Cross-Cultural Communication

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

Courses for Major

When faced with a new country a person knows various rules and customs apply. Along with verbal communication, body language plays an important part in cross-cultural communication. Knowing not only how to speak, but how to behave by the unwritten physical and social rules can benefit a person while traveling. I will focus on gathering the skills needed to observe a culture and apply them in the field. By the end of my study, I hope to be able to successfully communicate with a different culture.
In order to complete my major I will need skills in the following areas: anthropology, sociology, human mind and body, communication, psychology, and cross-cultural interaction. The first I will study is human behavior, followed by language/culture, and finally anthropology and sociology. Overall, courses in these areas will provide me with a strong foundation and a significant amount of knowledge to take my skills into different cultures.

For psychology and the human mind and body -knowing how the mind thinks, the body’s reaction to the mind, and understanding body language- courses in Psychology, theology, movement, and infant behavior will help me to gather information in these areas. With this I will apply it to judging peoples reactions based under normal human behavior, and behavior influenced by the culture.

Communication will be fulfilled by various classes in media, communication, and language. To some extent Chinese culture and language will be a focus, and become a core experience of knowing a specific culture. This however is not the main point of my major, which is an interest in the subject of global communication among all individuals.

Classes in anthropology and sociology will mainly focus on how to read a culture, and observing the changes in its society, while gathering information in a scientific way.

coastal view: Piran

241 Developmental Psychology

This course will allow me to focus on the biological and environmental factors that shape human development. From this I plan to gain an understanding of human behavior influenced by the environment which leads to the significance of culture in human development. 

264 Theology and Sexuality

This course will allow me to understand how contemporary theological thought evolved and still evolves in modern times. From this course I plan to learn how a individuals and cultural viewpoints play a role in that society and change over time.

232 Movement Analysis

This course will allow me to provide a framework for observing, describing, and analyzing human movement patterns and understanding non-verbal behavior and communication. From this I plan to learn how to read peoples movements and actions, recognize its meaning, and use it to determine the person’s feelings and the significance it has in the culture. It builds from understanding the human mind and relating the meaning of reactions to their thought process.


341 Infant Behavior and Development

This course will allow me to observe how human beings begin to develop from an early age, and that their environments can play an important role in child bearing. From this I plan to learn how babies grow and how their parents and surroundings can affect their development. As well as understanding the difference in how humans first behave to how they presently interact with life. 

242 Family relationships

This course will provide for me an understanding of the family dynamics and different family roles that affect society. From this I will learn how the family is shaped and how the family its self interacts with society, thus shaping the inner frameworks within that society.

100 American Culture: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

This course will provide me the theories and methods of cultural studies on how to gain a better understanding of a culture and its meanings through various media. From this I will learn how to read an American culture and apply the skills learned to other cultures.


231 and 251 Chinese

These courses will allow me to go in-depth in understanding, speaking, creation, and speaking of Chinese. I will learn to speak fluently in Chinese and apply my knowledge on how language plays an important role in culture and becoming part of that culture. 

237 Modern Chinese Literature and Society

This course will allow me to observe a culture through its literary texts and how to approach them in the modern context of Chinese society. I will use knowledge gained from 100 American Culture and use it to understand modern Chinese culture and society in a literary format. 

128 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

This course will help to analyze the question “How/why do societies change?”, how to read a culture through an anthropological point of view, and how human behavior plays a role in the social context of a culture. From this course I plan to gain the skill of how to observe, read and compare cultures and their societies, and gain a fundamental understanding as to why these cultures are the way they are today (organizing themselves).

373 Ethnographic Research Methods

This course will help me to design and conduct qualitative research in the tradition of sociological and anthropological ethnography from this course I will learn how to research, collect data and how to write an ethnographic interpretation of my research findings.

366 Christian Theology and Political life

This course will help me to understand the relation of morality to politics, the use of political coercion and violence and the nature of social and political justice. From this course I will learn how religion and politics affect each other based off of faith and culture, and it shapes the lives of the individuals in that culture.

245 Philosophy and feminism

This course will examine feminist critiques aspects of contemporary culture that shape women's lives, such as conventional morality, science, education, art, medicine, law, religion, and marriage. Being a female I will from this course how women are supposed to be seen in their culture, and how women want to be seen in their culture. Part of my time will be studying abroad and it is important that I know how philosophical views underline woman all around the world. 

Additional Courses have been added to further my experience and knowledge on the subject.


In front of the Pyramids: Egypt

Here are my Study Abroad Courses!

Quotes: All quotes were taken from the article "The 50 most inspiring travel quotes of all time", written by On March 7, 2008