Aspects of Intercultural Communication In Language Learning

This paper is an introduction to some aspects of
intercultural communication and ways they can be made part
of language learning. It describes a 40-hour English elective
course for high school senior girls at Fuii Seishin Joshi
Gakuin (Sacred Heart Girls' High School), a private school
in Shizuoka Prefp.cture . Part One contains a description of
the class, the basic format of the course and considerations
for teachers who may be interested in this type of course.
Part Two includes samples of materials and activities used
and some of the students' reactions. The basic format
centered on student participation in various experiences,
discussions, and evaluations of these experiences. Included
were such themes as cultural perception, nonverbal communication,
language and culture, and cultural and personal
values, using application of drama techniques, values
clarification strategies, cross-cultural orientation
activities, etc. The two main objectives were to improve
the students' language skills and develop skills for communicating
with people of other cultures.