GNST 252

CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE—EGYPT

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Boulis OFFICE: 210 BB

TEXT: Suzanne, L. Hamid. Global Perspectives. Mason, OH: Thomson Custom Publishing, 2007.

UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT: Lee University is a Christian institution which offers liberal arts and professional education on both the baccalaureate and master’s levels. It seeks to provide education that integrates biblical truth as revealed in the Holy Scriptures with truth discovered through the study of arts and sciences and in the practice of various professions. A personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior is the controlling perspective from which the educational enterprise is carried out. The foundational purpose of all educational programs is to develop within the students knowledge, appreciation, understanding, ability and skills which will prepare them for responsible Christian living in a complex world.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Participation in a cross-cultural experience including traveling, living, and studying abroad; service learning in an ethnic neighborhood; or first year residence in the United States for international students. Proposals must be approved by the Global Perspectives Committee before enrollment in this course. After completing their cross-cultural experience, students will complete the course by reporting on and discussing their experiences. International students may consider their encounter with American culture as their cross-cultural experience if previously approved by the Global Perspectives Committee.

PREREQUISITE: GNST 200 - Global Perspectives Seminar Credit Hours: 2

PURPOSE: The purpose of this course is to involve students in a cross-cultural experience with a country of rich and diverse history, Egypt. This course will give students the opportunity to experience the current Egyptian culture, Pharaonic Egypt, Coptic Egypt and Islamic Egypt. The goal is to foster in students a healthy respect of the diversity of perspectives represented in this part of the world

COURSE CALENDAR: This is a two-week excursion (a two-credit hour experience) to Egypt.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE:

1. General Instructional Objectives-

This course is designed to:

a. Guide students in an understanding of their own Christian values in order to demonstrate respect for culturally diverse points of view.

b. Encourage students to develop the knowledge, understanding, and respect needed to function effectively in a culturally and ethnically diverse nation and world.

c. Cultivate in students an empathetic understanding of a culture other than their own.

d. Explore the special socialization needs of individuals attempting to adapt to another culture.

e. Allow students to acquire knowledge on the physiography of the region.

f. Provide the tools necessary for reading a culture.

g. Allow students to discover how cultures interact and accommodate themselves to major world economic/political systems.

2. Specific Behavioral Objectives-

As a result of the activities and study in this course students should be able to:

a. Successfully participate in a cross-cultural experience.

b. Interact with members of a culture other than their own for a minimum of 45 hours.

c. Complete a daily journal of cross-cultural experiences

d. Report on their experiences.

e. Compare the special socialization needs of the culture visited with that of their own.

f. Discuss modernization influences that have contributed most to regional culture change and increased social scale.

g. Conduct at least two Case Study Interviews on members of the Coptic faith with whom the interaction is taking place.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

1. Pharaonic Egypt

2. Coptic Egypt

3. Current Egypt

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES:

1. Observation

2. Participation

3. Interviews

4. Narrations

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Involvement in the cross-cultural experience.

2. Completing a daily reflection journal of the trip activities that includes detailed, reflective entries of each day of the experience.

3. Engage in conversation with at least two members of the Coptic Orthodox faith and conduct interviews.

4. A final reflection summary upon the completion of the experience.

EVALUATION:

1. Journal 45% total, comprised of the following parts:

a. Logistical Description 10%

i. Includes description of daily activities

ii. Includes description of significant events occurring within the culture being studied (significant political/religious events, festivals or celebrations…etc.)

b. Personal Interactions 15%

i. Includes description of interactions with people of another culture

ii. Demonstrates significant interaction with, not just observation of, another culture

iii. Demonstrates initiative to have such interactions

c. Reflections 20%

i. Thoughtfully and articulately answers the questions: “What do the activities in which I participated, the events that occurred, and my personal interactions with others today mean? What do they tell me about this culture?”

ii. Includes questions and hypotheses about the culture.

2. Case Studies/Interviews 40% total, comprised of the following parts:

a. Case studies conducted with members of one culture group and includes cross-section of subjects (old, young men, women …etc.)

15%

b. Content of each case study 25%

Has asked questions regarding the following cultural considerations, in addition to any other

pertinent cultural information and conveyed responses in essay form.

1. Life history

2. Family and family relationships

3. Religious beliefs

4. Who has, or should have, authority/power in the family, the church and the government.

5. The culture group’s relationship to other groups.

3. Final Reflective Summary 15%

Summarizes cultural experience in a reflective manner; gives only limited logistical information.

Grading: Total points available = 100

Pass = 70 – 100

Fail = 0 - 69

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Lee University is committed to the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities as defined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students who think they may qualify for these accommodations should notify their instructor immediately. Contact the office of Academic Support Program (614-8121) with questions about special services.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: As a Christian community of scholarship, we at Lee University are committed to the principles of truth and honesty in the academic endeavor. As faculty and students in this Christian community, we are called to present our academic work as an honest reflection of our abilities; we do not need to defraud members of the community by presenting others’ work as our own. Therefore, academic dishonesty is handled with serious consequences for two fundamental reasons: it is stealing – taking something that is not ours; it is also lying – pretending to be something it is not. In a Christian community, such pretense is not only unnecessary, it is also harmful to the individual and community as a whole. Cheating should have no place at a campus where Christ is King because God desires us to be truthful with each other concerning our academic abilities. Only with a truthful presentation of our knowledge can there be an honest evaluation of our abilities. To such integrity, we as a Christian academic community are called.

SUGGESTED READINGS:

J. Daniel Hess, The Whole World Guide to Culture Learning. Intercultural Press,

Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press. 1994.

Craig Storti, CrossCulturaL Dialogues. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural

Press, 1994.

Craig Storti, The Art of Crossing Cultures. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural

Press. 1994.

L. Robert Kohls and John Knight, Developing Cultural Awareness. Intercultural Press,

Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1994.

Jan Drum, Steve Hughes and George Otero, Global Winners: 74 Learning Activities for

Inside and Outside the Classroom. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, Maine:

Intercultural Press. 1994.

Gary Althen, American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners Living in the United States.

Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press. 1998.

Alison Lanier, Living in the U.S.A. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural

Press. 1996.

Edward Stewart and Milton Bennett. American Culture Patterns: A CrossCultural

Perspective. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press. 1993.

For Human Development Majors seeking teacher licensure:

C.E. Bennett, Comprehensive Multicultural Education: Theory and Practice. (2 nd ed.)

Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1990.

Genessee, Second language through learning immersion: A review of U.S. programs,

Review of Educational Research. 55 (4), 541561. 1985.

D.M. Gollnick and P.C. Chinn, Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. (3 rd ed.)

Columbus, OH: Merrill, 1990.