A desired outcome of teaching intercultural communication is cultivating an understanding and awareness of different cultural values while attempting to increase intercultural communication competence within our students. Goals of teaching intercultural communication include assisting students in recognizing, accepting, and appreciating cultural…

Participant observation is a topic covered in most Introduction to Communication Research classes and specialized courses on qualitative inquiry. However, as humans are natural observers in everyday life, students may not appreciate the importance of systematic and thoughtful observation and note taking. The purpose of the one-to-two class period…

Working effectively in groups is essential for college graduates (Hart Research Associates, 2013). University and college administrators have responded to this need by increasing the number of group communication courses by 25% (Bertelsen & Goodboy, 2009). However, it is the quality of course instruction that determines how well prepared…

This article describes a realistic online crisis unit, in which students practice: (1) responding to fast-paced information on multiple social media channels; (2) coordinating and making team decisions; and (3) creating effective responses. These skills are required for entry-level positions such as digital specialists and community managers,…

The purpose of the activity described here is to integrate McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y into a group application: design a syllabus that embodies either Theory X or Theory Y tenets. Students should be able to differentiate between Theory X and Theory Y, create a syllabus based on Theory X or Theory Y tenets, evaluate the different syllabi…

The "What Would You Say?" (WWYS?) exercise was developed to help students reflect on and improve their message response choices in the moment, as prompted by fictionalized interpersonal scenarios from films. Video clips were chosen to exemplify situations that were identified by students in a pilot study as situations in which they or…

For more than 75 years, instructors have taught students to use Monroe's (1935) Motivated Sequence (MMS) when organizing speeches designed to move audiences to action. However, modern approaches to teaching the sequence are needed to help instructors remain relevant and effective. This activity advocates the use of constructivist pedagogical…

This assignment described here serves as a meaningful way to engage students who are perhaps less involved in giving back to their own community (Galston, 2003). By engaging students in "pay it forward" experiences, this assignment can help foster a sense of active citizenship. Often political engagement is associated with acts related…

Media have become ever-present factors in most college students' lives (Turan, Tinmaz, & Goktas, 2013). Despite this infiltration, students (and most of the public) remain remarkably unaware of the significant role the media can play in the construction of a social reality and, in turn, how individuals act and interact on a daily basis…

This single class activity described here: (1) illustrates the importance of interdependence in groups; (2) can be used to measure group productivity and performance; (3) can encourage groups to engage in group learning; and (4) can facilitate group cohesion for newly formed groups. Students will be working in groups for the majority of their…

In a diverse, interconnected, and results-oriented world, students need to be confident and well-prepared public speakers. However, many students entering public speaking classrooms feel anxious and dread having to perform publicly (Bodie, 2010). Students' sense of Communication Apprehension (CA) is likely to increase for any of several…

Guided by cultural identity theory (CIT), the authors offer the six-word memoir (6WM) as a storytelling vehicle to engage students in critical, reflexive (re)considerations of their cultural identities and positions. This activity's impetus is threefold. First, it recognizes the practical challenges of teaching and learning the important, yet…

For educators tasked with helping students become more skillful and successful communicators in increasingly diverse political and economic contexts, it is crucial to help students understand the ways that whiteness and white privilege influence interactions. However, because of its invisibility, whiteness proves difficult to talk about. This…

As a central area of study within the discipline, theories of interpersonal communication are the bedrock of many introductory textbooks designed for use in undergraduate courses on communication and communication theory (Griffin, 2012; Littlejohn & Foss, 2010; Miller, 2004; West & Turner, 2010). Though undergraduate students are, of…

This article describes an activity for a course in "Intercultural Communication, Communication and Diversity" that is designed to help students better understand the concept of world views in everyday life. It also provides an understanding of how world views may be connected to values, norms, and ethnocentrism in very personal and…