S1409 Intercultural Communication

“It cannot be necessary to prove to anybody who reads this work that ideas govern the world,
or throw it into chaos: in other words, that all social mechanisms rests upon Opinions.”  
Auguste Comte, Positive Philosophy, vol. 1; pg. 48

“At the risk of shocking sociologists,
I should be inclined to say that it is their job to render social or historical content
more intelligible than it was in the experience of those who lived it.
All sociology is a reconstruction that aspires to confer intelligibility on human existences which,
like all human existences, are confused and obscure.”
Raymond Aron, Main Currents in Sociological Thought, Vol. 2, Penguin, 1970: 207.

This course examines the assumptions, values, patterns and social practices that shape culture and human interaction. For many decades now, the relationship between culture, society and subjetivity has been the primary focus of social theory. Questions such as the relationship between knowledge, truth and agency have chronicled the development of phenomenology, ethonomethodology and cultural studies. This course is an introduction to methods of cultural analysis which constitute the basic tools for interpreting and deconstructing meaning, communication and culture. Drawing on classic works in social theory such as ethnomethodology, discourse analysis in post-structuralist and feminist theory, as tools which conceived the mundane as problematic, the goal of this class is to provide students with an opportunity to analyze the social construction of reality and challenge the narratives that produce subjectivity and social interaction. Shultz used to say that in each interaction the person assumes, assumes that the other person assumes as well, and assumes that as he assumes it of the other person the other person assumes the same for him. Working within a rich transcultural class-environment, our goal is to render visible the taken-for-granted assumptions that inform cultural narratives and social communication and to re-think subjectivity and culture as expressions of individual agency.

Course Description
This course is divided into seven different thematic sections:
1.    silence and social distance
2.    otherness
3.    femininity
4.    money
5.    social unconscious
6.    social taste
7.    love and relationships
Each thematical section is intended to allow a transcultural desconstruction and re-definition of key-features of culture. Each thematical section will be dedicated three classes.
In class 1 we will look at the social construction of silence and social distance, otherness, femininity, money, fear, food, love and relationships through film, television, popular music, and advertising, tracing the development of culture through mass media analysis and cultural studies.
In class 2 we will have a class discussion focused on using social theory to deconstruct and re-think subjectivity and cultural meanings.
In class 3, in-class activity: we will use ethnomethodological tools to displace, challenge and re-invent culture as expressions of individual agency and mutual exchange.

Components of Evaluation:

Your overall evaluation will be calculated on the basis of your performances in six in-class activities, seven in-class discussions and one final paper. In computing your grades, your performances will be considered as follows:

In-class activities, 30% of your grade.
Final Paper, 40% of your grade.
In-class discussion, 30% of your grade.

Description of in-class discussions

We will have seven in-class discussions on seven different books. Our policy for each book is “read all you want”, this means that you are free to read as much as you want of each book but you should be able to exchange knowledge and respond critically throughout the entire book discussion. The idea is that you should work in groups: if you want to read very few pages you should coordinate in very large groups. Large groups will be harder to organize and coordinate. Smaller groups are easier to coordinate even though each person must read more. Class discussions will be self-organized and must touch on each aspect of the book. Each of you must be actively involved either by leading the class discussion, presenting a power point or raising critical questions and controversial issues. By the end of the discussion each person should have a critical grasp of the materials in their entirety. You will have ten days to organize each in-class discussion and find creative ways to make them involving and stimulating for everyone.

Description of In-Class Activities

The main goal of this assignment is to encourage you to think about cultural perceptions of silence and social distance, otherness, femininity, money, fear, food and love across cultures. I want you to look at the ways in which your personal history, culture and background inform your understanding of reality and social interaction. Think about an advertisement from a magazine, a commercial off the TV, a song, a scene from a movie or video: What meanings do they reproduce? What aspects of mainstream culture minimize, render invisible or reproduce rytuals and cultural beliefs? How can we transform them?
In each class activity you will work in groups of three or four people. Our activities shall take place in or outside the class. You should draw on Garfinkel's experience to displace the way in which we describe each concept: How do we challenge the notion of social distance? How do we re-think femininity? In-class activities involve en-acting just as much as understanding, experiencing just as much as sharing. As a general rule, there will be no make up opportunities for missed in class activities. Please let me know by the first week of the semester if you plan on missing class so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Description of Final Paper

Chose one of the topics discussed in class and look at the suggested bibliography. Your final paper should use all required readings to frame the discussion of your research topic and one book in the final paper reading list, thus drawing on our recommended readings to deconstruct and re-think the cultural feature you decided to analyze in depth.

As a general rule, your paper should have a strong central argument which should be clearly stated in your introduction. This argument can be phrased as a statement or as a question, and expanded in the body of your paper. The body of your paper should detail your argument, and support it with evidence such as examples or quotations. This part of your paper should have a logical and coherent progression and show your ability to draw theoretical connections. At the end of the paper, you should summarize how the evidence you have presented proves your argument. You can also use your conclusion to raise interesting questions for further study.

Remember that you must cite all your sources, even if you do not quote them directly, and add a final bibliography. For information on the format of citations and bibliography see the ASA style guide on:
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/bi/rsalina/asa.styleguide.html.  

Your final paper should be 10 full pages and it must be typed, double space in font 12 Times New Roman, one inch margin, and stapled on the top-left corner of the page.

Class Environment:
In this class we are all teachers and students, and we share responsibility for creating and stimulating a safe learning environment. You are expected to be in class, to be prepared, to read, to think and to talk about the assigned readings. You are also expected to be on time, to leave on time, and to actively participate to each class activity and to stimulate vivid class discussion. It is crucial to assume that everyone’s experiences are different, and to respect each other’s feelings at all times.

Class Attendance:
I will take attendance. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to gather information about the materials covered. If you are late, make sure you sign in for the day. Once you have signed attendance, you are required to stay for the entire class. Please, let me know in advance if you expect to be missing class so that proper arrangements can be made. Class absences will affect your grade.