Course introduction

Intercultural communication skills can help you overcome interpersonal problems in the future journey of a globalized world. The course discusses the nature of culture, how culture affects communication, common factors that hinder communication, such as stereotypes, culture-based thinking, discrimination, etc., and its applications in various communication situations such as first meeting, dining, gift-giving, telephone, email, etc. Classes are conducted in the form of teacher's explanation, discussion, actual communication, case discussion, and individual group report so that you can actually operate how different cultures should respond to different communication methods.

Online Intercultural Exchange

The online intercultural exchange was jointly organized by Yuan Ze University and The Hague University in the Netherlands.

Through the process of video communication between the students of both sides and theme discussions, the students got to understand different cultures and ideas. The online intercultural exchange brings different perspectives to the students.

Experience by a student

When I first took this class, I felt that the content discussed in the textbook and the answers we had to choose were just basic commonsense, and it was not necessary to learn to acquire such knowledge. But through communicating with European students, we had an opportunity to actually face people from different countries and different cultures. In addition to having a more practical experience of communicating with foreigners, the course also enriches my courage and communication skills. Though most students have been exposed to English learning from elementary school or even kindergarten, when they arrive at university, their English communication skills have not reached the required level to communicate with foreigners. I still remember this lesson in which I  introduced not only myself but also some things about my culture. What is impressive is that I had to face a foreigner directly, which was a very big challenge for me. At the time, as a freshman, I was very unconfident in my English communication skills. I told the other party "My English is not very good, please bear with me", but the Dutch girl at the time not only encouraged me patiently and praised me. This is a great confidence builder for me. So I really like the practical part of this class.