Internationalizing the communication curriculum: face-to-face communication

Abstract

In the bachelor course Face-to-Face Communication, students receive an introduction to pragmatics, specifically “talk in interaction.” Students learn (1) about pragmatic theories concerning how we get things done in talk; (2) how one’s cultural background and speaking in a second language influence interactional understanding; and (3) how to do research on intercultural interaction in formal and informal settings. This chapter includes the syllabus of the course, including a list of topics discussed, reading materials, course assignments (such as preparatory assignments for class and reflective diary assignments), and a step-by-step explanation of the various phases of the research project in which students learn to do research on intercultural interaction. Through carefully choosing literature, guiding students through a research project for which they gather real conversations in both a local and international setting, encouraging students to reflect on their own and other people’s (intercultural) interaction in diary assignments, and designing interactive seminar activities focusing on intercultural communication, the face-to-face communication curriculum can be “internationalized.” Through this curriculum design, students learn about, experience, and do research on face-to-face communication beyond their own culture, language and context.