Hello, everyone. Welcome to the study of Intercultural Communication. When we take up a new course, we usually think about three basic questions to get a clearer idea about the study. Why? What? And how? In today’s lecture, let’s talk about them one by one.

1. Why？

The reason why we study this course is that we are different, we think differently and we behave differently. All these differences may cause misunderstandings in intercultural communication.

So the objectives of this course is to explore cultural self-awareness, other culture awareness and the dynamics that arise in interactions between the two; to have a broader worldview; to develop a more global psychology and to obtain the cultural skills necessary for building relationships and solving problems across cultures. Throughout our study, we will be ready for intercultural communication theoretically, psychologically and practically.

2. What?

The topics we are about to cover in the following lectures include daily verbal communication, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, cross-gender communication, cultural variations in negotiation styles, humor interpretation and intercultural personhood. The study of the course is just like a journey, a discovery, or an exploration of a wonderful cultural world.

3. How?

Our cultural journey starts from case studies, with the thread of culture running through all the activities, and we will focus on cultural contrast and practical skills in intercultural communication in the framework of traditional Chinese culture. At the end of each unit, we will also interview some foreign friends to share ideas.