COM 201 Intercultural Communication

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION examines the basic tenets of culture, theories of communication and the role of language in it; investigates social channels and factors supporting or preventing intercultural communication; studies cultural diversity of social networks in which speakers use language when they organize into ghettos, villages, immigrant communities, and professional and political groupings, and when they build boundaries and bridges to protect, isolate and converge along gender, age, business interests, social status, class, ethnicity and race; investigates globalization trends and ideologies that accelerate language demise; and tackles linguistic diversity underlying intercultural communication. The students apply their understanding of language rituals, speakers? networks, code-switching, multilingualism and other concepts when collecting data at Olsany cemetery and visiting virtually the multiethnic community of New York City.

OVERARCHING QUESTIONS: What defines culture, communication and language? How and why do speakers build social networks in business, web and daily life? If language becomes an obstacle in intercultural communication, through what channels can communication be accomplished? Are rituals of politeness universal or culture specific? Is language triggered by culture or is it a universal instinct? Will English communicative rituals dominate intercultural communication as English becomes the global language? Or, is English going to split up into new languages?