Instructor: Rick Finnan

Office: Snell 318, phone 737-6979

Office hour: TBA

E-mail: Rick.Finnan@orst.edu Website: http://osu.orst.edu/~finnanr/

Required text: Beyond Language by Levine and Adelman

Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:20 pm in Education 317.

Course description: S56 The Culture Puzzle is a content-based integrated skills class in which level five and six students will contact Americans, read, engage in discussions, and prepare written responses on a variety of topics related to US language and culture in order to form a better understanding of the breadth and complexity of American culture. The purpose of the class is to increase students' awareness of the cultural values of the United States, their own country and the countries of their classmates. This will be achieved through a variety of cross-cultural activities for small group and class discussions. The primary language skills to be practiced will be reading and speaking.

Course Objectives: help you understand the cultural differences and values that affect your written and spoken communication with Americans

improve reading skills and vocabulary by reading and doing exercises on cultural topics

improve discussion and listening skills by talking about cultural topics with Americans, your classmates and the instructor, and watching videos

sharpen cultural observation and writing skills by keeping a culture journal

Course grading: You will receive a midterm and final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). To get an S, you must attend regularly; read the assigned readings and do the related exercises; participate in discussions; and maintain the culture journal regularly.

Course requirements: Read the assigned chapter for the week. Do the required comprehension and vocabulary exercises and record the scores on the score sheet. Submit the score sheet as required. Come to class prepared to have meaningful discussions with the instructor and classmates. Respect the ideas and opinions of your classmates even though it is likely they will differ from yours at times. Participate appropriately in small group and class discussions; this means actively take part without dominating the discussion. Do all the assigned homework, paying careful attention to the "contact" assignments. If you miss class, contact a classmate or the instructor and find out what you missed and what the assignment is for the next class.