Course Syllabus

 

Cross-Cultural Communication
Fall 2017


Copenhagen 3 Credits

 Study Tour: Belfast/Dublin
Major Disciplines:
Communications, Media & Ethnic Studies. Rhetoric.
Faculty Member: Brendan Sweeney, brendan.sweeney@dis.dk (+45) 23 69 45 46 

 Program Director: Iben de Neergaard, Vestergade 10 A23, idn@dis.dk   

Assistant Program Director: Nya Oxfeldt Jensen, noj@dis.dk   

Program Assistant: Holly Querin, Vestergade 10 A23, hqu@dis.dk 

 

Mondays and Thursdays, 10.05-11.25

Location: F24-406

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Course Description

How do we communicate and collaborate with other cultures in a global age? As the world moves economically, technologically and culturally towards closer integration, what happens when people with different worldviews and communicative styles suddenly have to live and work together?

 

In this core class on cross-cultural communication, we will draw on theory and methodology from fields as diverse as communication, journalism, anthropology, history, sociology and cultural studies to examine cultural and related differences in verbal and non-verbal communication. We will investigate how misunderstandings and conflicts are created and can be resolved.

 

We will analyze pictures, advertisements, murals and humor as forms of communication that simultaneously offend and open conversations about controversial subjects such as politics, race, class, gender, sexuality, and religion.

 

Our classes will be based on theoretical readings and analyses of various types of communication: Verbally, through articles, legislation, political speeches, street art and documentary videos as well as non-verbally through symbols, clothing and gestures. We will observe and experience Danish society and invite guests from relevant professions to class interviews as well as go on field trips to explore Copenhagen and its majority and minority cultures. We will also directly experience cross-cultural communication by collaborating with people from other cultures to produce texts and multimedia products.

The course will not only follow ongoing debates in Denmark and study the challenges that the ‘homogenous’ Danish culture faces integrating other ethnicities, we will also visit our Scandinavian neighbors in Sweden to widen our understanding of regional differences in handling cross-cultural communication. Additionally, we will travel to Northern Ireland to observe first-hand how sectarian groups communicate their beliefs, and how the symbolic landscape of the city itself expresses divides between people caught in a seemingly intractable conflict.

 

In summary, the class will include a mix of discussions, workshops and field studies. If you have ambitions of a travelling life, a career in an international environment or a future in trade, communications, journalism or politics, this course will give you the opportunity to gain theoretically founded awareness, practical tools and personal experiences to benefit you in future encounters with our multicultural reality.

 

Learning Objectives

  • Experience how speech, texts, images and behaviors are shaped by cultures and interpreted through your own cultural lens
  • Identify and negotiate the obstacles to effective communication across cultures
  • Explore Denmark, Sweden and Northern Ireland as case studies for critical analysis of how cultures communicate verbally and non-verbally
  • Experience the challenges and benefits of cross cultural communication first hand when producing written and multi-media projects for specific audiences and in collaboration with people from other cultures
  • Demonstrate mastery of course material and reflect on how it applies to your own life and communication

 

Course Instructor

Brendan Sweeney

Ph.D. (Political Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, 2005), M.A. (Cand.mag.) (Media Studies, University of Copenhagen, 1999), NCTJ Certificate in Journalism (Rathmines College of Journalism, Dublin, 1982). Worked as journalist for many years in different European countries.

 

Study tours: Malmö, Sweden and Belfast, Northern Ireland

The course includes a core course week in Denmark with a short visit to Sweden and a week-long study tour to Belfast in Northern Ireland, which has long been a site of religious/ethnic conflict.

 

Course Culture

Since this is a communications course, the classroom culture will be workshop-oriented with open discussions, debates and creative practices rather than traditional lectures.  All students will participate in framing and sharing knowledge and experiences from our readings and study tours. Although I will set an agenda for meetings, I encourage you to share your own ideas, opinions and observations with the class and engage with others doing the same, so that the classroom will become an open forum for vivid discussions and progressive learning.

 

Disability and resource statement

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Required readings

Selected texts as well as various readings online on Canvas. On days with “no readings,” you might be reading texts handed out in previous classes. The texts will always be given to you with enough time to prepare.

It is important and mandatory to read all required material prior to class time in order to get the full benefit from classes.

 

Grading

Remember not to let grades deter you from taking intellectual risks and to learn just for the fun of learning. Grades are not a punishment or a reward for a certain behavior, but an honest assessment of your academic performance at this moment in time. Grades will be uploaded to Grade Center on Canvas.

 

Participation in general: 25%, includes blog entries, notes from field studies, and participation in class and on tours.

 

Assignment 1/ CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION - A PICTURE SAYS MORE THAN A THOUSAND WORDS 20 %

Write a 3-4 page thesis driven paper based on a picture you have taken or seen during our core course week related to cross cultural communication between a majority and minority culture in Denmark or Sweden.

 

Assignment 2/ A FIELD REPORT FROM BELFAST: 20 %

While in Belfast, write an article and take a photograph that relates to how communication stirs conflict. Analyze how the communication you have observed reflects cultural norms in the way it is verbally and non-verbally constructed and in the way it is perceived. Apart from a two-page article, you will also submit  two pages of analysis on your writing.

 

Assignment 3/MY VIEW OF DENMARK - COLLABORATION AND REPORTING ON DANISH CULTURE: 35%

Develop a media project on some aspect of life in Denmark related to cross-cultural communication in collaboration with other students and reflect on how your own culture affects the collaboration and the outcome. The project has both written and multimedia elements.

 

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes, guest lectures, field studies, and study tours. If you miss a class for religious or medical reasons, let me know in advance and make sure you obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any reason without giving notice beforehand, you must get in touch with me as soon as possible to arrange to make up for the work missed. If classes are missed unexcused, you will be contacted by phone or mail and your work in the class may be compromised or even jeopardized.

 

Paper Policy

It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work - including in-class projects - has to be completed in order to pass. Late work will be penalized by lower grades, unless a valid reason for the delay can be documented.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due