate the final grade received for this course. For the record,these are
listed below. The content, criteria and specific requirements for each assessment category
will be explained in greater detail in class.

The final grade consists of three parts: class participation, daily work and exams
o33% Active in-class participation
o33% daily work
o34% exams

Grading Scale goes from 0 to 10.
Numerical Grade Range Letter grade Percentage
Range
10 A+ 100%
9.5 - 9.9 A 95 -99%
9 - 9.4 A- 90-94%
8.5 - 8.9 B+ 85-89%
7.5- 8.4 B 75-84%
7 - 7.4 B- 70-74%
6.5 - 6.9 C+ 65-69%
6 - 6.4 C 60-64%
5 - 5.9 C- 5-59%
0-4.9 F 0-49%
The final grade will be the average of active in-class participation, daily work and exams.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is compulsory. In order to excuse any absence, students have to deliver a
doctor's note or other valid justification.
An absence is equivalent to a session. Two late arrivals of more than 15 minutes will be
considered an absence.
Any unjustified absence will negatively affect the students' final grade by lowering
his/her participation grade.
The participation grade will be lowered as follows:
NUMBER OF ABSENCES PARTICIPATION
3 unjustified absences - 30%
4 unjustified absences - 40%
5 unjustified absences - 50%
If a student has more than 5 unjustified absences, the PARTICIPATION GRADE will be
zero (0).
Any student with 7 or more absences will NOT pass the course. Those students whose
absences have been properly justified will get No presentado (N.P). Absences do NOT
excuse the fulfillment of tasks, papers or essays.
Active Participation
The methodology used in class demands from the student a daily participation
regarding the following:
- Debates about different topics;
- Questions posed in class;
- Opinions and comments;
- Documents and texts.

Criteria to evaluate participation Grade

The student very often contributes with important and original comments that
encourage debate, using critical and analytical arguments clearly based on reading,
investigation, daily work, and class work. 8.5 -10
The student frequently participates voluntarily and makes valuable contributions that
are generally based on reflection and daily work. 7- 8.4
The student makes eventual comments, practically only when asked, and shows no
clear interest in the course. The student does not start a debate nor shows a clear
understanding of the importance of class/homework and readings. 5- 6.9
The student makes no comments at all, or makes irrelevant or distracting ones during
class. This is usually a result from frequent absences or lack of preparation for the
class. 0- 4.9

Readings: Basic textbook
Liu, S; Volcic, Z. et al. (2015) Introducing Intercultural Communication. London: SAGE
Publications.

Additional Bibliography
- Bennett, Milton J., (1998)
Basic Concepts of Intercultural
Communication.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, Inc.
- Brown, P. y Levinson, S. (1987): Politeness: Some universals in language usage, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Byram, M. & Fleming, M. (eds.) (1998). Language Learning in Intercultural Perspective
. Cambridge: CUP.
- Davis, F. (1995): La comunicación no verbal, Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
- Fiske, J. (1982):
Introduction to Communication Studies
. London: Routledge.
- FitzGerald, H. (2003).
How Different Are We? Spoken discourse in intercultural communication. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
- Grupo CRIT (2003)
Claves para la comunicación intercultural. Castellón: Universitat Jaume I.
- Gercik, P. (2001) On Track with the Japanese. First Books Library (1stbooks.com)
- Gudykunst, W.B. (2003) Cross-cultural and Intercultural Communication. London: Sage
- Halliday, A., Hyde, M. & Kullman, J. (2004). Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource
Book. London: Routledge.
- Hudson, R.A. (1996) SociolinguisticsCambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Jandt,Fred (2004) An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in
a global community. Sage Publications.
- Lado, R. (1986): ?How to compare two cultures?, en Culture Bound, Joyce
Merrill Valdes (ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Lázaro, Juan (2011) Gente con clase. Madrid: Editorial Reino de Cordelia.
- Llobera, M. et al. (1995): Competencia comunicativa, Madrid: Edelsa.
- Nees, G. (2000) Unraveling an Enigma.
ME: Intercultural Press, Inc., Yarmouth.
- Poyatos, F. (1994a): La comunicación no verbal. I. Cultura, lenguaje y conversación,
Madrid: Istmo.
- Samovar, L.A. et al (2005) Intercultural Communication: A reader (with info
Track). New York: Wadsworth Publishing.
- Scollon, R. & Scollon, S.W (2001) Intercultural Communication: A Discourse Approach. 2nd
edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Sercu, L., et al (2005).
Foreign Language Teachers and Intercultural Competence.
Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
- Spencer-Oatey, H. (ed.) (2008). Culturally Speaking. Culture, Communication and Politeness Theory.
2nd edition. London: Continuum
- Wenzhong, H. & y Cornelius G. (1999)
Encountering the Chinese: A guide for
Americans,2ª ed., ME: Intercultural Press, Inc., Yarmouth, 1999.