Course Description
3 credits. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the purpose, understanding, value and applicability of building cross-cultural competencies in order to become effective cross-cultural leaders. Students will identify and acknowledge both differences and similarities that exist between and among cultural groups and systems in order to develop these competencies, the foundation of cultural intelligence. This course is beneficial for students pursuing careers in healthcare, public health, human services, education, community development, non-governmental organizations (NGO), faith-based organizations, non-profits, government (local, state, federal), foundation and business and corporations.
Pre-requisites and Other Registration Restrictions
None.
Learning Goals
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
- Understand the impact of culture as an emergent leader in academic, professional, and community-based settings.
- Identify and describe characteristics of intercultural competencies required for cross-cultural leadership.
- Evaluate critical thinking skills to build one's intercultural competencies for effective cross-cultural leadership.
- Analyze constructs of history as they relate to a leader's identity and the opportunities and barriers posed for cross-cultural leadership.
- Understand the value of cultural intelligence for effective cross-cultural leadership outcomes.
Course Materials
- Canvas Module Lecture Notes: text, image/graphic, and video content based on scholarly research including web-based resources of leadership periodicals, infographics, Ted Talks and YouTube videos.
- E-book (free access via Creative Commons): Leading with Cultural Intelligence, by Mai Moua, Saylor Foundation, 2012. License by Creative Commons.
- Additional web-based resources: relevant and timely content to supplement and augment Canvas Module Lecture Notes and e-book.
Course Schedule
Each week there will be readings from the module notes and/or e-book as well as additional sources in order to complete the assignments related to the week's topic and prepare for the final project.
| Week | Module Topic | Course Resource | Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Welcome and Course Overview | Module 1 Lecture Notes and e-book Introduction chapter | Icebreaker Discussion Calculate Cultural Intelligence via questionnaire |
| Two | Introduction to Cross-Cultural Leadership: Why Cultural Intelligence Matters | Module 2 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 1 | Discussion Question |
| Three | Understanding Culture | Module 3 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 2 | Writing Reflection |
| Four | Understanding Culture (continued) | Module 4 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 2 | Quiz |
| Five | Critical Thinking for Leadership Development | Module 5 Lecture Notes | Discussion Question |
| Six | Intercultural Context: Cultural Histories | Module 6 Lecture Notes | Discussion Question |
| Seven | Cultural Intelligence for the Cross-Cultural Leader | Module 7 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 3 | Writing Reflection |
| Eight | Cultural Intelligence: Strategic Thinking for the Cross-Cultural Leader | Module 8 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 4 | Quiz |
| Nine | Cultural Intelligence: Self-Efficacy for the Cross-Cultural Leader | Module 9 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 5 | Discussion Question |
| Ten | Cultural Intelligence: Adaptive Behavior for the Cross-Cultural Leader | Module 10 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 6 | Writing Reflection |
| Eleven | Cultural Intelligence in Action | Module 11 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 7 | Discussion Question |
| Twelve | Cultural Intelligence in Action (continued) | Module 12 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 7 | Quiz |
| Thirteen | The Future of Cultural Intelligence | Module 13 Lecture Notes and e-book chapter 8 | Discussion Question |
| Fourteen | Development Plan for Cross Cultural Leadership | Module 14 Lecture Notes | Recalculate Cultural Intelligence via questionnaire Writing Reflection |
| Fifteen | Cross Cultural Leadership: Final Project | Module 15 Lecture Notes | Final Project |
Assignments/Responsibilities, Grading & Assessment:
- Discussion Questions (6 discussion assignments) = 30% of final grade. Discussion questions gauge understanding of module topic. Students engage with class via postings/responses of sound content, including references and additional sources, when applicable. Proper grammar required. Postings/responses graded as per grading rubric.
- Reflective Writing (4 writing assignments) = 30% of final grade. Short essays of 2-3 pages that align with module content to foster leadership development. Critical thinking, proper organization, source citation(s) and proper writing mechanics required. Submissions graded as per grading rubric.
- Quizzes (3 quizzes) = 15% of final grade. Each quiz includes 40 questions of true/false and multiple choice, timed at 50 minutes, with randomized question bank that reflect module content.
- Final Project = 25% of final grade. Purpose of assignment is for emergent leaders to recognize the value of cultural intelligence, the capability to relate and work effectively in cross-cultural settings. Students will develop a PowerPoint, Google Slides or Prezi presentation on a country's cultural characteristics and how particular leadership traits and styles may contribute or inhibit cross-cultural leadership dynamics.
Grading Scale
A = 90.0-100
B+ = 87.0-89.9 points
B = 80.0-86.9 points
C+ = 77.0-79.9 points
C = 70.0-76.9 points
D = 60.0-69.9
F = below 60
Final Exam/Paper
No final exam. Due date for final paper is given each semester.
Academic Integrity
The university's policy on Academic Integrity is available at studentconduct.rutgers.edu/processes/academic-integrity. The principles of academic integrity require that a student:
- properly acknowledge and cite all use of the ideas, results, or words of others.
- properly acknowledge all contributors to a given piece of work.
- make sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of impermissible materials or impermissible collaboration.
- obtain all data or results by ethical means and report them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions.
- treat all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitate academic dishonesty by others nor obstruct their academic progress.
- uphold the canons of the ethical or professional code of the profession for which he or she is preparing.
Adherence to these principles is necessary in order to ensure that
- everyone is given proper credit for his or her ideas, words, results, and other scholarly accomplishments.
- all student work is fairly evaluated and no student has an inappropriate advantage over others.
- the academic and ethical development of all students is fostered.
- the reputation of the University for integrity in its teaching, research, and scholarship is maintained and enhanced.
Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Every member of the University community therefore bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld.
The consequences of scholastic dishonesty are very serious. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
- Resubmitting your own work that has previously been evaluated in this class or any other class.
- Copying text directly from websites and other sources without attributing the original source.
- Copying the work of students in other sections (past or present) of this course.
Please review the Rutgers' academic integrity policy.
Academic integrity means, among other things:
- Develop and write all of your own assignments.
- Submit your work for evaluation only once. Resubmitting your own work that has been previously evaluated in this or any other course is plagiarism and will be treated as such.
- Show in detail where the materials you use in your papers come from. Create citations whether you are paraphrasing authors or quoting them directly. Be sure always to show source and page number within the assignment and include a bibliography in the back.
- Do not fabricate information or citations in your work.
- Do not facilitate academic dishonesty for another student by allowing your own work to be submitted by others.
If you are in doubt about any issue related to plagiarism or scholastic dishonesty, please discuss it with your instructor.
Other sources of information to which you can refer include:
- Rutgers' Academic Integrity website.
- Code of Student Conduct.
- Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity.
Turn It In
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com (directly or via learning management system, i.e. Canvas, etc.) for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Usage Policy posted on the Turnitin.com site.
Students who do not agree should contact the course instructor immediately.
Accomodations for Students with Disabilities
Please follow the procedures outlined at ods.rutgers.edu/students/registration-form. Full policies and procedures are at ods.rutgers.edu.