Course Syllabus


Print Syllabus
Course ID: COM263
Title: Elements of Intercultural Communication
Modality: Internet
Credit Hours: 3.00

Course Section Information

Institution: Rio Salado College

Section: 11544

Term: Fall 2014

Start Date: 8/25/2014

Weeks: 12

Last date to withdraw: None

Instructor: Lori Gesch

Course Materials

Be sure that you have all the necessary materials prior to the start date of your course.

Textbook required for Course:

Title: Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication Across Cultures
Author: Lustig
ISBN: 9780558133238

Rio Salado College has developed a unique Textbook Savings Program that uses customized textbooks and saves students up to 50% off the original price of textbooks. This textbook is included in the Textbook Savings Program and has been customized specifically for this course at Rio Salado College by Pearson Custom Publishing so that it contains information most relevant to the course. Your course materials are available through the Rio Salado College Bookstore.  All materials should be verified by ISBN before purchasing at the Rio Salado Bookstore or from another seller.

Course Description and Competencies

Official Course Description
Basic concepts, principles, and skills for improving oral communication between persons from different minority, racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Official Course Prerequisites
None
Official Course Competencies
  1. Identify the nature, elements, and impact of culture.
  2. Assess one's own cultural self-awareness in relation to comparative or contrast cultures.
  3. Identify and describe the basic elements of the communication process.
  4. Identify potential barriers to communication and describe how to avoid them or manage them in a variety of situations.
  5. Describe the relationship between culture and communication and explain its impact on interpersonal, group, and public communication.
  6. Compare similarities and differences universal to all cultures.
  7. Describe the process of perception and the perceptual problems most commonly found in cross-cultural encounters.
  8. Describe the nature of stereotyping and prejudice, explain how they edit or control one's behavior, and identify strategies to overcome them.
  9. Describe the nature of racism and ethnocentrism, explain how they edit or control one's behavior, and identify strategies to overcome them.
  10. Demonstrate skills and strategies for dealing with similarities and differences in perception.
  11. Identify communication breakdowns which stem from perceptual differences.
  12. Assess different learning styles and approaches to learning.
  13. Describe the impact of culture on how we think and respond to our world.
  14. Describe how culture impacts everything we do.
  15. Describe language as the verbal codes of behavior and explain problems related to language differences.
  16. Identify and describe similarities and differences in verbal and nonverbal behaviors across cultures.
  17. Demonstrate the skills necessary for effective cross-cultural interactions as a sender.
  18. Demonstrate the skills necessary for effective cross-cultural interactions as a receiver.
  19. Identify and describe the steps of culture conflict and culture shock.
  20. Identify cycles of adjustment.
  21. Describe issues and problems in intercultural communication.
  22. Identify the impact of intercultural communication and the role of training effective cross-cultural communicators.
  23. Identify changes in the national and global environments which necessitates the study of intercultural communication.

In order to accomplish the above course competencies, you need to demonstrate college level writing skills. A major component of COM263 is writing. Your instructor will evaluate the essay from one assignment and make an assessment of your overall writing skills. For a resource on how to write college level essays and exams, review the Writing Rubric.

On a standardized test or in a written assignment, students will demonstrate the ability to analyze information, evaluate material, and use inference to draw conclusions, use deductive reasoning, and use inductive reasoning at a college level. Review the Critical Thinking Rubric.

Course Requirements

  1. You must complete all assignments in the course, at an acceptable level of quality, to get a passing grade.
  2. Exam: There are two required exams for this course, an at-home midterm exam and an at-home final exam. Please check your Grading Scale and Calendar of Due Dates.
  3. Note: You must earn an average of 60% on the midterm and final exams in order to pass the course.
  4. All assessments for this 12 week course must be submitted at a pace that follows the policies listed in the Course Syllabus section titled: Assignments and Due Date Policies.
  5. Remember that this is a three credit-hour class. As such, you will need to dedicate significant time to this course. Plan to spend at least three hours on course content and at least six hours on homework for a total of at least nine hours each week. Be prepared to double your weekly class and study time if you choose an accelerated calendar.

Grading Procedure and Scale

Please read at the start of the course:

Grading Procedure

It is important to review the criteria forms that will be used for grading assignments and for assessing Journal Entries, so that you will understand how assignments will be graded. These criteria forms are linked from each assignment. We expect every students to produce his / her original, independent work for these assignments or a grade of 0 points will be given.

There are 500 total points possible for the course:

Grading Scale

The final course grades will be determined by the following scale:

Assignment 1  =  25
Assignment 2  =  25
Assignment 3  =  25
Assignment 4  =  25
Assignment 5 25
Journal Assignments 1-5  =  25
At-Home Midterm - Objective Questions  =  50
At-Home Midterm - Essay Question  =  50
Assignment 6  =  25
Assignment 7  =  25
Assignment 8  =  25
Assignment 9  =  25
Assignment 10  =  25
Journal Assignments 6-10  =  25
At-Home Final - Objective Questions  =  50
At-Home Final - Essay Question  =  50
Total Points  =  500

450 - 500 points A (90% - 100%)
400 - 449 points B (80% - 89%)
350 -399 points C (70% - 79%)
300 - 349 points D (60% - 69%)
0 - 299 points F (0% - 59%)

Note to students: Final course grades are based on the total number of possible points. The grading scale is administered equally to all students in the course. Do not expect to receive a grade higher than that merited by your total points. No point adjustments will be made for class participation or other subjective factors.

The policy of this course is that all assignments will be graded using the assignment criteria form.

Note to students: You must earn an average of 60% on the final exam in order to pass the course.

Examination Procedures

There are two required exams for this course - an At-Home Midterm Exam and an At-Home Final Exam. Please review the 'Grading Procedure and Scale' portion of your syllabus for details. Your course materials give specific information about these exams and make suggestions for test preparation.

The course calendar lists specific dates for your exam(s).

Procedures:

  1. You must complete all exams by the dates specified on the course calendar. Your exam materials will be stamped to verify the date taken. If you test late, your instructor may lower your grade or assign you an 'F' in the course unless you have made arrangements with him/her for an extension.
  2. You may take your midterm exam and final exam early if you have completed the assignments ahead of schedule and you have your instructor's permission to do so.

Assignment, Exams and Due Date Policies

You can choose specific due dates for yourself (as long as these dates reflect the following policies) that enable you to decide how to fit this course work into your busy life. You can accelerate the course work, and complete it before the 12th week of the semester, but you must finish by the 12th week.

Students who want to accelerate faster that 6 weeks for the entire course need to makes sure they are following all course policies and must ask and receive permission for this acceleration from the instructor. If this permission is granted it will be based on several variables, including previous successful experience with online instruction, the assumption that quality original work will be submitted for every assessment, and the instructor's discretion. This course cannot be completed and graded faster than 4 weeks without department approval. Work that is submitted at too fast a rate will be give 1 point as a place holder indicating the need for permission for acceleration before work is graded.

Special note: We expect every student to produce and submit his/her original and independent work. (See Plagiarism policy below.)

Due Date Policies

1. For effective teaching and learning to occur, you need to study a lesson and complete and submit an assignment every week before your end date. While it is up to you to decide which day and when this fits best into your schedule, it is not recommended to wait several weeks to submit an assignment or between submitting assignments. If this occurs, your instructor may then communicate with you the need to establish a set due date schedule, eliminating the offered flexibility.

2. Assignments 1-5 and Journal Entries 1-5 must be submitted in order and are due to your instructor for grading and for return to you, before you take the Midterm Exam. This is required for good teaching and learning and is important for feedback that increases student learning. Students who do not submit any work for more than two weeks during the first half of the course will be considered inactive and must follow a specific due date plan from the instructor in order to pass the course with a grade of D or higher.

3. The Midterm Exam must be taken by the last date indicated on the course calendar, unless another date was previously approved by the instructor. The Midterm Exam will not be graded and will not be considered as submitted on time if assignments 1-5 and Journals 1-5 are not submitted and graded prior to the work on the Midterm Exam. Instructors need at least 3 days to grade these assignments before the student should submit the Midterm Exam.

4. Assignments 6-10 and Journal Entries 6-10 must be submitted in order and are due to your instructor for grading, and for return to you, before you take the Final Exam. This is also important for feedback that increases student learning. Students who do not submit any work for more than two weeks during the second half of the course will be considered inactive and must follow a specific due date plan from the instructor in order to pass the course with a grade of D or higher.

5. The Final Exam must be taken by the last date indicated on the course calendar, unless another date was previously approved by the instructor. The Final exam will not be graded and will not be considered as submitted on time if assignments 6-10 and Journals 6-10 are not submitted and graded prior to work on the Final Exam. If the Final Exam is taken before the other assignments are submitted and graded, the score on the final exam will be deducted by 10%.

6. A student who has not turned in the first assignment by the end of the second week of the course may be dropped as 'non-participating.'

7. Students may NOT turn in more than two assignments at one time, and cannot be more than two assignments ahead of the instructor returning graded assignments and feedback back to them. Assignments and Exams can only be submitted one time unless the instructor gives permission for work to be resubmitted. If work is submitted multiple times only the first submission will be scored and counted in the gradebook.

Final Grade Options

  • Letter grade (A, B, C, D, F)-awarded if the student completes all work, including the final exams.

  • Extension (in lieu of Incomplete grade) - Students may request an extension because of illness or other extenuating circumstances, if they have been doing acceptable work. The instructor will define the requirements and timelines to complete the course. Please Note: Instructors are not obligated to give extensions.

  • Withdrawal-Students may submit a withdrawal request on or prior to the “Last Date to Withdraw” indicated in their RioLearn Gradebook.  

    Students should not contact their instructor to request a withdrawal. A student wishing to withdraw from a class within the stated timeline must do so by visiting my.maricopa.edu. In extreme circumstances, students do have the option of requesting a complete withdrawal from the college by providing Student Enrollment Services with appropriate documentation.

  • Credit/No Credit Option (P/Z)-This course may be taken on a credit/no credit basis. 

    To receive Credit "P" grade, students must complete all course work, including exams, and attend all required meetings. A "P" grade is judged to be equivalent to a grade of "C" or higher. A No-Credit "Z" grade will be awarded for course work judged to be below the grade of "C."

    To change your grade option, you have 11 days from the start date of your course. As the student, you may change your grade option yourself by following these easy steps:

    Step 1 Log into your course

    Step 2 Go to your gradebook

    Step 3 During the timeframe that you have to request a grade type change you will see a link that is called "Change Grade Option" at the top of your gradebook. Click on that link and follow the directions to change your grade to the Pass/No-Credit Option.

    It is the student's responsibility to request advisement concerning the transferability of a grade of "P" or "Z."

Copyright Acknowledgements

Some images used in courses are licensed as follows: Accunet/AP Multimedia Archive, http://www.clipart.com, http://www.jupiterimages.com, EBSCO Image Collection.

Due Date Policies and Turnaround Time

Due Date Policies

For successful completion of the course, plan your study time so that you complete one lesson each week. While it is up to you to decide how to plan your time, do not let more than two weeks pass between submitting assignments.

By completing at least one lesson each week, you will easily be able to finish by the course end date.

As you are managing your due dates and working through the course, please keep the following important policies in mind. If you find that at any time you are falling behind in the course, contact your instructor immediately to develop an alternative plan for successful completion of the course.

  • Students who do not complete the Lesson 1 assignment(s) by the due date of class will be withdrawn from the course automatically.
  • Prior to the course "Last Date to Withdraw," it is the student’s responsibility to withdraw themselves via the my.maricopa.edu site, or by calling Student Enrollment Services before the "Last Date to Withdraw" date listed in your gradebook.
  • Students who pass the "Last Date to Withdraw" of the class and do not complete the course will receive a failing grade. Students who are inactive in the course for any two consecutive weeks after the "Last Date to Withdraw" will receive a failing grade.

Turnaround Time

Instructors are required to go online three times per week. Therefore, you will receive feedback/grades for assignments and answers to emails between 48-72 hours. If there is an emergency and you need to reach your instructor in a shorter amount of time than this, please contact the Instructional Helpdesk (480-517-8380 or 1-866-511-8380). The Helpdesk will call your instructor to request that he or she get in touch with you as soon as possible.

Written Assignment Expectations

Every student is expected to produce his/her original, independent work for these assignments; otherwise, a grade of zero points will be given. The following are the expectations that will be used to evaluate your Written Assignments:

Completeness: Answers to each question should contain two to three paragraphs. Be sure to carefully read each question to assure that each part is answered with the appropriate depth and detail.

Knowledge: The clearest way to display knowledge is to provide depth and detail. Use key terms and provide definitions. Use detailed examples to illustrate concepts. Be specific and avoid generalizations.

Analysis: Critical thinking is the mental process of clearly and logically evaluating information and applying it to the world around you. It is the process of getting beyond surface meaning to inquire, question, and offer divergent opinions, with the goal of reaching a deeper meaning and understanding.

Writing: Answers must be in paragraph format unless the question specifically indicates otherwise.

Essay Grading Rubric

Short Answer Grading Rubric

Late or Missing Assignments

Policy regarding late and/or missing assignments and lack of participation: Assignment due date and submission policies must be followed as previously indicated. Students must actively work on course assignments to remain in the course.

If some unforeseen circumstance interrupts your progress, you must contact your instructor and arrange a new schedule. If necessary, your instructor may agree to your request for an extension of specific assignments and the end date of your course, and assign you a new end date. If you do not finish assignments by agreed-upon dates and/or the Final Exam by that date, you will receive an F for the course.

You will need to maintain status as an active student. If you do not maintain communication and submit assignments according to the policies, your instructor may assume that you withdrew from the course. Therefore, it is very important that you contact your instructor if some unforeseen circumstance interrupts your progress. Do not fall behind and expect to send more than two lessons at a time without the time and opportunity for your instructor to give you feedback on your work.

Submitting Assignments

All assignments are listed under the Reading Assignment box and in the Assessing Your Learning section. The lessons can be accessed from the Syllabus and Lessons links on your Course Home Page.

Note to students: Keep a copy of everything you submit.

Course Completion Policy

Students are assigned specific start and end dates. It is the student's responsibility to note due dates for assignments as reflected in the gradebook and to keep up with the course work.

If a student falls behind, she or he must contact the instructor and request an extension of her or his end date in order to complete the course. It is the prerogative of the instructor to decide whether or not to grant the request.

Note: Final grades are not posted prior to the course’s end date as reflected in the gradebook. Students should contact their instructor immediately if they have questions or concerns about this policy.

Submitting Assignments

Online Submission Platform

The assignment due dates in this course are structured to complete all the lessons over the span of the course. Regular and consistent progress is expected in the course through the submission of assignments. The submission of an assignment can be no earlier than 7 days prior to the due date. Consult your course gradebook for specific due dates. Assignments/acknowledgments must be submitted through the online submission platform unless otherwise directed.

Final Grade Options

  • Letter grade (A, B, C, D, F)

  • Extension (in lieu of an incomplete grade): Students may request an assessment extension because of illness or other extenuating circumstances, if they have been doing acceptable work. Assessment extensions may extend up to two weeks beyond the established course end as indicated in the gradebook. Please Note: Assessment extensions are given at the instructor’s discretion. Instructors are not obligated to give extensions.

  • Withdrawn Failing (Y) – Students may be removed from their classes with a Withdrawn Failing (Y) grade for non-participation, which counts like an F in GPA calculation.

  • Withdrawal (W) - Students may submit a withdrawal request on or prior to the "Last Date to Withdraw" indicated in their RioLearn Gradebook.

  • Instructors are unable to submit a withdrawal (W) on behalf of a student. A student wishing to withdraw from a class within the stated timeline must do so by visiting View My Classes/Schedule in the Student Center, and selecting Drop Classes. In extreme circumstances, students do have the option of requesting a complete withdrawal from the college by submitting a "Request for Complete Withdrawal From All Courses" available under the Records heading on Rio’s Important Forms page.

    Before withdrawing, students should consider contacting their instructor and/or Rio's Counseling Services to see what options are available to help them stay in class.

    STUDENTS – STOP Before You Drop! A withdrawal request is irrevocable, and may affect future Financial Aid, Visa status, Veteran benefit eligibility, scholarship eligibility and may delay graduation. Please be sure that it is the right option for you before submission.

    STOP BEFORE YOU DROP

  • Credit/No Credit Option (P/Z) - Some courses may be offered with a credit/no credit option which, if offered, would be identified in the Grading Procedure and Scale section of this syllabus. See detailed information about the (P/Z) option here.

  • Note: Choosing the P/Z option is a permanent change to the gradebook. A P/Z grade will not be changed to a letter grade after the course end date.

Regular and Substantive Faculty-Student Interaction

The Rio Salado College faculty provide learners with frequent opportunities for regular and substantive interaction, which are critical components of a quality online program. At a minimum, faculty teaching online courses for credit monitor weekly due dates and initiate contact with students, post course announcements and/or "From Your Instructor" (FYI) notes that are academic and relevant, respond to academic inquiries within 72 hours, and provide detailed, personalized, and timely feedback. In addition, faculty regularly engage in synchronous and/or asynchronous interaction with students via tools such as discussion boards, rubrics, voice threads, video conferences, audio recordings, phone calls, email and/or text messages, social media, and online collaboration software. Though faculty members are responsible for initiating interaction, providing academic information, and facilitating learning, Rio students are responsible for remaining in regular contact with their instructors and engaging with the course content as active participants in the educational experience.

Requirement for Active Class Participation

Withdrawal for Non-Participation (Y) – Students need to communicate regularly with their instructor and engage in academic activities as determined by the instructor and department. Students may be removed from their classes after 14 days of non-participation with a Withdrawn Failing (Y) grade, which counts like an F in GPA calculation.

If you receive financial aid of any kind, it is your responsibility to protect your eligibility to receive financial aid by meeting the active participation requirements of this class.

Pregnant and Parenting Students

Students will not be discriminated against on the basis of a disclosed pregnancy. This includes discrimination against a student based on pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions. As a result, a pregnant or parenting student (a student during a defined postpartum period lasting up to 8 weeks after delivery), may be provided adjustments so they are able to access and participate in their educational program or activity.

Please visit the Working with Pregnant and Parenting webpage to learn more about this policy, reasonable adjustments and complete the Pregnancy Adjustment Form. If you have questions about the policy, please contact Rio Salado College’s Title IX/504 Coordinator Tafari Osayande at o.tafari.osayande@riosalado.edu or (480) 517-8196.

In the event of certain pregnancy-related medical complications, contact Disability.Services@riosalado.edu or call (480) 517-8562 for assistance in providing accommodations/academic adjustments.

Basic Needs

If a lack of basic needs such as food, transportation, school supplies, etc. is affecting your participation and/or performance in this course, please contact the Rio Salado Counseling Department at 480-517-8785 or via email at counseling.receptionist@riosalado.edu.

For additional services and resources:

Rio Salado College Counseling and Career Services
Maricopa Basic Needs and Community Resources

Library Services

The Rio Salado Library is committed to student success and provides a variety of materials and services to enhance student learning. Utilizing Rio’s online library for your research is the best way to ensure that your sources are validated, authoritative, and appropriate for college-level coursework. The library's Video Tutorials page provides instruction on how to use the online library to find books, articles, ebooks, and more. Librarians are available to help you at all times via our Ask a Librarian live chat service.

Please note that when library materials (e.g., articles, ebooks, and streaming media) are integrated into your lesson content, you will see the notation “…provided to you through the Rio Salado Library.

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct includes cheating, conspiring to cheat, soliciting to cheat, attempting to cheat, plagiarism, fabrication on an assignment, or other forms of dishonest presentation.

Posting assessments on an unauthorized web site, soliciting assessment answers and the unauthorized acquisition of assessments, assessment answers, or other academic material is cheating. Turning in content created by essay generators or other types of artificial intelligence platforms is also academic misconduct.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use of paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling or sharing of term papers or other academic materials. Information gathered from the Internet and not properly identified is also considered plagiarism.

We expect every student to produce his/her original, independent work. Any student whose work indicates a violation of the MCCCD Academic Misconduct Policy (including cheating and plagiarism) can expect sanctions as specified in the college catalog.

Rio Salado College uses software that uncovers plagiarism from student to student and other data sources on the Internet. If a student is found to have plagiarized content, grade consequences will be applied in accordance with departmental policies.

Civility Policy

The faculty of Rio Salado place a high value on the importance of general ethical standards of academic behavior and expect that communication between students and instructors or among students shall maintain the level of formality and mutual respect appropriate to any college teaching/learning situation.

Language or behavior that is rude, abusive, profane, disruptive, or threatening will not be tolerated. Activity of this type is Academic Misconduct as defined in MCCCD Policy AR 2.3.11. Students engaging in such behavior will be removed from the course with a failing grade. Additional sanctions may be applied pursuant to AR 2.3.11.

Honors Program

If you are taking this course for Honors credit, you must complete all assessments, including the Honors Project(s). The Honors Project(s) are listed in one or more lessons of the course and are designated for "Honors Students." Failure to complete the Honors Project(s) will result in a failing grade in the course and a loss of Honors credit.

Honors students are also enrolled in a non-credit Honors Achievement Award (HAA) or Presidential Honors Scholarship (PHS) section within RioLearn to submit co-curricular activity submissions. Co-curriculars must be completed in order to receive funding.

The Honors Department is here to support you! Connect with the college and other Honors students in our INSCRIBE community.

The Honors Department is available to provide additional resources and support to support your journey. Please contact the Honors department at RioSalado.Honors@riosalado.edu.

Classroom Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and its associated colleges are committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities to students with documented disabilities (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical). Visit district.maricopa.edu/mandatory-drs-title-ix-syllabus-statements for more information.

Religious Accommodations

Rio Salado College will reasonably accommodate the religious needs, observances, and practices of their students, when requested and the requests are made in accordance with the procedures set forth in ND-4. Any student may request a religious accommodation by making a written request for an accommodation to the appropriate faculty member using the Religious Accommodation Request form. To the extent possible, requests must be made at least two (2) weeks before the requested absence from class due to religious holiday or day of observance.

Addressing Incidents of Sexual Harassment/Assault, Dating/Domestic Violence, and Stalking

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, MCCCD prohibits unlawful sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. The District also prohibits sexual harassment—including sexual violence—committed by or against students, District employees, and visitors to campus. As outlined in District policy, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are considered forms of "Sexual Misconduct" prohibited by District policy. Visit district.maricopa.edu/mandatory-drs-title-ix-syllabus-statements for more information.

Student Solution Center

Rio Salado College is dedicated to a quality learning experience and has provided the Student Solution Center webpage as a resource for students to raise issues to our attention. We look forward to the opportunity to provide an equitable solution for all involved parties. For grading or instructional issues, students should first contact their faculty member(s) in accordance with the Instructional Grievance Process. For non-instructional complaints, students may contact Institutional Integrity and Compliance by submitting the non-instructional complaint form, emailing studentcomplaints@riosalado.edu, or calling 480-517-8505. Students may also contact their state regulatory agency; the Arizona SARA Council; and/or the Higher Learning Commission to escalate their concerns.

Change of Address

Please notify Course Support at (480) 517-8243 or 1-800-729-1197 or by email at course.support@riosalado.edu. Please include your name, student number, phone number, and new address including city, state, and zip code.

Contact Us

Please see the following page for contact information.

Disclaimer

Course content may vary from this outline to meet the needs of this particular group.

Rio Salado College Copyright

Course Content © Copyright 2021 Rio Salado College. All Rights Reserved.