97903 Intercultural and International Communication

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: International Studies: Professional Learning
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Anti-requisite(s): 97902 Intercultural and International Communication

Description

This subject provides students with theoretical and practical expertise needed in the field of intercultural communication in order to function in the global work environment. It introduces students to key debates in intercultural theory and communication, helps students to analyse and develop strategies for functioning in intercultural situations and organisations, and gives students the opportunity to apply their learning to contemporary, real-world instances of intercultural communication.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a.	Use and apply knowledge of intercultural communication theories, concepts and frameworks
b.	Understand perceptions and the role of discourses and representations in the Australian context, including Indigenous people related aspects
c.	Reflect critically on one’s own perceptions and behaviours in intercultural communication and apply to professional contexts
d.	Design and conduct independent, ethical, small scale research in and about aspects of intercultural communication
e.	Present assignments in an appropriate professional and intercultural register

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (INT = International Studies CILOs):

Apply a body of practice-oriented knowledge and skills to develop, implement and evaluate innovative solutions to real-world communication challenges with a high level of personal autonomy and accountability (1.1)
Plan and execute a substantial body of research (2.1)
Critically and creatively re-think and reflect on public relations, advertising and organisational change models and practices for the 21st century beyond dominant models and approaches (2.2)
Locate, gather, organise and synthesise information across diverse platforms to guide their mastery of contemporary communication issues and challenges (2.3)
Analyse the opportunities and constraints organisational communication poses for Indigenous people and issues and learn how to be led by diverse Indigenous perspectives to identify new ways of imagining and creating communication solutions for a range of issues and publics (4.1)
Graduates are able to exercise leadership in the development of communication strategies that address challenges and implement solutions on issues of exclusion, equity, cultural difference and social justice (5.1)
Graduates are able to persuade and engage diverse audiences through both written and oral communication strategies across a range of media formats with consideration of others' needs and views (6.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject is delivered through (a) nine weekly 2-hour seminars; and (b) weekly online learning activities and readings. Students are required to actively contribute to the exchange of knowledge and ideas. This will be enforced with some hurdles being in place so that progress from one activity to another is only possible after completion of the previous step. Teaching and learning strategies include videos, presentations, discussions of readings, case studies and individual work

Content (topics)

The global flows of people through work, migration and tourism produce intercultural encounters through face-to-face interactions, digital media (television, social media, blogs, music streaming, etc.), and formal education. In order for encounters to be successful (have positive outcomes), they require the development of cultural awareness and appropriate communication behaviour. This subject starts by giving students an overview of intercultural communication theories. It then considers these theories in light of case studies of real-world situations of intercultural communication. Building on this foundation, students apply this knowledge to their own intercultural experiences through critical self-reflexivity. Students will have opportunities to explore different facets of interculturality related to their place of work, career aspirations or more general interactions in a globalised world.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Quiz

Objective(s):

Weight:

10%

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Level of knowledge of IC theories and concepts	50	a	1.1
Level of knowledge about ways to apply IC theories and concepts	50	a	2.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Analysis

Objective(s):

a, b, c and e

Weight:

40%

Length:

1500 words

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Coherence and comprehensiveness of argumentation	20	c	2.2
Critical analysis of chosen example using IC concepts and theories	40	a	1.1
Depth of discussion of historical and contemporary consequences, including Indigenous viewpoints	20	b	4.1
Accuracy and clarity of written expression	20	e	6.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Investigation of lived experiences of multiculturalism

Objective(s):

a, b, c, d and e

Weight:

50%

Length:

Screen recording: 6 minutes

Reflection: 300 words

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Comprehensiveness and coherence of presentation of research findings	30	d	2.3
Depth of critical discussion of lived experiences and learning for professional purposes	30	a, b	1.1
Professionalism and cultural sensitivity of communication and in multimedia production	10	e	6.1
Depth of critical reflection of own IC and application to social and professional situations	30	c	5.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Regular and active participation in all learning activities of the subject is essential and will be recorded on a weekly basis. Gaining new insights and perspectives is only available through the workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor.

Required texts

No texts required to be purchased by students. All readings are specified on Canvas and can be accessed through the Library subject reading catalogue.

Recommended texts

Alberts, J.K., Nakayama, T.K. & Martin J.N, 2012, Human Communication in Society, 3rd ed., Pearson, Upper Saddle River.

Anderson, B.R.O. 1991, Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, Verso, London.

Appadurai, A. 1990, ‘Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy’, in M. Featherstone (ed.) Global Culture: Nationalism, Globalization and Modernity, Sage, London, pp. 295–310.

Bardhan, N., & Weaver, C.K. 2011, Public Relations in Global Cultural Contexts. Multi-Paradigmatic Perspectives, Routledge, London and NY.

Bonvillain, N. 2011, Language, Culture and Communication, 6th edn, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River.

Botan, C. H. 2017, Strategic Communication: Theory and Practice, John Wiley & Sons, eBook.

Bratt Paulston, C., Kiesling, S. F. & Rangel, E. S. 2012, The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse andCommunication, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester.

Crossman, J, Bordia, S & Mills, C. 2011, Business Communication: for the Global Age. McGraw-Hill, North Ryde.

Craig, R., & Muller, H. (Eds.) 2007, Theorising communication: Readings across traditions. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Curtin, P.A., & Gaither, T.K. 2007, International Public Relations. Negotiating Culture, Identity, and Power, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Dai, X. & Chen, G.-M. 2017, Conflict Management and Intercultural Communication. The Art of Intercultural Harmony, Routledge, London and NY.

Daymon Ch., & Demetrious, K. 2014, Gender and Public Relations. Critical Perspectives on voice, image and identity, Routledge, Milton Park, UK.

Deardorff, D. (ed.) 2009, The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence, SAGE, Thousand Oaks.

Dervin, F, 2017, Interculturality in Education. A Theroretical and Methodological Toolbox, Palgrave Pivot, London.

Goodall, H.L. Jr., Goodall, S. & Schiefelbein, J. 2009, Business and Professional Communication in the Global Workplace, Wadsworth.

Gudykunst, W.B. and Kim, Y.Y. 2003, Communicating with Strangers, 4th edn, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Guilherme, M. et al. (Eds) 2010, The Intercultural Dynamics of Multicultural Working, Multilingual Matters, Bristol.

Hall, E.T. 1976, Beyond Culture, Doubleday, New York.

Heath, R.L., Toth, E.L., & Waymer, D. (Eds.) 2009, Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations II, Routledge, London and NY.

Hobsbawn, J. (ed.) 2006, Where the truth lies, 2nd ed, Atlantic Books, London.

Holliday, A. Hyde, M., & Kullman, J. 2017, Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book for Students, Routledge, London and NY.

Holliday, A. 2011, Intercultural Communication and Ideology, SAGE, London.

Jackson J. (ed.) 2012, Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication, Routledge, Abingdon.

Kim, Y.Y. 2001, Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Liddicoat, A. J. 2015, Interculturality. The International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Littlejohn, S., Foss, K., & Oetzel, J. 2017, Theories of human communication,11th ed., Waveland, Long Grove, IL.

McKie, J., & Munshi, D. 2007, Reconfiguring Public Relations. Ecology, Equity, and Enterprise, Routledge, London and NY.

Nakayama, T.K. & Halualani, R.T. (Eds) 2010, The Handbook of Critical Intercultural Communication,

Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.

Piller, I. 2017, Intercultural Communication: A Critical Introduction, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Sorrells, K. 2013, Intercultural Communication: Globalization and Social Justice, SAGE, Thousand Oaks.

Sriramesh, K. & Vercic, D 2012, The Global Public Relations Handbook. Theory, Research, and Practice, Lawrence Erlbaum Ass, Mahwah NJ and London.

Ting-Toomey, S. 1999, Communicating Across Cultures, The Guilford Press, New York/London.

Ting-Toomey, S. & Chung, L.C. 2012, Understanding Intercultural Communication, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Toth, E. L. (Ed.) 2007, The Future of Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. Challenges for the Next Generation. Lawrence Erlbaum Ass. Mahwah, NJ.

West, R., & Turner, L.H. 2011, Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times, Wadsworth, Boston.

VanSlyke Turk, J., & Valin, J. 2017, Public relations case studies from around the world, 2nd ed., Peter Lang, NY.

Yunkaporta, T. 2019, Sand Talk, The Text Publishing Company. Melbourne.

References

All references and citations have to be in APA 7th style. Please check the library website for referencing guides.