KOMK510 Intercultural Communication

School of Business Administration in Karvina
Winter 2007
Extent and Intensity
0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Krystyna Heinz (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Krystyna Heinz
Department of Tourism and Leisure Activities – School of Business Administration in Karvina
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Finance (programme OPF, M_HOSPOL)
Course objectives
The goal of the subject is the preparation of students for the European citizenship and the interaction accompanying it within multinational and multicultural contacts both from the point of view of communicative and intercultural competence. Students will be provided knowledge and skills related to social, political and economic institutions in various cultures. Special attention will be devoted to the development of students´ critical awareness concerning the ability to evaluate on the bases of explicit criteria accepted in their own culture and in other cultures. This approach will be based on the analytic attitude to culture phenomena, their context, the awareness of the own ideological perspectives and values, like e.g. human rights, religion, etc., as well as f the potential conflicts between cultures. Students will be led towards empathy, i.e. accepting different systems of culture values and negotiating in business environment.
Syllabus
  • A Outline of lectures:
    1. Defining culture
    cultural and cross-cultural awareness, elements of culture - ideas, products and behaviour, the role of pragmatics )
    2. Culture, thought and language
    (cognitive and linguistic development, taboos, colour categories, euphemisms, geographically conditioned aspects of language)
    3. Home culture and target culture
    (second language and culture learning, lingua franca, cultural differences and similarities, comparison of culture, gathering cultural data )
    4. National identity
    (traditional sociocultural patterns, positive and negative perceptions, globalisation, glocalisation, cultural adaptation )
    5. Cultural symbols and rituals
    (cultural reality and cultural imagination, subcultures, open versus closed doors, cultural codes in commercials )
    6. Cultural values
    (consciousness of cultural differences in values, beliefs and attitudes, commercial values, cultural connotations, social status, religions )
    7. Stereotyping
    (national stereotypes, examining stereotypes, "trap" words, overcoming stereotypes )
    8. Acculturation
    (adaptation to target culture, acculturation threshold, acculturation models, cultural conflict )
    9. Culture shock
    (symptoms of culture shock, its occurrence, concept of anomie, schizophrenic period of culture shock, prevention )
    10. Non-verbal communication
    (non-verbal channel of expression, kinesics, haptics, chronemics, proxemics and vocalics, universals, cross-cultural perceptual training )
    11. Theory of cultures
    (E. T Hall, G. Hofstede, A. Pilbeams and their theories of cultures, power distance, context, contact and masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, international negotiating styles)
    12. Multilingual dimension of the EU
    (bilingualism and multilingualism, cross-cultural rhetoric, culturally different patterns of communication )
    B Outline of seminars
    Students are offered case studies and exercises aimed at intercultural communication, vocabulary expansion, reading comprehension, translation, and development of language and communicative competence. Each unit comprises the following chapters:
    The structure of units:
    1. Reading and role play
    2. Case studies
    3. Intercultural tests
    Topics:
    Part A deals with general topics while part B focuses on specific cultures.
    A
    I Business Organization and Culture
    II Religions and Their Impact on Intercultural Communication
    III The Importance of Eating Habits for Various Cultures
    IV Division of Cultures
    V The Power of Non-Verbal Communication
    B
    VI Finnish Business Ethics
    VII Spanish Culture and Its Specifics
    VIII Holidays and Celebrations in Turkish Culture
    IX Russian Business Culture
    X American Individualism and Japanese Team Working
    XI The Potential of Polish Market and Polish Culture
    XII Revision - TEST YOURSELF
Literature
    required literature
  • HEINZOVÁ, K. Intercultural Communication. Karviná, 2001. ISBN 80-7248-120-7. info
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: Přednáška 8 HOD/SEM.
Teacher's information
The students should deliver a presentation in front of the class - 20 points, write a seminar work containg their own research - 20 points, actively participate in discussions - 10 points, and pass the final oral exam - 50 points. Out of 100 points they have to obtain 70% to pass the course. The course is finished by the oral examination.
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2008.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Winter 2007, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/opf/winter2007/KOMK510