Education 615L - W/E:Sem in Crosscultural Comm

Since language is ambiguous by nature, in order to achieve understanding we jointly construct meaning with our conversational partners. Yet when we use different and unfamiliar cultural interpretative frameworks from each other, it may prove a challenge to create mutual understanding. How is culture constructed through face-to-face interactions? What consequences exist for those differing from dominant norms? What evidence is there that participants are constructing interpretations, at times at odds with each other? What are the implications of this research for educators and diverse communities? In this course, we will survey how crosscultural communication has been researched, both for learning language and for examining its role in the academic progress of linguistically diverse learners.