University of Technology Sydney

99218 Intercultural 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: 8 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 99200 Intercultural Communication

Description

This subject provides an introduction to the core concepts and debates in the interdisciplinary field of intercultural communication. It is designed to help prepare students for the interpersonal and dynamic nature of working in increasingly globalised workplaces and intercultural environments. Using a problem-based approach, students learn to critically examine numerous frameworks and theories to interpret intercultural encounters in praxis-based scenarios. The applicability of specific strategies and approaches in intercultural communication are also examined for their relevance to industry, communities and in society more broadly.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a. Critically engage with intercultural communication theories and frameworks and apply these theories to analyse diverse cultural situations and spaces
b. Reflect on own perceptions of intercultural spaces and encounters and intercultural skills development for professional and everyday contexts
c. Design and conduct independent, ethical, small scale research about aspects of interculturality
d. Recognise the ongoing impact of colonialism on and positive contributions of Indigenous cultures in intercultural spaces
e. Communicate effectively and appropriately in written and oral academic English

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):

  • Understand and employ effective strategies to operate within professional and everyday settings across diverse cultures in Australia and/or internationally. (INT.1.1)
  • Evaluate critically theoretical and specialised knowledge of contemporary societies, cultures and workplaces. (INT.2.1)
  • Analyse, generate and communicate creative solutions to work-related problems within professional and everyday settings across diverse cultures in Australia and internationally. (INT.2.2)
  • Understand and engage with cultural diversities in Australia and/or internationally. (INT.3.1)
  • Communicate effectively and appropriately in an additional language for everyday and professional purposes. (INT.3.2)
  • Engage critically with current issues to act in socially responsible ways in Australian and international settings. (INT.5.1)
  • Communicate clearly and effectively in written and spoken language using diverse digital technologies. (INT.6.1)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject engages with the following Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Graduates Attributes:

1. Professional Readiness

2. Critical and Creative Inquiry

3. International and Intercultural Engagement

4. Active Citizenship

5. Effective Communication

Teaching and learning strategies

Classes will incorporate a range of teaching and learning strategies including presentations, videos, online learning materials, reflective surveys, discussion of readings, international case studies and group activities. These will be complemented by independent student research, readings and participation in online discussion forums.

Feedback on assessment tasks will be provided in class, through quizzes and via GradeBook in Canvas.

Content (topics)

The subject starts by giving you an overview of intercultural communication theories and how they are used to categorise and describe cultures. Critically reflecting on these theories, you will explore the notions of culture and identity in particular focussing on how these notions are shaped by communication and represented in our globalised world.

Building on this foundation, you'll explore the complexities of cultural competence, including how cultural awareness is built. This is developed through critical reflection of case studies and your own intercultural encounters and experiences.

You will have opportunities to explore different facets of intercultural life in Australia according to your particular area of professional interest and to apply the theoretical knowledge you have built to develop nuanced intercultural understandings.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Interculturality in the Hood

Objective(s):

a, b, c, d and e

Type: Report
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 40%
Length:

10 minutes video presentation (please make sure you comply with the time limit).
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Relevance, description and discussion of intercultural spaces identified 20 c INT.3.1
Relevance and clarity of concepts used to theorise about chosen intercultural spaces 20 a INT.2.1
Depth of critical reflection on one's own positionality in relation to the intercultural spaces 10 b INT.2.1
Effective communication, use of non-essentialist and positive language when speaking about and acknowledging Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, communities and places 25 e INT.3.2
Depth of recognition and discussion of Indigenous and contested spaces and the ongoing impact of colonisation 25 d INT.5.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: My intercultural adventure Part 1

Objective(s):

a, b, c and e

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Group, group assessed
Weight: 30%
Length:

10 minutes presentation
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Feasibility of research design including abstract 20 a INT.1.1
Depth of discussion of research findings 20 c INT.3.1
Connection of research project and research findings to intercultural learning in the scholarly literature 20 a INT.2.1
Depth of critical reflection including application to professional contexts 20 b INT.1.1
Effectiveness of groupwork and clarity of oral expression 20 e INT.6.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Written reflection

Objective(s):

a, b and e

Type: Reflection
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 30%
Length:

1000 words

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Depth of critical reflection, own personal reflections and engagement with the scholarly intercultural communication literature 50 a INT.2.1
Depth of application of reflections to professional contexts 25 b INT.2.2
Effectiveness and clarity of written expression, including referencing 25 e INT.6.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Recommended texts

Required texts are posted in the weekly activities on Canvas. Please check and prepare readings every week.

References

Some additional readings and references:

Alberts, J. K., Nakayama, T. K. & Martin J. N. (2012). Human Communication in Society, 3rd ed., Pearson.

Anderson, B. (1991). Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso.

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

Bonvillain, N. (2011). Language, Culture and Communication, 6th edn, Prentice Hall. Deardorff, D. (ed.) (2009). The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence. Sage.

Deardorff, D.J. (2009). The Sage Handbook of intercultural competence. Sage

Fitzpatrick,F. (2020). Understanding Intercultural Interaction: An Analysis of Key Concepts. Emerald Publishing.

Fredericks, B. (2013). 'We don't leave our identities at the city limits': Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in urban localities. Australian Aboriginal studies, (1), 4-16.

Gudykunst, W. B. & Kim, Y. Y. (2003). Communicating with Strangers, 4th edn, McGraw-Hill.

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

Holliday, A., Hyde, M., & Kullman, J. (2012). Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book for Students. Routledge.

Holliday, A. (2016). Difference and awareness in cultural travel: negotiating blocks and threads. Language and Intercultural Communication,16(3), pp. 318-331.

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

Jackson, J. (2020). Introducing Language and Intercultural Communication (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351059275

Kim, Y. Y. (2001). Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation. Sage.

Liddicoat, A. J. (2015). Interculturality. In The International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction. John Wiley.

Nakayama, T. K., & Halualani, R. T. (eds) (2010). The Handbook of Critical Intercultural Communication. Wiley-Blackwell.

Piller, I. (2011). Intercultural Communication: A Critical Introduction. Edinburgh University Press.

Somerville, M. (2007). Place literacies. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, The, 30(2), 149-164.

Sorrells, K. (2013). Intercultural Communication: Globalization and Social Justice. Sage.

Ting-Toomey, S. (1999). Communicating Across Cultures. The Guilford Press.

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

UNESCO (2013). Intercultural Competences: Conceptual and Operational Framework. UNESCO.

Ward, C.A., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The Psychology of Culture Shock. Routledge.

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