四川大学国际课程周
SICHUAN UNIVERSITY UIP 2022
课程名称 Course Title
Intercultural Communication

Peaceful coexistence is only possible through communication. However, communication between different communities, different countries, and therefore between different cultures, is no easy task. Unintentional misunderstandings often occur because people consider their way of life to be the only 'natural' one. This course on intercultural communication aims to show that different ways of life can reflect different ways of thinking, all of which are understandable and acceptable depending on one's point of view. This course differs somewhat from other courses on intercultural communication, as the focus will not be on business communication, but on the everyday communication of human beings as a whole. Naturally, a general overview of the field will be given and ample attention will be paid to the "founders" of the field, such as Edward T. Hall, Harry C. Triandis and Geert Hofstede. A broad but critical overview will be given of their main findings (views on time; proxemics; individualism and collectivism; non-verbal communication; male/female, polychronic/monochronic; uncertainty avoidance; long term/short term and others). However, much attention will also be paid to critical voices in the field, such as some authors who have criticised the discipline of Intercultural Communication as a whole or certain aspects of it. Attention will be paid to authors such as Ingrid Piller, Adrian Holliday and Brendan McSweeney who have written critically about the discipline of Intercultural Communication. Special attention will also be paid to Chinese culture as opposed to Western culture. Each lecture will consist of a theoretical introduction with practical examples, followed by a section in which students are invited to participate in discussions and other educational activities. By the end of the course, students will have mastered the main concepts of the literature on intercultural communication (such as those mentioned above) and be able to distinguish their manifestation in other cultures, as well as in their own. Moreover, they will be trained to adopt an open attitude to behaviour that is typical of other cultures and know how to deal with it in a non-confrontational manner. Especially in times of initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, in which different types of people are united and different cultures have to work together, this course can make a contribution.

课程大纲 Course Outline
"1.The students will have an overview of the different theories that exist in the field of Intercultural Communication. 2.They will be able to distinguish between traditional cultural stereotypes and more scientifically grounded theories. 3.At the same time they will understand that the 'scientific' basis on which more recent theories are founded can also be questioned. 4.The students will have a better understanding of the nature of the concept of culture and what the implications are when different cultures come into contact. 5.The main outcome of this course should be an understanding of the relativity of most aspects of any culture, leading to general human tolerance."