NCHU Course Outline

Course Name	(中) 英語溝通與表達(0915)
	(Eng.) English Communication and Expression
Offering Dept	Language Center
Course Type	Required	Credits	2	Teacher	Cheng-Ji Lai
Department	General	Language	English	Semester	2026-FALL
Course Description	English Communication and Expression is designed to develop students’ ability to communicate effectively and confidently in English. In this section of the course, cross-cultural communication serves as the central theme through which students develop their English communication and expression skills. The course will be conducted primarily in English and will provide students with meaningful opportunities to use English to discuss, analyze, and respond to real-life cultural and communication issues. With increasing globalization and advances in technology and transportation, university students today have more opportunities than ever to study, work, travel, and interact with people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Effective English communication therefore involves more than grammatical accuracy or vocabulary knowledge. It also requires an understanding of how cultural values, identities, communication styles, and expectations influence the ways people express themselves and interpret others. Throughout the course, students will explore topics such as culture and identity, core cultural values, individualism and collectivism, power distance, cross-cultural relationships, high- and low-context communication, stereotypes and prejudice, culture shock, English as a lingua franca, verbal and nonverbal communication, and cross-cultural conflict. Rather than learning these concepts only as theoretical knowledge, students will use them as the content for English communication practice. Through English-medium instruction, classroom discussions, pair and group activities, case analyses, quizzes, film analysis, and experience sharing, students will practice expressing opinions, explaining cultural differences, interpreting communication problems, and discussing possible solutions in English. A special feature of this course is an international Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project with students from Kumamoto University in Japan. Through this collaboration, students will have opportunities to communicate and collaborate with Japanese university students on selected cross-cultural communication topics. The COIL activities will provide authentic opportunities for students to use English as a lingua franca to exchange ideas, explore cultural similarities and differences, and develop intercultural communicative competence. Selected activities may also incorporate generative AI as a collaborative learning tool to support cross-cultural inquiry, discussion, and knowledge building. The course adopts an active-learning and student-centered approach. Students are therefore expected to participate actively and use English as much as possible during class. The ultimate goal is to develop students’ English communication and expression skills while simultaneously enhancing their intercultural communicative competence, enabling them to communicate more effectively and appropriately with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Prerequisites				self-directed learning in the course	Y

Relevance of Course Objectives and Core Learning Outcomes(%)			Teaching and Assessment Methods for Course Objectives
Course Objectives	Competency Indicators	Ratio(%)	Teaching Methods	Assessment Methods
By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. communicate ideas and opinions in English with greater confidence and clarity; 2. explain key concepts related to culture and cross-cultural communication in English; 3. identify and analyze how cultural values influence verbal and nonverbal communication; 4. compare different cultural perspectives and communication styles; 5. apply cross-cultural communication concepts to authentic situations, cases, and films; 6. develop strategies for managing cross-cultural misunderstandings and conflicts; and 7. demonstrate greater intercultural communicative competence when interacting with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.			topic Discussion/Production Networking/Distance Education Discussion Lecturing	Attendance Oral Presentation Assignment Quiz
Course Content and Homework/Schedule/Tests Schedule
Week Course Content Week 1 9/10 Introduction of the course and syllabus Week 2 9/17 Chapter 1: A Look at Culture & Communication Goals: What is culture and what are the features? What are big culture and small culture? What is communication and what are the features? Week 3 9/24 Chapter 1: A Look at Culture & Communication Goals: What are big culture and small culture? What is communication and what are the features? Week 4 10/1 Chapter 1: A Look at Culture & Communication Goals: What are big culture and small culture? What is communication and what are the features? Week 5 10/8 English proficiency pre-test Week 6 Chapter 1 Quiz & Chapter 2: Core Cultural Values Goals: What are core cultural values? What is individualism & collectivism? Week 7 10/22 Chapter 2: Core Cultural Values Goals: What are large and small power distance? Week 8 10/29 Chapter 2 Quiz & Movie with Cross-cultural Communication Theme Week 9 11/5 Movie Analysis & Chapter 3 Cross-cultural Relationships Goals: Cross-cultural friendships, intimate relationships, challenges & coping strategies in cross-cultural intimate relationships. Week 10 11/12 Chapter 4: Cross-Cultural Communication Styles Goals: What are high-context and low-context cultures? Week 11 11/19 Chapter 4 Quiz & Chapter 5: How Culture Affects Communication Goals: Perception, stereotypes, prejudice Week 12 11/26 Chapter 5 Quiz & Chapter 6: Understanding Culture Shock Goals: what is culture shock? What are the peaks and valleys of the revised W-shaped adjustment model? What are some of the essential culture shock management strategies? What is reentry culture shock? Week 13 12/3 Chapter 6: Understanding Culture Shock Goals: what is culture shock? What are the peaks and valleys of the revised W-shaped adjustment model? What are some of the essential culture shock management strategies? What is reentry culture shock? Week 14 12/10 Chapter 6 Quiz & Chapter 7: Language in IC Goals: English as a lingua Franca and multilingualism, communication strategies, Globish Week 15 12/17 Chapter 8: Nonverbal Communication Goals: What is nonverbal communication? What are the functions of IC nonverbal behavior? What are the body codes and boundary codes of IC nonverbal behavior? How can we manage IC nonverbal differences mindfully? Greetings, gestures, personal space, physical contact, paralanguage Week 16 12/24 Chapter 8 Quiz & Chapter 9: Managing Cross-cultural Conflicts Goals: What is IC conflict? How do individualists and collectivists approach a conflict differently? What skills are needed to become more competent and flexible IC communicators? Film Analysis Paper Due (12/24 11:59 p.m.) self-directed learning    02.Viewing multimedia materials related to industry and academia.
Evaluation
1. Chapter Quiz (50%): Quizzes will be given at the end of each chapter. They may include multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions. The quizzes are designed to assess your understanding of key concepts, theories, and examples discussed in class. You are expected to review the course materials and demonstrate a clear understanding of the major concepts related to cross-cultural communication. 2. English Communication & Participation (20%): Active participation is an essential part of this course. Since one of the major goals of English Communication and Expression is to develop your confidence and ability to communicate in English, you are expected to participate actively in classroom discussions, pair and group activities, and other interactive tasks. Each contribution will be counted as TWO participation points toward your English Communication & Participation grade. You are not expected to speak perfect English. Active communication, meaningful interaction, and willingness to express yourself are more important than grammatical accuracy alone. 3. Film Analysis (30%): Select a film with a cross-cultural theme. A list of suggested films will be uploaded to the Line group, but you are welcome to choose a film from the list, any film of your interest, or any film in another language. Your analysis should focus on significant cultural issues rather than summarizing the plot. Apply specific concepts learned from the course to your analysis. The paper should be 2-3 pages, typed, and double-spaced. Submit your paper by Week 16 (12/23) at 11:59 p.m.) via e-mail to laicj1124@nchu.edu.tw. Paper Content: Consider the following questions when viewing the film and writing your analysis: (1) Describe the context (e.g., where, when, what, who, how) in which the movie takes place. (2) Identify cultural and social issues such as power, hierarchy, political concerns, or important cross-cultural issues (e.g., racial issues, discrimination, immigration) that the film conveys. Whose perspectives are considered, and why? (3) What concepts from the course can be applied to the film? (4) What values does the film promote? 4. Attendance and Lateness Regular attendance is essential for success in this course, particularly because many learning activities involve in-class communication and interaction that cannot be replaced by individual study. Students are allowed up to two excused absences and one unexcused absence. Excused absences must be requested through the official student leave system and approved by the instructor. Students who exceed the allowed number of absences may fail the course. Moreover, students are expected to arrive on time and remain in class for the entire class period. Students who arrive 20 minutes or more after the class begins will have one point deducted from their final course grade for each occurrence. Early departure may also affect the English Communication & Participation gra
Textbook & other References
Lecture PPTs & handouts
Teaching Aids & Teacher's Website
Office Hours
by appointment
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