Davis A. Foulger, Ph. D.

Visiting
Professor
Fall, 2005-Spring, 2006
and Fall 2001-Spring 2003

COM 422 - Intercultural Communication

Semester Syllabus - Spring, 2006

Tuesday-Thursday
3:55pm-5:15pm
Lanigan 106A

Dr. Foulger

Course Description and Expectations / Lecture Notes

Course Description

This course explores the nature of communication within and between cultures. If we are shaped by our communication, we are also shaped by the culture in which we do that communication. Our culture shapes our expectations of others, the things we assume are normal and reasonable, the way we think, the ways in which we communicate, and the things we teach our children. This class will challenge students to thing about their own cultural assumptions and explore the ways in which these assumptions differ from those held by people in other cultures. We will do this by exploring contemporary theory of intercultural communicaiton, applying a series of qualitative communication research methodologies to both the observation of communication in other cultures and interrogation of our own cultural experience.

Texts

Martin, J.N. and Nakayama, T.K. (2004). Intercultural Communication in Contexts, Third Edition. McGraw Hill.
Martin, J.N., Nakayama, T.K. and Flores, L.A.. (2002). Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts, Second Edition. McGraw Hill.

Lecture Notes

My usual practice is to make my lecture notes directly available to the class via the Internet. To the extent that it is possible to do so (and I will endeavor to make it possible). I will display those lecture notes during class. You can print them out later. You may be able to print them out before class, but I don't guarantee that you will. I known for changing my lecture notes right up to the beginning of class (and sometimes during class), however. The version posted at the end of class can generally be considered to be reliable.

Grading:

 

Weight

Description

Mid-term

10%

Classic Question and Answer testing, conducted at the end of the semester. Covers all of the material covered in first half of the course, including classroom discussion and textbooks. It will almost certainly be graded on a curve.

Final

15%

Classic Question and Answer testing, conducted at the end of the semester. Covers all of the material covered in the course, but with a heavier focus on the second half of the course, including classroom discussion and textbooks. It will almost certainly be graded on a curve.

Index Card Assignments

10%

Index card assignments entail doing a small assignment involving thought or observation, but usually with the restriction that the output of the assignment (your answer or observation) must fit on one side of a 3x5 card. There will be between 10 and 20 such assignments, each worth about .66 (10/15). These will not be graded. Simply turning them in on time nets the points, but deductions will be taken if it is obvious that a particular assignment wasn't taken seriously. Index Card Assignments will frequently be used in the course of class discussions.

Short Paper 1

12%

A short (approximately three page) research paper that may be reused in your term paper.

Short Paper

12%

A short (approximately three page) research paper that may be reused in your term paper.

Term Paper

26%

A longer (at least six pages; but at least 10 pages for the possibility of any kind of A) research paper. Will be presented in class.

Participation

15%

You should bring two questions to class each day based on the readings. Write them on one side of an index card. Lectures will often take the form of a conversation in which you ask questions and we discuss the answers to those questions. This portion of the grade will be based on your preparation and ability to both ask good questions and participate in answering them. If I feel strongly that the class is not prepared, I may give a quiz that will count as a part of this portion of the grade.

Total Grade (based on above)

100%

 

Effort Bonus

Up to 10%

An optional addition, based on good and enthusiastic participation, interest in subject matter, etc. There is no guarantee I will give any of these points to anyone.

Attendance:

There are several layers of content associated with this course, including:
All of these elements contribute to the overall learning experience of this class, and you will necessary miss out on these layers if you miss class. The most important of these is your grade. My experience (and the experience of others) is that students who miss classes attain much lower grades than those that do, and the more they miss, the worse they do. This is true even in classes where grades are fairly automated, as is often the case in exam-based large lecture classes.
While I do not grade based on attendance, I do take attendance (I am required to by law) and will only accept index card assignments or questions at the time I collect them in class.
Bottom line: Be here.

My Attendance

I will notify the class if, for any reason, I will not be there. I have never missed a class without notifying the class of it by some means. I do not plan to start now. You are not free to leave until either I dismiss class or the class period ends. It does not matter if you believe there is an amount of time after which you are free to leave. If you aren't there when I arrive, you weren't in class that day.
Bottom line: Normal time limits on my arrival do not apply. If I'm not there yet, take out your questions and start discussing the readings.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

I have caught a number of students attempting to pass off other people's work as their own. Such behavior is unacceptable in any classroom, and I won't accept it in mine. My usual practice will be to zero any assignment on which a student has been found to be cheating and consult with the department chair on what other actions may be appropriate
Examples of cheating include:
Bottom line: Write in your own words and reference the ideas you use to the sources you read them in.

Disabling Conditions

Students who have a disabling condition which might interfere with their ability to successfully complete this course are encouraged to speak to me confidentially or to contact the Office of Disability Services (x3358, 210 Swetman). I will be happy to cooperate in identifying alternate means of demonstrating mastery of the course material where there is a demonstrable need.
Bottom line: I'm here to help.

Late Assignments:

It is your responsibility to ensure that all assignments are submitted by the due date. I will reduce the grade on an assignment by 5% for every class period by which it is late.

Questions, Problems and Incompletes:

If you have a question I encourage you to ask it in class. There are no stupid questions; only answers that didn't need to be. If you don't know the answer to a question it is likely someone else is curious as well. Please ask. The worst that can happen is that I defer my answer to a meeting after class or during office hours.
If you have a problem in the class I encourage you to contact me as quickly as possible. Several means of contact are listed at the top of my SUNY Oswego home page, including telephone, e-mail, and instant messenger. I also maintain regular office hours. Note, in particular, that I will not grant an incomplete for the course unless you talk to me about it in advance or I am aware of conditions which would make it impossible for you to do so.