Course Syllabus
Communication and Conflict: A Cross Cultural Perspective
| Semester & Location: |
Summer 19 - CPH |
| Type & Credits: |
Core/Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Ethnology, Communications, Media Studies |
| Faculty Members: |
Brendan Sweeney brendan.sweeney@dis.dk (+45) 23 69 45 46 |
| Program Director: |
Iben de Neergaard, idn@dis.dk |
|
Time & Place: |
Classroom: V10-D11 Time: 10am |
| Study Tour: |
Belfast/Dublin |
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 world views and communicative styles suddenly have to live and work together?
In this core class on cross-cultural communication we will draw 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 TV-series 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. 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 long-standing 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 of the course
- 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, and Northern Ireland as case studies for critical analysis of how cultures are communicated 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
Core 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: Northern Ireland and Dublin, Republic of Ireland
The course is integrated with a study tour week in Ireland, North and South.
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.
Readings
Selected texts as well as various readings online on Canvas. 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.
- Intercultural Communication: Interaction in a Multicultural World in Communication Between Culture, Larry Samovar et al in "Communication between cultures 8th Edition", p 1-24
- The ‘Muslim Question’ Bhikhu Parekh in A New Politics of Identity, Palgrave 2008, p. 99-129
- The Cultures of Rhetoric, Robert Shutter, Marquette University, in "Perspectives on Rhetoric and Communication", p 11-17
- Identity and Culture: Situating the Individual, Larry Samovar et al, p 232-243
- The Messages of Action, Space, Time and Silence in Communication Between Culture, Larry Samovar et al, p. 254-269 + 288 (from “Silence”)-293
- Political Parody and Public Culture, Robert Hariman in Quarterly Journal of Speech 94.3, 2008: p 247-272
- Negotiating Civic Space in Belfast or The Tricolour: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Dominic Bryan, Working Paper No. 13: 2009
- Symbols and identity in the "new" Northern Ireland, Dominic Bryan and Gillian McIntosh, 2006, p. 126-137
- Discourse and the Construction of Society, Bruce Lincoln, p. 18-26
- Memory and Forgetting in Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson, p. 187-206
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 Facebook entries, notes from field studies and presentation of the cross cultural communication project. Attendance is mandatory for all scheduled classes and field studies. Each unexcused absence will result in deduction of half a letter grade. **This includes regular class sessions, evening events, and field studies, as well as guest lectures.**
Before class: You are expected to complete the required readings, films, and videos, as well as to engage in our Facebook group.
During class: Classes will be very hands on and you are expected to bring your talent, experience and thoughts to the table.
Late Policy: If you arrive in class 10+ minutes late, or leave before the class has ended, you will be counted as absent for that day.
There are two parts to the grade:
- You must post to our Facebook group in accordance with your instructor’s requirements. This could be a question, a response to a discussion, link to an article including an entry, video, images, notes from field studies, sharing ideas and topics in relation to the readings or other resources on the theme of the course. The aim is to have this be a quick and easy way for us to build a class resource of sharing information and inspiring one another. Prior to most classes, you have to post at least one comment and/or one question that can be discussed in class.
- Active and verbal participation in theoretically informed class discussions, activities, field studies and in-class exercises: You will be asked - individually or with partners in the class - to lead assigned tasks e.g. presentations, discussions and activities during the course. The grades of these activities will be accumulated in your participation grade.
Assignment 1/ CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION - Pre-Study Tour Test 15 %
Before travelling to Ireland, you will complete a short multiple-choice exam on cross-cultural communication terms as well as basic information about Northern Ireland and its divided society.
Assignment 2/ A FIELD REPORT: 35%
Based on our tour to Northern Ireland, write an article or photo essay that relates to cross-cultural communication and conflict in the province. Analyze the different forms of cross-cultural communication you have observed in Belfast or Londonderry. In addition to the article/photo essay submit two pages of personal reflections on your writing.
Assignment 3/MY VIEW OF DENMARK - COLLABORATION AND REPORTING ON DANISH CULTURE: 25%
Develop a media project on an aspect of life in Denmark in collaboration with other students and reflect on how your own culture affects the collaboration and the outcome.
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 deducted at a third of a grade point per day.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
Guest lectures and field studies may include:
- Guest speakers with insights into cross-cultural communications
- Organizations involved with cross-cultural communications
- Representatives of minority groups in Denmark or Sweden
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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