So539 Engaging Diversity in Communication with Cultural Others

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Dana Jakubjanská, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
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
Course objectives
The main goal is to develop students' intercultural skills and the capacity to fully engage with diversity in and out of the classroom. By diversity we mean individual as well as group differences that students and teachers bring into the learning environment (for example, personal history, life experience, educational background, learning style, race, ethnicity, religion, language, socioeconomic status, country of origin, and sexual orientation). Students will learn how to engage in and facilitate intercultural interactions and create a collaborative learning environment in which they will see a purpose as well as reward in working together and across differences.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will:
- develop their intercultural attitudes, i.e. respect to others and their cultures: students will become more aware of their identities and will enhance the ability to explore their identities in relation to the identities of others; they will be able to recognize the identities of others and affirm their self-esteem so that they feel secure in their identities.
- develop their intercultural skills: students will improve the ability to analyze and reflect their own cultural assumptions and become aware how one’s own cultural worldviews are the basis of interpretations of others’ ideas and behaviors; they will enhance the ability to attempt to see the world from the perspective of another and their ability to analyze, interpret and relate to others before forming judgement; students will also improve their skill to manage their own anxiety in the face of uncertainty and develop tolerance for ambiguity.
- be able to recognize and engage with diversity and create interculturally inclusive learning environment: students will be able to recognize the cultural differences of others and will accommodate diverse communication styles; they will demonstrate how to work with different perceptions of experiences and deepen their empathy through facilitated reflections; they will be able to interact with different perspectives and think critically through multiple readings; they will be able to address and work with anxiety producing topics and respond to biased comments and micro agressions triggered by ethnocentric talks.
Syllabus
  • 1) Culture and communication 2) Explore your culture and identity (cultural awareness building) 3) Multiple and complex identities in communication 4) Exploring other's cultures 5) Assumptions, ethnocentrism, and stereotypes 6) Developing intercultural sensitivity 7) Factors affecting communication styles 8) Intercultural communication style behaviors 9) Status and power in communication 10) Managing anxiety and uncertainty in communication 11) Engaging and empowering diversity in and out of the classroom
Literature
    required literature
  • HOFSTEDE, Gert Jan, Paul PEDERSEN and Geert HOFSTEDE. Exploring culture : exerscises, stories and synthetic cultures. First published. London: Intercultural Press, 2002, xix, 234. ISBN 1877864900. info
  • TING-TOOMEY, Stella and Leeva C. CHUNG. Understanding intercultural communication. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, xviii, 404. ISBN 9780195330069. info
  • Saphiere D. H, Mikk, B. K, Devries, B. I. (2005) Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles. Intercultural Press.
    recommended literature
  • Lee, A., Poch, R., Shaw, M., & Williams, R. D. (2012). Engaging diversity in undergraduate classrooms : a pedagogy for developing intercultural competence. (32 ed.) Jossey-Bass. http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9669622
  • The skin that we speak : thoughts on language and culture in the classroom. Edited by Lisa D. Delpit - Joanne Kilgour Dowdy. New York: New Press, 2002, xxiv, 229. ISBN 1565848209. info
  • DELPIT, Lisa D. Other people's children : cultural conflict in the classroom. London: New Press, 2006, xxvii, 223. ISBN 1595580743. info
  • GUDYKUNST, William B. Bridging differences : effective intergroup communication. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2004, xvi, 425. ISBN 0761929371. info
  • The Sage handbook of intercultural competence. Edited by Darla K. Deardorff - Derek Curtis Bok. London: Sage, 2009, xiv, 542. ISBN 9781412960458. info
  • JANÍK, Zdeněk. Negotiation of Identities in Intercultural Communication. JoLaCe Journal of Language and Cultural Education. Berlin: WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH, 2017, vol. 5, No 1, p. 160-181. ISSN 1339-4045. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/jolace-2017-0010. URL info
  • Handbook of international and intercultural communication. Edited by William B. Gudykunst - Bella Mody. 2nd ed. London: Sage, 2002, x, 606. ISBN 0761920900. info
Teaching methods
class discussion, facilitated group reflections, independent reading, reflective writing
Assessment methods
active class participation particularly in group discussion, reading text in English, writing 3 reflective journals (essays), participating in on-line forum discussions, final presentation of communication style analysis
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 12.
Teacher's information
Note from the teacher: English language skills level B2 for reading, writing, and speaking is strongly recommended. Students will be required to read academic texts in English.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/So539