Syllabus
Course: Cross-Cultural Communication Studies
Instructor: Prof. LI Benxian
Office: Room G205 , School of English Studies
Office Hours: Subject to appointment
Course Overview:
This course, as rudiments of Cross-Cultural Communication Studies, is about what happens when
people from different cultures come together to share ideas, feelings, and information. More
specifically, it addresses how cu lture influences one’s verbal and nonverbal behavior, explains
why miscommunication and non-communication occur in the multicultural context. Thru the
course, you are expected to acquire some concepts and learn ABC theory popular in the field. With
the foundation and global view of IC, you can further explore issues related to IC such as ICC and
globalization, cultural differences and reconciliation strategies, culture and confrontations
between civilizations.
Objectives:
◆Enable you to explore the notion of culture and the ways it is conceptualized.
◆Familiarize the participants with the commonly used research methods and approaches in the
discipline.
◆Guide the participants to perceive the fundamental differences between cultures thru group
discussion and extensive critical reading.
◆Develop your bias-free attitude towards different insights into the major dimensions of selected
cultures.
◆Enhance your cultural awareness and ICC to reduce intercultural misunderstanding.
Course Requirement:
1. Attendance is mandatory. It is your responsibility to inform instructor ahead of time of your
possible absence. Three unexcused absences will result in a failure in the course.
2. You are expected to read all the assignments and come to class well prepared. You must
participate in class discussions by contributing rather than simply listening to your peers.
3. All the coursework should be typed according to MLA format and turned in promptly.
4. A valid email account is needed for convenient contact.
Evaluation:
You are required to write a three-thousand-word term-paper exploring an issue concerning
intercultural (cross-cultural) communication and turn it in before the vacations starts. In the paper
you should try to demonstrate your own thinking and make your judgment with regard to the
question you put forward. Too much citation without appropriate indication will result in low
grade or failure. When time permits, each of you will have some 6 minutes’ presentation before
class to share the views addressed in your paper. Remember a term-paper without a clearly-written
abstract will be considered an incomplete job. .
1).An Examination around Nov. tenth accounts for 25%
2).Term Paper with a clear abstract accounts for 65 percent
Active participation accounts for 10 percent .
Textbook and references:
1. 《跨文化交际学选读》杜瑞清 田德新 李本现 编 西安交通大学出版社 简称（Du ）
2. Li Benxian, Wen
Xiaoli, Yuan Yizhou 等编 西安交通大学出版社 简称（Li ）
3. Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter and Lisa A. Stefani
(required) 简称（Sa ）
4. Intercultural Communication () by Xu Lisheng (许力生) (optional)
5. Handouts
（没有基础的同学请同时准备赵编的和许编的教材以方便理解。）
Schedule
Syllabus
Course: Cross-Cultural Communication Studies
Instructor: Prof. LI Benxian
Office: Room G205 , School of English Studies
Office Hours: Subject to appointment
Course Overview:
This course, as rudiments of Cross-Cultural Communication Studies, is about what happens when
people from different cultures come together to share ideas, feelings, and information. More
specifically, it addresses how cu lture influences one’s verbal and nonverbal behavior, explains
why miscommunication and non-communication occur in the multicultural context. Thru the
course, you are expected to acquire some concepts and learn ABC theory popular in the field. With
the foundation and global view of IC, you can further explore issues related to IC such as ICC and
globalization, cultural differences and reconciliation strategies, culture and confrontations
between civilizations.
Objectives:
◆Enable you to explore the notion of culture and the ways it is conceptualized.
◆Familiarize the participants with the commonly used research methods and approaches in the
discipline.
◆Guide the participants to perceive the fundamental differences between cultures thru group
discussion and extensive critical reading.
◆Develop your bias-free attitude towards different insights into the major dimensions of selected
cultures.
◆Enhance your cultural awareness and ICC to reduce intercultural misunderstanding.
Course Requirement:
1. Attendance is mandatory. It is your responsibility to inform instructor ahead of time of your
possible absence. Three unexcused absences will result in a failure in the course.
2. You are expected to read all the assignments and come to class well prepared. You must
participate in class discussions by contributing rather than simply listening to your peers.
3. All the coursework should be typed according to MLA format and turned in promptly.
4. A valid email account is needed for convenient contact.
Evaluation:
You are required to write a three-thousand-word term-paper exploring an issue concerning
intercultural (cross-cultural) communication and turn it in before the vacations starts. In the paper
you should try to demonstrate your own thinking and make your judgment with regard to the
question you put forward. Too much citation without appropriate indication will result in low
grade or failure. When time permits, each of you will have some 6 minutes’ presentation before
class to share the views addressed in your paper. Remember a term-paper without a clearly-written
abstract will be considered an incomplete job. .
1).An Examination around Nov. tenth accounts for 25%
2).Term Paper with a clear abstract accounts for 65 percent
Active participation accounts for 10 percent .
Textbook and references:
1. 《跨文化交际学选读》杜瑞清 田德新 李本现 编 西安交通大学出版社 简称（Du ）
2. Li Benxian, Wen
Xiaoli, Yuan Yizhou 等编 西安交通大学出版社 简称（Li ）
3. Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter and Lisa A. Stefani
(required) 简称（Sa ）
4. Intercultural Communication () by Xu Lisheng (许力生) (optional)
5. Handouts
（没有基础的同学请同时准备赵编的和许编的教材以方便理解。）
Schedule