COMM 12: Intercultural Communcation Syllabus
Instructor: Meg Farrell
Phone: 741-2490
Campus email: meg_farrell@westvalley.edu
Office: LA 4E
Course Objectives: This course is designed to help you improve your intercultural communication skills in various situations by helping you to acknowledge and understand different viewpoints and perceptions by first understanding your own. It will assist you in the evaluation of your personal barriers to communicating with people from other cultures. This class explores the notion that there may be more than one way of viewing the world. Upon completion of this course, you should have: (1) a conceptual and practical understanding of what a culture is, (2) a less ethnocentric viewpoint of cultures differing from your native, (3) an understanding of the basic concepts, skills, principles and theories of intercultural communication.
Suggested Prerequisites: This class involves online work, extensive writing, and critical analysis. You will likely be more successful if you possess these skill sets, and if you have already taken Public Speaking.
Community Service Requirements: This class is devoted to community service learning. You will be required to do three one to two hour conversation sessions of community service work with the International Partners Program here at West Valley as part of your coursework. You may choose to complete additional sessions with your partner for possible extra credit of three points per additional session, with a maximum of 15 points.
Material Requirements: Experiencing Intercultural Communication, Martin and Nakayama, 2nd Edition
Course Assignments and Information (print off ANGEL during first week @ wvmccd.angellearning.com)
Course Requirements:
| Assignments | Points
|
| Project One | 40 |
| Project Two | 40
|
| International Partner Sessions | 20
|
| Group Project | 60
|
| Exam One | 40
|
| Exam Two | 40
|
| Participation/Homework/Journal | 60
|
| Total | 300
|
Grading: You will be given a point total based on clearly defined criteria. Assignments are not formally graded on a curve. Journal writings and papers must be typewritten to receive credit. Journals must be at least one page. Exams are true/false and/or multiple choice. Homework does not need to be typed. It is recommended that you keep copies of all of your graded assignments. Some course sessions, projects, communications, and assignments will require ANGEL log-ins. Use your initials and Student ID# for access.
Make-Up Policy: There are no make-up speeches, in-class assignments, homework, journals, or exams. Papers will be accepted one class period late for 50% credit. Papers without source citations or reference sections will receive deductions. You are only given the privilege to speak to the class if you submit a typed outline prior to your speech. No outline indicates a lack of preparation. You will know the dates you are scheduled to speak within the first week of class. If an emergency arises, please contact me regarding any possible exceptions to this policy. Being sick is not fun, but is not considered a major emergency.
Participation: Active class participation, completion of homework assignments and readings, contribution to class discussions and activities, regular use of ANGEL, and supportive listening behaviors during class are essential to this course. Lack of the above will result in a lowered participation grade. All student starts the semester with 20 participation points. Points are subtracted when participation is a problem or when assignments are neglected (i.e. no homework = minus 5 pts).
Attendance: Attendance and tardiness are recorded daily. You may miss one week of class without penalty. After that, each weekly session of class missed will result in minus 15 points from your overall grade, each bi-weekly minus 10 points. Missing more than half a class is considered an absence. There are no excused absences. The only exception to this policy is a life or death situation. If this should unfortunately occur, please contact me as soon as possible by phone and email. You may arrive to class late two times without penalty. After that, tardiness will result in a minus five points per tardy. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what was covered. If you are tardy on your speech day, you may not be allowed to give your speech. Most students who fail this class do so because they don’t show up. If you want to do well in this class: be here, be prepared, and be on time.
Dropping the Class: I drop students who miss any class period during the first two weeks without notification. I also reserve the right to drop students who miss more than six hours of class. If you are considering dropping the course for personal or academic reasons, please contact me before you officially drop. I would appreciate the opportunity to try to work with you to pass.
Academic Dishonesty: Cheating on test or assignments, plagiarizing speeches or assignments, falsifying community service hours are all examples of academic dishonesty. Examples of plagiarism include not citing sources in your outline and/or not providing a reference section. All forms of academic dishonesty and plagiarism are grounds for failing the assignment and the course, and for academic probation. Papers submitted without references will not receive credit until revisions are made. Revisions made by the end of the day will receive minus five points, revisions made before the next class will receive a 50% deduction.
Disabilities: This instructor and West Valley College make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Please contact DESP (731-2010) and me privately to discuss your specific needs.
Student Conduct: Students are treated like professionals and are therefore expected to act in turn. Keep cell phones, sunglasses, and audio headphones off during class time. Treat each of us with respect and compassion, even if you strongly disagree with the opinions that are shared. Listen with your heart as well as your intellect. Dress professionally on speech days and do not wear hats during speeches. Disorderly conduct, and/or illegal, dangerous or acutely distracting behavior will not be tolerated. Gender, cultural, sexual orientation, ethnic, and racial discrimination will not be tolerated and will be grounds for dismissal.
Success: If you sincerely try, you will achieve success in this class. Sincerely trying means: keeping up with assignments, being on time and prepared for class, supporting your classmates, developing organized outlines and speech notes, utilizing technology for research and visuals, demonstrating professionalism and effective listening behaviors, and delivering a practiced speech. I want you to be successful; however there is only so much I can do to help make that happen. You are accountable for your experience. Make it a positive one!