Communication in Multicultural Settings

This course examines the social, cultural and linguistic factors that play a role in how intercultural communication is accomplished in multilingual/ multicultural settings and will enable students to gain the knowledge and tools needed for effective participation in multilingual/multicultural communication. The course is designed for students in all programs (T&I, business, policy, and TESOL/TFL), who will find themselves interacting with people across varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds .

The goals of this course are to:

(1) gain the knowledge needed to understand and interact effectively in multilingual/multicultural settings. This includes knowledge about social, cultural, and linguistic factors in terms of how they interact with each other and how they affect and are affected by interactions in multilingual/multicultural settings;

(2) develop an understanding of the roles linguistic and cultural attitudes play in interactions across multilingual and multicultural settings and how they influence the success of such interactions;

(3) develop the awareness needed to successfully participate in multilingual/multicultural interactions. This addresses not only the knowledge and attitudes discussed above but also how communication/interaction is structured across cultures and languages, how communication is monitored while in interaction, and what factors support or hinder successful interactions;

(4) develop "tools" for understanding our own and others' ways of interacting in order to be able to participate effectively in multilingual/multicultural interactions across a range of languages and cultures.