Three 2-page field experience reports (submit on canvas) are due throughout course
Three 2-page field experience reports (submit on canvas) are due throughout course. Each report should integrate at least one idea from our course readings (a different idea each time). Be specific in referring to the idea and cite the pages where the information can be found in the text(s). When you refer to the idea in the text, you need to define it (so that I know you know what it means, and then explain why the experience is an example of that. Each report should be carefully proofread and demonstrate a high level of competence in written communication.
Choose your field experience from the following list and complete them in any order you choose. You can only do each experience once, so for the course, you will need to complete three different activities:
Ethnic Newswatch:
Compare the coverage of a news item in three different ethnic newspapers. What, if anything, is different about the way the story is represented in the different sources? Newspapers can be in any language you can read.
Cultural Interview:
Interview someone from another culture who is living in the US. Possible questions include: What surprises did you encounter when you came here? Do you feel you have adapted?
International Students:
Interview someone from a culture other than your own.
Cultural Exploration:
Visit an area of Salt Lake/Utah that is a gathering place for people different from your own cultural group. Reflect on how you feel as a “foreigner” there. Do you speak the language? What differences in communication (verbal and nonverbal) do you observe? What other differences do you notice?
Film Analysis:
Watch a foreign film (not made in the US or English-speaking Canada) and describe what you learned about another culture’s communication by watching the film. International students can choose a film from a culture other than the US or their own.
Literature Study:
Read a piece of fiction from another culture. What does it teach you about that culture’s communication? E-mail Relationship:
Find someone online from another culture and communicate with them via e-mail at least five times. Can you tell if the person is from another culture from their online communications? How? Save each e-mail message and include a printed copy in your analysis.
Be Responsible.
Paper For Above instruction
This assignment requires completing three separate 2-page field experience reports throughout the course. Each report must incorporate at least one concept from the course readings, clearly define that concept, and explain how the experience exemplifies it. The goal is to demonstrate understanding of intercultural communication theories in practical contexts, ensuring all reports are thoroughly proofread and well-written.
The three designated activities from which to select are: analyzing media coverage through Ethnic Newswatch, conducting a cultural interview with a non-American individual, and engaging in a cultural exploration within Salt Lake City or Utah. Alternatively, students may opt for a film analysis of a foreign film, reading a piece of foreign fiction, or establishing an online communication with a person from another culture via email.
Each activity offers insights into different facets of intercultural communication—language, media portrayal, personal adaptation, nonverbal cues, or communication styles across cultures—and the resulting report should reflect critical thinking and detailed observation. For example, in comparing newspapers from different ethnic groups, students should identify differences in language, framing, and content, linking these to theories such as framing theory or media representation (see pages 45–47 in our textbook). In conducting interviews, students should define concepts like cultural adaptation or cultural shock before assessing their interviewees' experiences relative to these theories.
Lastly, students must ensure academic integrity through proper citations of course readings and external sources, presenting their findings in a clear, organized, and polished manner. These reports contribute to understanding real-world applications of intercultural communication principles and foster greater cultural
awareness and sensitivity.
References
Leung, K. (2012). Intercultural Communication: A Critical Introduction. Routledge.
Kim, Y. Y. (2017). Becoming Interculturally Competent. Routledge.
Gudykunst, W. B. (2018). Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication. SAGE Publications.
Holliday, A. (2011). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. Routledge.
Barker, C., & Jane, E. (2016). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. Sage.
Hall, E. T. (1990). Understanding Cultural Differences. Yarmouth.
Kramsch, C. (1998). Language and Culture. Oxford University Press.
Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2018). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. McGraw-Hill Education.
Baker, C. (2015). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Multilingual Matters.
Sercu, L. (2017). Foreign language teachers and intercultural competence. The Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Competence.
