Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
16897:[2025 Fall]Cross-cultural Encounters 2 (GE) § 16898:Special Lecture (2E) § 16899:Basic Communication Skills (GE) 2025 Fall Mon4 College　Of　Law,College　Of　Social　Sciences,College　Of　International　Relations,College　Of　Letters KAWANO MAKO 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

ZONSHINKAN　ZS205

Language

English and Japanese

Course Outline and Method

Through discussions this course will focus on a variety of values. Through understanding and respecting differences in opinion and values students will learn how to negotiate and reach compromises with each other. Mostly held in English (Japanese support available, if needed). Active and cooperative participation in discussions is highly encouraged.

Student Attainment Objectives

Students’ tolerance and acceptance of others will be increased through discussions with students with different cultural backgrounds. Students’ problem solving ability will improve by acquiring skills in negotiating and finding compromises with people with differing opinions.

Recommended Preparatory Course

This course will be conducted in English (main) and Japanese (upon necessity), so students should be able to perform English proficiency equivalent to TOEFL ITP 400/ TOEFL iBT 32/ TOEIC 380 / IELTS 4.5 or above. Please remember the following points to make the course beneficial to all the participants. (1) Try to use the language that you are learning, (2) Try to use your mother tongue (if it is English or Japanese) in an understandable way to your counterparts, and (3) Try to be active and collaborative in your learning process.

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

Introduction

Course introduction, Icebreaking activities
【+R-Jugyo】For the details, go to "Reference Video" below

2

Culture and diversity

What is culture? Risks of essentialism

3

Listening to the air

Communicating across cultures

4

The many faces of polite

Evaluating performance and providing, Negative feedback

5

‘Why’ versus ‘How’

The art of persuasion in a multicultural world

6

How much respect do you want? - Leadership, hierarchy, and power

G. Hofstede and the concept of power distance, Egalitarian and hierarchical

7

Big ‘D’ or little ‘d’ - Who decides, and how?

Consensual or top-down, Avoiding culture clashes when making decisions

8

The head or the heart － Two types of trust and how they grow

Task-based vs relationship-based cultures, Strategies for building trust across cultures

9

The needle, not the knife － Disagreeing productively

Confrontation vs emotional expressiveness, Getting global teams to disagree agreeably

10

How late is late?

Scheduling and cross-cultural perceptions of time

11

Group presentation preparations

Group work

12~13

Group presentations

Group presentations, Discussions

14

Course wrap-up

Feedback and reflection

Class Format

Face-to-face session in the classroom

Recommendations for Private Study

Pre-class preparation for Week 3 to 10: Please read the chapter to discuss beforehand. The material will be provided at least a week in advance.
As for a group presentation, you are expected to work together in and outside of the class with the assigned group members.
The details will be explained in the first class.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written) 0

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)		 0

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

Pre-class preparation 30%, Contribution to discussions 30%、Group presentation 20%、Reflective essay 20%

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Students must attend/take part in at least 10 out of 14 classes to obtain credit for this course.

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
The culture map Erin Meyer Public Affairs
異文化理解力 エリン・メイヤー 英治出版

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

We will use the English version in the lecture. You can read the Japanese version as well if you are interested in understanding and communicating in Japanese with your peers.

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Talk with Students,Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/