UNPR 20201 1

UNPR 20201 Engaged Global Citizenship

Fall 2012 TCU in London

Texas Christian University • Fort Worth, TX 76129

Instructor: Larisa Schumann Asaeli

Email: l.asaeli@tcu.edu

Course Description
This seminar will provide the opportunity to interact with your study abroad community and to reflect upon and
process your experiences as you cross cultures. You will be introduced to the knowledge, skills, and attitude
needed to become a global citizen. The course will address both theoretical information and practical
applications, such as learning to live with people from different cultures, understanding cultural and global
issues, learning to communicate with people from various cultures, and viewing issues from varying cultural
viewpoints.

Course Objectives
This course is intended to facilitate engagement in the host culture and cognitive processing of the cultural
learning process. Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
o Discuss the nature of culture and its influences
o Describe skills developed -- such as empathy and intercultural communication skills
o Describe your own intercultural interactions non-judgmentally
o Examine and discuss the implications of different normative and ethical systems

Course Design
The course will focus on helping you make progress towards each of the six dimensions of intercultural
competence:
1. Increased Cultural Self-awareness
2. Increased Cultural Knowledge
3. Increased Empathy
4. Improved Intercultural Verbal / Non-Verbal Communication Skills
5. Increased Curiosity
6. Increased Openness / Flexibility

Required Course Readings:

Cultural Intelligence: Living and Working Globally by David C. Thomas and Kerr Inkson [ISBN-10: 1576756254]
$25 new/ $17 used on Amazon
Culturegram for the United Kingdom ($4): http://culturegram.stores.yahoo.net/worldunitedkingdom.html
Two readings to download from e-College, Doc Sharing:
“Observation, Note-Taking, Curiosity” (for week 7)
“Conflict Across Cultures” (for week 8)

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Assignments and Evaluation Criteria

Class Participation: You must attend start-up and mid-term visits with faculty members and contribute to the
discussion.

Written Reflections: Written reflections enable us to process experiences. Reflections should be 1 – 2 pages long
(300-500 words), double-spaced. At the top of your paper, write the question(s) you are responding to. You must
respond to one or more of the writing prompts and reflecting on your cultural learning. Papers will be graded on
depth of thought and reflection and how well you connect personal experiences to readings and class material.
Grammar and overall quality of writing will also be considered. Due dates on the course schedule.

Interaction Assignments: For each lesson you will have an assignment which requires interaction in the
community (local people, not fellow TCU students). You need to complete the activity; then write and submit a 1
– 2 page, double spaced, written summary or evaluation of the exercise (300-500 words). Assignments will be
graded on quality of reflection and ability to connect experiences to cultural and global learning. Grammar and
overall quality of writing will also be considered. Due dates on the course schedule.

Examine your LENS Paper: Using the steps of “Examine your LENS,” write a 4 – 5 page (900+ words), double
spaced paper examining the following: Reflect on an emotional encounter, a miscommunication, or a frustration
that happened earlier in your time in London. Now that you are away from the moment, can you identify more
clearly what led to the situation? What were you expecting to happen, and what actually happened? Is this a
cultural norm that you misunderstood? What was your role in the misunderstanding? Papers will be graded on
quality of analysis, inclusion of both the U.S. and host culture’s perspective, along with grammar and overall
quality of writing will also be considered.
Due Date: Dec. 9
Steps to “Examine your LENS”
1. Look objectively: You are not viewing the encounter or event neutrally, but interpreting it through
your expectations and judgments, which are often conditioned by your culture. Eliminate
judgmental words, and describe the encounter or event objectively.
2. Examine your assumptions: Be open-minded and curious, and look carefully at the assumptions
you’ve made to see what values, habits, beliefs, and other cultural influences have led you to view
the encounter or event as you did.
3. Note other possibilities: Be flexible and use your knowledge of the culture to envision what other
values, habits, and beliefs might be at work here, and how they might lead to a different conclusion.
4. Substantiate with locals: Use your intercultural communication skills, critical thinking skills, and
people skills to ask locals or bicultural people if the new possibilities you’ve generated are accurate,
or if there are other parts of the culture you’ve overlooked.
Structuring the Paper: Use headings, and under each heading address the following:
 Synopsis of the event: write what you believed happened and how you felt at the time
 Look Objectively: re-write the encounter more objectively, eliminating judgmental words
 Examine Your Assumptions: describe your values, beliefs, and other influences that led you to view
the encounter as you did
 Note Other Possibilities: describe other rationales, values, beliefs, etc. which the other person may
hold, and how they played into the encounter
 Substantiate with Locals: write about what you learned when sharing the encounter with others

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All summaries, reflections, assignments, and papers are due by 11:59 GMT on Sundays. Submit them to the
drop-box on E-College. Late papers will be marked down ½ grade for each calendar day they are late.

Assignment Potential Points Total Points

Class Participation 2 @ 25 points each (start-up and mid-term) 50
Written Reflections 8 @ 20 points each 160
Interactions 8 @ 20 points each 160
LENS Paper 30 points 30
400
Grades will be recorded and posted on Pearson Learning Studio/E-College.

Grading philosophy
The following is description of the engagement and reflection I expect in your written assignments. As explained
in each of the written assignment descriptions, the primary purpose of your writing in this course is to anchor
your experiences in an intellectual, critical, and reflective medium. You are expected, in all written assignments,
to develop surface--level observations into critical reflections that show development of cultural competence
and intercultural communication. Reflection is what turns experience into education.

A—quality work: An excellent written assignment. Has a focused point to make and discusses specific
experiences abroad to enhance the focus of the assignment. Goes beyond surface-level discussion of
“what happened” and thinks through how/why this experience might be important or influential to
understanding another culture. Connects experiences to the course readings and material, explaining
how the experiences abroad enhance understanding of course material. Assignment is written in clear
and polished prose.
B—quality work: An above-average written assignment. Has a focused point to make and discusses
specific experiences abroad to enhance the focus of the assignment. Goes beyond surface level
discussion of “what happened” and thinks through how/why this experience might be important or
influential to understanding another culture. Connects experiences to the course readings and material,
explaining how the experiences abroad enhance understanding of course material. Assignment is
written in clear prose. In other words, B-quality work will accomplish all of the things A—quality work
accomplishes but differs in degree: the focus might require further narrowing, the point further refining,
more analysis might need to be undertaken. Or perhaps the point is less original or helpful in
interpreting the course materials.
C—quality work: An average written assignment. Makes a point and attempts to support it, but the
exploration of experiences and course readings remains largely on the surface level. While grammatically
correct, the writing style needs polish. Doesn't make an original connection to the course material, but
does make an adequate one. Assignment doesn't show the rigor of thought or attention to analysis as A
or B--level answers.
D—quality work: Below average written assignment. Does not make a point and experiences are only
loosely related to assignment. Does not display evidence that the author has carefully considered his/her
experiences in light of the course or intercultural communication. Rambles, is off-topic, does not
contribute any new or useful understanding of course material.
Failing work: Does not meet the Basic requirements of the assignment or no assignment was submitted.

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Letter Grade 30 Points 25 Point 20 Points Quality of Work

Possible
A 30 25 20 Outstanding
A- 27 22.5 18
B+ 24 20 16
B 21 17.5 14 Exceeds Expectations
B- 19 15 12
C+ 16 12.5 10
C 13 10 8 Meets Expectations/ Average
C- 10 7.5 6
D+ 7 5 4
D 4 2.5 2 Below average/needs work
F 3-0 0 0 Unacceptable/Incomplete
Course Policies and Expectations

 Students must attend orientation and mid-term visits with faculty members and contribute to the
discussions. Students are expected to arrive to events on time, be attentive, and participate in activities and
discussions.
 Students are also expected to read assigned materials BEFORE completing writing assignments.
 E-mail and Pearson Learning Studio will be used throughout the semester to distribute information, make
announcements, and to inform students of situations related to the class. Each student is responsible for
frequently checking his or her e-mail through the TCU e-mail system.
 Students are expected to read and conform to the Academic Conduct Policy found in the TCU Student
Handbook, http://www.studenthandbook.tcu.edu/student_handbook.pdf

Disabilities Statement

Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the
Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 016.
Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in
the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for
Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567.

Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive;
therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are
seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional
documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at
http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability_documentation.asp.

Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be
evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.

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C O U R S E O U T L I N E

Week Lesson / Activity Reading Interaction Assignment Written Reflection

1: Oct. Orientation Culturegram on the United Settling in See prompts on e-

1-7 Kingdom college

2: Oct. Cultural Self- Reading: Ch. 8:

8 - 14 Awareness Developing Cultural Concepts of Americans See prompts on e-
Intelligence in a Global college
World

3: Oct. Cultural Knowledge Reading: Ch. 1: Living and

15 -21 Working in the Global Local Icon See prompts on e-
Village & Ch. 2: Cultural college
Knowledge
summary of mid-term
4: Oct. 22 Mid-Term Visit Cultural Encounters visit (Due 11/ 5)
– 28
Events Dinner at Pizza Express Visit to The Tower of Tea at Richoux on
on Thursday, Oct. 25 London & Lunch on Sunday Oct. 28
Saturday, Oct. 27

5: Empathy Reading: Ch. 3: Local Pride See prompts on e-

Oct. 29 – Mindfulness & Cross- college
Nov. 4 Cultural Skills

6: Nov. Intercultural Reading: Ch. 5:

5 – 11 Communication Skills Communicating, Market interactions See prompts on e-
Negotiating, and Resolving college
Conflict

7: Nov. Curiosity Reading: In Doc Sharing: Graffiti OR Getting

12 - 18 “Observation, Note-Taking, someone’s story See prompts on e-
Curiosity” college

8: Nov. Openness / Flexibility Reading: In Doc Sharing: Visit to a ceremony, rite,

19 – 25 “Conflict Across Cultures” celebration, event, or activity See prompts on e-
college

9: Nov. 26 Global Citizenship Reading: Conclusion: The Favorite TV show, song,

– Dec. 2 Essentials of Cultural magazine, or locale See prompts on e-
Intelligence college

See assignment
Final: LENS Paper description in syllabus
Dec. 9

Fall 2012