About

NCEP207:  Practicing Intercultural Communication in Thailand is part of Carroll University’s New Cultural Experiences Program.  Students spend the semester prior to the trip meeting with the instructor, studying the material and preparing for the trip.  This Thailand experience is also a class for which the students receive a grade. 

Dr. Rebecca Imes is leading this trip.  Dr. Imes is an Assistant Professor of Communication and is in her 6th year at Carroll.  She teaches a variety of courses in relational communication including Intercultural Communication, Health Communication, Interpersonal Communication and the senior capstone course.  Dr. Imes spent a few weeks in Thailand in 2007 and knew immediately that it would be a great fit for an NCEP experience.  She loves traveling and is looking forward to sharing this experience with the students.   

The following is a description of the course from the course syllabus. 

Magical, mystical, modern Thailand.  Studying and visiting Thailand offers us a unique opportunity—you will come to understand your own culture in a new way through your journey through this beautiful and fascinating land.  Societal norms and values, history, arts, and the media all influence intercultural communication.  These effects are experienced everywhere from business dealings to casual conversations to tourism stops.  Reading about these facets and discussing them in the classroom is useful; however, it does not compare to experiencing them in person.  Additionally, the traditional study of verbal and nonverbal communication is all the more fascinating in a geographical location so far removed from our own.  This context course is an introduction to the cultural dimensions of human communication, leading to a better understanding of the ways in which shared patterns of perception and belief affect the ways we create and share meaning. We will examine the complex relationship between culture and communication from a variety of conceptual perspectives.