Cross-Cultural Communication is the largest course taught on the undergraduate level at SIS.  This course has a very specific yet complex and rich focus: the study of culture and the many ways culture influences who we are, how we experience the world, and how we exchange information and ideas through modes of communication.

We will examine historically grounded conceptualizations of culture, more recent interpretations of culture and application of the cultural construct. If we are shaped by our communication, we are also shaped by the culture in which we do that communication. Our culture shapes our expectations of others, helps us define what is normal and reasonable, guides the way we think and the ways in which we communicate those thoughts, and alongside other individuals born of the same circumstances, culture is a binding force for our collective identities.   

Throughout this course students will be challenged to think about their own cultural assumptions and explore the ways in which these assumptions differ from those held by people in other cultures.

Fulfills 3 credit hours of Foundational Area 3 General Education requirement. 

This seminar is fall-semester only

John Robert Kelley is an Assistant Professor at the School of International Service. He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2007. His dissertation titled "From Monologue to Dialogue: U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Post-9/11 Era," currently being revised into a book, delves into the recent history of American public diplomacy activities, offers empirically-based tools for interpreting these activities, and advocates new directions in strategy and organization. Prior to this, Dr. Kelley served as a Program Officer in the Office of Foreign Missions, U.S. Department of State, and also for several years as an intercultural business consultant to American and Japanese firms. His most recent publications include a contribution to The Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy (2008, edited by Nancy Snow and Philip M. Taylor), and articles in Orbis and The Hague Journal of Diplomacy.

Degrees

PhD, London School of Economics and Political Science; MA, International Peace and Conflict Resolution, American University; BA, International Relations, Tufts University