Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | COM-1030-VO03S - Intercultural Communication

Synchronous Class

Synchronous courses are delivered through a combination of online and regularly-scheduled Zoom sessions. In synchronous classes, students must attend Zoom sessions and actively engage with each other and faculty in course activities and discussions.

Faculty

Katherine Maynard
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ashraf Alamatouri

General Education Requirements

CCV Communication

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course examines the role that culture plays in the human communication process. Students will examine the various dimensions of communication in a culturally diverse society, including those in interpersonal, small group, organizational and mass media. Students will explore both the theories of intercultural communication and the verbal and nonverbal applications associated with becoming a competent and effective communicator.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the central role that culture plays in all forms of communication and the important theories that provide the framework for understanding this field.
2. Explore the many factors that influence communication patterns within and across cultures, including those of race, class, gender, religion, age, abilities and sexual orientation.
3. Identify and reflect on cultural values that influence an individual’s perception and communication.
4. Interpret the social construction of verbal and nonverbal language, culture, and symbols.
5. Demonstrate communication competence through the awareness of intercultural dynamics and the effective application of verbal and nonverbal skills.
6. Prepare a formal presentation that demonstrates proficiency using the CCV Oral Communication Rubric.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Spring 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

COM-1030-VO03S Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:

This class meets in two way: One ZOOM session once each week, and also online. It is highly participatory, with many hands-on exercises and activities. I typically include the following in my approach:

1. ZOOM and online discussion forums
2. Assignments & activities to practice skills in your daily life.
3. Instructor Lecture/Demonstration
4. Exercises that you will do with a friend or family member
5. Short "Engagement" papers (designed to foster deeper personal reflection on concepts under review)
6. Hands-on artistic/creative projects
7. Links to Films and video clips
8. Self-Assessments
9. Weekly Online Chapter Quizzes - note that these are un-timed, open book, and you get two tries. The highest score prevails.
10. Two short oral reports: A Film/book review and one Cultural Research paper and presentation.

Evaluation Criteria

D. Criteria and Methods for Evaluating Students:

a). Class Participation: Each week students need to complete a short survey in which you will assess your learning for that week's ZOOM session and also assess your own participation and preparation for our meeting. This score considers your substantive and thoughtful in-class participation in both ZOOM and online discussions and also in our ZOOM based activities. Your final weekly score will be a collaboration between us, including my observations of your readiness and participation.

b). Quizzes

• Quizzes will be used to measure students’ basic comprehension, understanding and application of selected theories and concepts introduced in Chapters in the text, lectures, and discussions. They will be used as a means to measure knowledge and skill application across all the aforementioned learning objectives.
• Expect weekly Quizzes - to be completed online within the deadlines.
• Missed quizzes may not be made up. I drop the lowest quiz grade.

c). "Learning Activities" & Engagements. These assignments help assess students' knowledge and skills in relation to specific subject areas, and prompt students to self evaluate and apply course concepts to daily life situations.

d). FILM/BOOK summary/Oral Presentation. There will be one graded assignment focused on a review of a book or film related to course content. Each student will make a BRIEF presentation to the class about their chosen text or film.

e) You will submit a short research paper focused on a non-western culture of your choice - details are provided in CANVAS under DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS

A limited number of extra credit assignments will also be available.

All assignments will receive a numerical raw score. Final letter grades will be based on your cumulative total of points out of 1000 total possible points.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

We will meet in two ways this semester:

1. Class meets online via ZOOM every Wednesday evening starting January 24 from 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm.

I request that students have their cameras ON and their faces fully visible during ZOOM class sessions, set up so that we can see everyone.(If you are uncomfortable doing this, I suggest you choose a fully online class or else one that meets in person.)

Attendance Expectations:

Consider attendance in ZOOM meetings mandatory. To stay in good academic standing in this course, students should not accrue more than two absences, to be used in case a serious emergency or sickness prevents one from participating. Due to Class Participation points, all absences can detract from your grade. Whenever possible, notify me in advance of your absence. Just like at a workplace, it matters that you show up on time and stay for the entire class session. Arriving in our ZOOM class more than 10 minutes late or leaving before the end of class can also mean a loss of class participation points. If you have to miss class, please do the following:

• Notify me as soon as possible
• Submit all due work via CANVAS
• Review the week's Module and assignments - email me if questions.
• It's also a good idea to check in with a classmate who attended for a summary of what went on.

2. We also will "meet" online, using CANVAS as our learning platform. There will be links in each week's CANVAS module directing you to things to Read/Watch/Listeneach week, with specific assignments to complete each week.

3. Note that participation in the ZOOM session is required in order for students to be considered 'PRESENT" that week. Full class participation points can only be earned by students who do both ZOOM and online activities.

Please set yourself up in a space for ZOOM where there will be minimal distractions (kids, pets, TV noise, etc.) Also unless you are using your phone for ZOOM, I request that you turn it off when ZOOM is in session.

Student Responsibilities:

Students are expected to regularly attend class ZOOM meetings and to participate in online class discussions and interactive studies.

Have your textbooks and the prior week's assignments handy and accessible during our ZOOM class sessions. Discussion on the reading may take place both on ZOOM and in online discussion forums.

Other Expectations

At all times, we will strive to be respectful and assure that everyone can be heard and be as comfortable as possible.

Expectations for creating a positive classroom experience will be discussed in our first class or so. Generally consider these guidelines:

Full participation requires active and thoughtful engagement in class each week. The following habits and skills are important. You'll have the opportunity to self-assess and receive instructor feedback on each of these areas at throughout the semester.

Attend ZOOM class regularly, on time, and for the full session, with camera and microphone on.

• Complete the weekly Class Participation Survey after ZOOM.
• Convey respectful attention to others through your body posture and facial expressions
• Complete all of the week's reading and assignments before the start of class
• Listen to others with an open mind
• Positively contribute to class discussions and activities. Practice civil discourse.
• Ask questions and seek help when you need it
• Challenge yourself to do your best work
• NOTE: If you do not feel well enough to sit up straight (and not slump or lie down), I encourage you to use one of your allowed absences to rest and take care of yourself.

Missing & Late Work Policy

IMPORTANT POLICIES

1. ATTENDANCE: In order for this course to be a successful learning experience for you and others, active and attendance in our ZOOM class meetings is considered mandatory. See the section below on Participation Expectations.
2. To be counted as "Present" for the week, you need to participate in the ZOOM Sessions.
3. If circumstances require you to miss, two absences are permissible. Not participating in three sessions puts a student at risk for a lowered final grade or even to not pass the course. Not participating in four sessions usually results in an automatic fail barring extremely unusual circumstances.
4. Please complete and upload assignments and quizzes on time and in the format as directed.
5. Please review the expectations for creating a positive learning experience in our first Module. We will also craft our own agreements about our class norms early on.

Assignments Policy:

• Assignments need to be completed on time to earn full credit.
• Late homework has the following point deductions: 15% deduction for work 1-week late, 30% deduction for work 2-weeks late, and barring extreme circumstances.
• I do not generally accept any work that is more than 2 weeks late, barring extreme circumstances.

EXCEPTIONS:

Quizzes need to be done by the end of that Module week.

Discussion Forum posts are not accepted late (after the week's Module closes) because this is an interactive assignment and your classmates rely on others to participate fully in order to complete the assignment.

Homework assignments and "handouts" will be posted on CANVAS in weekly MODULES.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity