A survey of Intercultural Communication courses

Abstract

The last quarter of a century has witnessed rapid development of the intercultural field; and with this, a concomitant growth in Intercultural Communication (ICC) courses in colleges and universities in various parts of the world. Instructors are called upon to design and implement such courses often for the first time and, in so doing, they are helping to define the content and parameters of this subject matter. Often, the context in which they teach, or the department or program in which the course is placed, also further define the scope of the courses. This survey was designed to learn about the evolving nature of ICC courses, given interest among faculty to learn what their colleagues are doing elsewhere. Through compilation and presentation of the data obtained, this interim report provides a snapshot of 50 plus courses in 11 countries between 1992 and 1994. It reveals not only the purvue of these courses, but also their goals and objectives, content areas, and approaches to implementation. It also begins to identify common models, frameworks and schema, useful materials and resources, and assessment procedures. For those who participated in the survey—and for others interested in the questionnaire instrument — it serves also as a self-study guide for examining one's own approach to the task by reviewing the 70 plus questions contained in the survey questionnaire.