COMM 360 – Communication, Culture, and Global Competence

Description

The aim of the course is to introduce the concepts of communication and culture, and to develop an understanding of communicative processes across cultural boundaries. Having clarified that culture is both a producer and a product of communication, we will then focus on media representations of typical/stereotypical Florentine, Italian, European and American cultural features—paying special attention to communicative-cultural incidents/dilemmas and their effects on personal and collective identity construction. Part of the course will be dedicated to the communicative and cultural experience of young American students abroad and to the idea of becoming “cosmopolitan”. This course is designed to give students the tools needed to be competent global citizens in the interconnected world. The basic concepts (theories, paradigms etc.) adopted are part of Communication and Media Studies, Sociology, and Cultural Anthropology. The narrative approach will be our “discipline glue”.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, successful students should be able to: 

1. actively engage with the topics brought to their attention—assessed in the participation. 
2. understand the main theoretical perspectives and empirical findings discussed in class—assessed through the midterm exam. 
3. analyze how one socio-cultural features have affected their self-identity both home and abroad assessed in the first part of the research paper.
4. critically understand and apply concepts and methods learned during the course—assessed in the final debate and in the research paper.

At the completion of this course, students will also be able to: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of particular social practices and cultural systems as constructed by members of one or more societies (past or present).
2. Demonstrate the skills necessary to engage people in those societies.
3. Demonstrate openness to difference and critical reflection when encountering values and belief systems that are different from their own.

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.

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