Third Space Lab – Duke Summer Course

The co-directors of the Third Space Lab will be offering a 4-credit course based on the principles of the Third Space Lab during Summer II (June 25-August 9). The course is listed as “ICS 190 – Intercultural Communication in Times of Global Conflict” for Duke and DKU students.

Here’s a short description of the course:

The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that we now live in a borderless world where human well-being depends on shared understanding and collaboration across national, ideological, and cultural boundaries. In a time when people across the globe are self-isolating and practicing social-distancing, with national borders closed and international travels suspended, and with nationalist and xenophobic mindsets on the rise, this course aims to provide an intercultural communication framework that helps students engage with other cultures and worldviews to understand differences, resolve conflicts, and begin to develop a multicultural identity.

This course is designed to address the needs and concerns of students interested in understanding intercultural competence development from a theoretical perspective, and also in developing their own intercultural competence and understanding in the context of global conflicts. Topics include: perspective transformation, conflict resolution, othering and ethnic labeling in intercultural encounters, and development of multicultural Third Space personae.

Facilitated by distance-learning technologies, this course creates a hybrid learning space that enables students to learn in digital spaces. Zoom will be used to deliver the class synchronously, while students and the instructors also use the Sakai forum and VoiceThread for discussions and small-group projects. Orientation will be held at the beginning of the course to prepare students for the digital sessions.

Please email us your questions at thirdspacelab@dukekunshan.edu.cn.