I300 Global Dialogues
Course Outline
Fall 2006
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-10:15 a.m.
Room: ES2132
Dr. Hilary E. Kahn (IUPUI)
and
Dr. Olga Leontovich (VSPU)
Dr. Kahn’s Contact Information
Office: 2129 (stop in or make appt.)
Phone: 317-274-3812
Email: (best way to get in touch)
This unique course will provide the necessary methodological and theoretical tools to examine global issues and to critically consider international interaction and intercultural communication. This course, however, is truly distinctive because we will utilize innovative communication technology to link, in real-time, an IUPUI class with a class in Volgograd, Russia. Ultimately, the format and the international dialogue emerging from the course will itself become a focus of its analysis.
The co-instructors for the course are Dr. Olga Leontovich (Communication Studies) and Dr. Hilary Kahn (International Affairs, Anthropology, Honors). Dr. Leontovich is from Volgograd State Pedagogical University in Russia. We will meet every Tuesday with her Intercultural Communication Class in Russia; English will be the language of instruction and dialogue. Other faculty members, from IUPUI and VSPU, will provide guest lectures on occasion. On Thursdays, the IUPUI course will meet alone for discussion, further lectures, and analysis. We will also have the opportunity on Thursdays to link up with other international universities to discuss particular topics of interest.
Course Objectives
1) To foster student interest in foreign cultures, international travel, cross-cultural connections, global dialogues
2) To create an atmosphere where students are aware of the diversity within nations, cultures, ethnicities, and religions
3) To instill philosophy of respect, sensitivity, and cultural relativism; to reduce ethnocentric tendencies and to break down stereotypes.
4) To provide the necessary academic tools (theories, methods) to facilitate intercultural dialogue and to critically analyze intercultural communication and international interaction
5) To explore issues of global concern from interdisciplinary perspectives
6) To make students more globally competent, as well as more aware of local issues of social concern.
Required Texts/Readings (all available electronically)
-Faye D. Ginsburg, Lila Abu-Lughod, and Brian Larkin (2002) Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain, UC Press (MWA)
-Ellen Summerfield (1993) Crossing Cultures Through Film, Intercultural Press (CCF)
-Andrew Beck (2001) Communication Studies: An Essential Introduction, Routledge (CSI)
-Nigel Rapport (2000) Social and Cultural Anthropology: Key Concepts, Routledge (SCA)
*****PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE THREE BOOKS CAN BE FOUND ON E-BRARY. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY THEM. THEY ARE ON-LINE AND FREE FOR STUDENTS.
-Horst, Heather (2006) The Blessings and the Burdens of Communications: Cell Phones in Jamaica Transnational Social Fields, in Global Networks. 6:2 (143-159)
www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1471-0374.2006.00138.x
Films
Students are also required to watch the following films by the dates listed on the syllabus. The films will be on reserve and can be watched at the University Library at IUPUI, or you can obtain them through your own means.
-Lost in Translation (2003) Directed by Sofia Coppola
-Spanglish (2004) Directed by James L. Brooks
-In America (2003) Foxlight Productions
-Cuckoo (2003) Directed by Alexander Rogozhkin
Assignments and Point Values
Cultural Analysis of a Photograph (group project with students in Volgograd) 100
Mid-Term 200
4 Film/Dialogue Assessments (50 points each) 200
Take-Home Essay Final 200
Group Led Discussions and Paper (done with students in Russia) 200
Participation/Attendance 100
Grading Scale
970-1000 A+
930-969 A
900-929 A-
870-899 B+
830-869 B
800-829 B-
770-799 C+
730-769 C
700-729 C-
670-699 D+
630-669 D
600-629 D-
The four Film/Dialogue Assessments will be based upon a critical analysis of the films watched by students at VSPU and IUPUI and on supporting lectures and dialogues. These will be 3-4 pages in length. You will be graded primarily for critical analysis, but also for content, clarity, organization, presentation, and creativity. These must be typed, spell-checked, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and font no bigger than 12 point. They will be due within two weeks after each film is discussed, and you will be expected to apply the theories and methods learned in class to the content of the film and the subsequent discussions.
Cultural Analysis of a Photograph: Ten Photographs (five representing American culture and five representing Indonesian culture) will be used for this assignment. Small groups of students (2 or 3 students) will be assigned a photograph to analyze for content, meaning, significance (cultural and individual), context, family structure, relation to national culture, and power assessment. Some students will have photos that represent their own culture; others will not. The students will write up their analysis (approx. 5 pages, typed) and then we will discuss the differing results on a Tuesday class. This will be a wonderful opportunity for students to begin to dialogue with their Russian counterparts and also to see how culture influences modes of communication, interpretation of imagery, perception of values, and kin structure.
Group Led Presentations and Discussions These presentations will be done by groups of students from IUPUI and VSPU. Students will correspond outside the classroom, either through chat rooms or emails, in order to complete this project. The groups will choose and agree upon a topic of global significance, which they will discuss, analyze, and critically consider the multiple viewpoints espoused. Topics must be approved by the instructors by Week 8. There are two goals for these discussions: 1) they will allow students to further investigate topics of interest, and 2) the students will present and critically consider the topics from multiple and potentially conflicting points of view. Thus, the students will witness the diversity of interpretation across cultures and within cultures. Ultimately, however, even through the differences, the students will have to maintain open dialogue, since they will have to work together in order to complete the assignment. In addition to the oral discussion, each group is also expected to hand in a 8-10 page written paper that will provide details on the topic, discuss problems that arose during the collaborative endeavor, further explain the multiplicity in perspectives, and that lists bibliographic sources utilized. Presentations and paper will be graded on organization, use of materials, understanding of topic, critical assessment of the diversity in interpretations, and depth of investigation. Copies of correspondence, emails, and group dialogue is also required. Presentation is worth 75 points; written paper is 100 points; and evidence of participation is worth 25 points.
Final Exam and Mid-term will be essay form and will cover lecture, reading, and discussion material. They will be graded on content, contextualization of ideas, examples from life and class, use of class methods and theories, organization, clarity, and creativity. The Mid-term will cover mostly lecture, reading, and discussion material. You will be asked to generally analyze the intercultural dialogue and interaction that the course provided and to critically consider the multiple perspectives represented through the first half in the context of the lectures provided by the professors. For the final, you will be asked to list what you have learned throughout the semester. You will be expected to consider what you have learned in greater global contexts and by utilizing the methods and theories discussed throughout the semester.
Participation and attendance is worth 10% of your grade. This can make a significant difference for the final grade. You are not allowed to miss a Tuesday class without a very good documented reason. You can miss one Thursday class without losing points on your participation grade. After that one class, you will be deducted five points for each missed Thursday. If you miss a Tuesday class without proof of illness or some other emergency, you will lose ten points from your grade. To receive your full points in this grading area, we expect to hear from you during the class itself. Never be afraid to ask a question. No question is too silly or trivial. However, please do not talk during lectures (this is particularly important due to the technology we will be using) and make sure beepers and cell phones are turned off. Please raise your hand if you want to ask a question.
Cheating and plagiarism are absolutely forbidden. Any form of cheating and plagiarism will result in an automatic ‘0’ on the work in question and an automatic ‘0’ in the area of participation. Therefore, if caught cheating on an exam, you will most likely fail the course. Additionally, the instructor will report the incident to the Student Services Office. Remember that cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and can possibly lead to a student’s expulsion from the University.
We expect each student to prepare for class. This means doing the readings and studying for exams. This is your responsibility. On the other hand, we understand that students have lives outside the classroom, lives which at times conflict with school demands. If you have a personal problem, tell us. But do not lie to us. We do not like that.
Topic and Reading Schedule
Week 1 (August 24): Introduction
Week 2 (August 29 and 31): Culture and Communication
August 31: Read CSI (chapter on Communication) and SCA (Essay on Codes, p.41)
Week 3 (September 5 and 7): Introductions with VSPU and more on Communication
Sept 5: First Videoconference with VSPU
Sept 7: Read CS (chapter on Non-verbal Communication)
Week 4 (September 12 and 14):
Sept 12: Discussion on Non-Verbal Communication
Sept. 14: Ways to Analyze Communication and Culture
Read CSI (Chapter on Texts and Meanings) and SCA (Section on Culture) and CCF (Chapter 1 “Why Films”)
TURN IN PHOTOS TO PROFESSORS BY THE END OF THIS WEEK
Week 5 (September 19 and 21):
Sept 19: Discussion/Lecture on First Film: Lost In Translation (Culture Shock)
Sept. 21: SCA (essay on Culture)
Week 6 (September 25 and 27): Communication, Race, and Gender
Sept. 25: Lecture with VSPU: Discussion on Gender and Communication
Sept. 27: Read Chapter on electronic reserve (will provide more info)
Week 7 (October 3 and 5): Language and Identity
October 3: Discussion/Lecture on Second Film: Spanglish
October 5 No Reading: Work in Groups on Photo Analysis Assignment
Mid-term Question Handed Out
Week 8 (October 10 and 12): Visual Communication and the Power of Sight
October 10: Discussion of Photo Assessments
October 12: Presentation Topics Approval Deadline
SCA (Essay on Visualism, p. 388)
Week 9 (October 17 and 19): Mass Media and Identity
October 17: MW: Chapter 13 (Davíla), Chapter 19 (Hobart), and article by Horst
October 19: Mid-term Due
Week 10 (October 24 and 26): Indigenous Peoples and Communication
October 24: MW: Chapter 1 (Ginsburg) and Chapter 3 (Turner), Chapter 2 (Prins)
Week 11 (October 31 and November 2):
November 2: Discussion/Lecture on Third Film: In America
Reading: TBA
Week 12 (November 7 and 9): Global Health
November 7: Guest Lecture by Natalia Rekhter (SPEA, IUPUI)
Reading: TBA
Week 13 (November 14 and 16): Students Choose Topic for Discussion this Week****
Week 14: (November 21)
November 21: Discussion/Lecture on Fourth Film: Cuckoo (rethinking verbal and non-verbal communication)
No Reading: Work on Presentations
Week 15: (November 28 and 30) Presentations
Week 16 (December 5) Presentations
Take Home Final Due on Tuesday December 12