Human Behavior

ALHOSN UNIVERSITY
University General Requirement Unit
Humanities, Arts or Social Sciences Requirement

Course Title: FAS 310 – Human Behavior in a Cross-cultural Context
Lecture Hours: 3 hours per week, fall semester 2010
Lab Hours: 0
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: None

Instructor/Coordinator:

Name: Prof. Gregory Mavrides
Office: MC 207C
Phone: 9712-407-0574
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Office Hours: As posted and via email, office visitation and telephone, immediate consultation after class if schedule permits, or by appointments.

Course Description

FAS 310, Human Behavior in a Cross-cultural Context, provides students with a extensive study of the differing values, ethics and attitudes across cultures with specific reference to both norms and prohibitions in business relationships. Topics include cultural identity and biases; verbal and nonverbal intercultural communication; code usage; and developing cross-cultural competence in interpersonal relationships.

Course Objectives

1. To develop students ability to work in an environment that has different cultural practices
2. To enhance students’ understanding about the changing world that has significant bearing upon business decisions.
3. To familiarize students with how people around the global with different cultural practices interact with each other.
4. To create an awareness of cross-cultural similarities and differences in human behaviour, as well as the skills and techniques necessary for conducting international business communications in any culture.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Appreciate the differing values, ethics and attitudes with reference to cultural practices and prohibitions in business relationships.
• Acquire the required skills to deal with problems related to cultural identity and differences.
• Contribute positively to intercultural integration using communication as the medium.

Course Evaluation

Your final course grade will be based on three measurements:

• Presentation Proposal due on or before September 24, 2011: 5%
• Midterm Exam: 30%
• Class Presentation (15 to 20 minutes): 30%
• Final Exam (cumulative: 70% new material; 30% midterm material): 40%

The midterm exam will cover the first six chapters of our textbook. The final exam will emphasize (70%) the material covered during the second half of class (chapters 7 to 12) but, per University policy, will also include some material (30%) from the first six chapters.

Please Note: Exams include material from class lectures. The midterm and final exam will be given during the midterm and final exam periods respectively.

Late Work

No late work will be accepted. If you are absent from class for any reason, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed and make sure you are up-to-date for the next class. If you fail to give your presentation on your assigned day, you will receive a "0" for the assignment, regardless of the reason (unless you can provide a University exemption signed by the Provost).

Learning Methodologies

• Spend some time on the course every day, whether you have class or not.
• Take good notes in class and review them frequently, comparing them to corresponding material in the text.
• Read the chapter in the textbook (prior to it's being covered in class).
• Answer and study the review questions in the text.
• Try to find some intrinsic satisfaction in the process of learning itself instead of being solely preoccupied with the final grade.

Course Textbook

Myron W. Lustig and Jolene Koester, Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication Across Cultures, 3rd ed. (Longman, 1999).

Other Reference

David A. Victor, International Business Communication (Harper Collins, 1992).

Attendance Policy

Attendance is taken for each class. If a student is more than 10 minutes late to a class, he/she will be counted absent for that class. Being out of a class more than 10 minutes during the class period will cause a student to be considered absent for that class Attendance will be reported and students must maintain guidelines for appropriate attendance as determined by ALHOSN University. A student who misses 8 to 11 classes will have 25% deducted from his/her total class average. A student who misses more than 11 class meetings will receive an “F” for the class.

For more information including an explanation as to why I strictly enforce the attendance policy, please see Why I Take Attendance.

Classroom Etiquette

• You are responsible for six chapters for the midterm exam and an additional six chapters for the final exam. The amount of material that will be covered over 12 weeks of lectures is non-negotiable.
• Cell phones must be turned off and put away. There is no text-messaging during class.
• Students should conduct themselves professionally at all times.
• Class starts promptly at the time indicated on your schedule.
• It is the student’s responsibility to obtain handouts, notes, and assignments for any classes (s)he missed.

Academic Honesty

Copying, cheating, and plagiarizing are all ways to use other people’s ideas and pretend they are yours. We have no tolerance for these behaviors. Homework, assignments, projects, and exams are all expected to be completed by you and you alone unless a group is specifically assigned, and in that case, you will work only with your group.

Course Calendar

Essentially, we are going to cover one chapter in our textbook per week. We will have six weeks of classes followed by "midterm week," followed by another six weeks of classes, and, then, two remaining weeks in the semester for final exams.