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Abstract

This series of intercultural communication assignments was designed to assist students with the challenging transition from an ethnocentric (inflexible) mindset to an ethnorelative (flexible) one. At the beginning of the semester, students select a country and a corresponding international news source (online) to read throughout the semester. They complete several Engaging the World’s Cultures (EWC) assignments during the semester to accomplish two goals: to dive deep into the culture and to strengthen the uptake of an ethnorelative mindset when learning about a different culture. The information gathered through the EWC assignments is then compiled in a Travel Brochure at the end of the semester. The brochures the students develop aim to inform American tourists about the culture of their selected country of study. The brochure includes a composite sketch of the country (relevant socio-economic, historical, and demographic information) and its’ communication values (cultural value patterns and orientations). The students also self-reflexively examine areas of the American communication style tourists must adjust to enact flexible communication when visiting or interacting with individuals from their selected country. The students present their Travel Brochures at the end of the semester, showcasing what they learned about the culture they studied and how that has impacted their understanding of intercultural communication.

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