Note: The Fall 2013 page is here and the Spring 2013 class
page is here.
In this day and age, it is becoming increasingly more important to be
able to communicate with and understand different cultures.
We live in an era of rapid globalization in which being able to
communicate across cultures is imperative to our ability to function in
a diverse workplace, city, and world.
This course is designed for students interested in enhancing their
cross-cultural communication skills required in international settings.
It will also cover various everyday topics dealing with international
culture, enabling students to broaden their global horizons and enhance
their understanding of the world.
Students will be given the opportunity each week to share their
overseas experiences and opinions of the countries covered in our
textbook by posting their stories in this online forum.
Each week students will also be expected to comment on at least one
story posted by another student.
Online story submission guidelines:
1) Stories must be original and a minimum of 75 words (Please do
not just go to Wikipedia and copy & paste).
2) Comments on other student stories should be meaningful &
at least 15 words.
3) Stories should be submitted every week by 9 pm Sun. night,
and comments on other stories should be submitted by 9 pm Tues. night.
First stop will be America.
Then Saudi Arabia. And so on, all around the world, in accordance with
the list of countries below.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me
by clicking on the Contact Me button in the upper right corner of this
page or at my email address provided in class.
Students
will work together in groups of 3-4 students to study & conduct an
in-depth cultural comparison of at least 2 countries on various topics
such as youth culture, dating and marriage, food and drink, fashion,
education, corporate culture & business manners, student life,
friendships, family, etc.
On Wed. Jan. 23, 2013, all study groups will be required to give a 5-10
minute presentation, using software like PowerPoint, Keynote, etc., to
report on the results of their research. Within each 10-min. time slot,
please plan on about a 6-min. talk, to allow sufficient time for
Q&A and time for the next group to set up.
Presentation
schedule:
9:10-9:20 - Ivan's group
9:20-9:30 - Liisa's group
9:30-9:40 - Madis' group
9:40-9:50 - Reo's group
9:50-10:00 - Robin's group
10:00-10:10 - Takuya's group
Time will be given at the end of the rest of the classes for these
groups to work together, but it is likely that they will also have to
meet on occasion outside of classroom hours, particularly toward the
end of the semester in preparation for the final presentation.
Cultural Presentation Day
video
(View in separate
window here.)
0:00 Job Recruitment - Mexico & Japan
9:14 Family Values & Wedding Traditions - Russia,
Egypt, & India
22:02 Life of a Science Student - Estonia vs. Japan
34:02 Dating & Food - Japan & China
43:47 Cross Culture - Biggest Celebration Day - Japan, Indonesia,
& Germany
56:21 Splendid Festivals in China & Japan
Japan cam, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, &
Okinawa China cam, including the Great Wall, Beijing,
Tiananmen Square, Bell Tower, Xi'an, & the Terracotta Army Southeast Asia cam, including the Phi Phi Islands
& Bangkok in Thailand Central Europe cam, including Berlin, Germany Mexico cam, including Guadalajara, Acapulco, &
Mexico City
Show 'N' Tell Day video
(View in separate
window here.)
0:00 China #1
5:22 China #2
11:41 Estonia
22:42 Germany
34:10 Indonesia
40:23 Japan
43:49 Mexico
53:29 Thailand
Flightradar24
(real-time global aircraft tracking map)
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