It was controversial because many people did not want to admit that prejudice exists, a lot of people did not want to admit their own fears. But to their credit, Rogers and Hammerstein kept the song in, primarily because it was appropriate to the story - a young Navy lieutenant from an upper-class home in Philadelphia had fallen in love with an island native. The young officer recognized a sad truth, that many of us grow up thinking that "our" way is the "right" way, and any deviation is to be suspected. So, one practical value of knowing about another culture is to avoid offending a person you may wish to meet.

Another practical value of knowing about a different culture is the possibility of being offered a job in a firm from another country. Or, closer to home, there are courses offered here which involve e-mailing with students from other countries to exchange information, or even do joint projects. You surely don't want to offend the person who is your source of information. Further down the road, you don't want to feel stupid or embarrassed when your own child asks you a question about a new classmate of theirs.

Another reason is the very fact of your becoming a college graduate. In that capacity you sometimes will find your opinion valued by those who did not go to college. How can you respond intelligently to questions on important issues in the news, such as immigration policies, trade disputes with other countries, a local plant closing due to international competition, or for whom to vote. These issues are in today's papers, they are already among us and need to be addressed. How should you respond?

When you report for a job interview and discover that the company's representative is from a particular ethnic background, how do you respond? When a new family moves next door, how do you respond? When your son or daughter brings home a new friend, how do you respond? When you are assigned to work with another employee, how do you respond? How do you impress your boss when he or she is from a different ethnic background? How do you treat your employees or the people who report to you when they are from different backgrounds? These are some of the reasons why it is important and valuable to know of other cultures.

• persuasive speaking
  
• critical analysis and synthesis
  
• receptive listening
  
• clear and rhetorically informed writing
  
• critical and engaged reading
  
• applications of technology

Class Participation

Weekly Analysis

Short Paper

• Write statement of intent / outline - outside class
• Discussion - in class
• Write formal critique of others' work - outside class
• Discussion of each member's critique - in class
• Write first draft - outside class
• Exchange first drafts - in class
• Write formal critique - outside class
• Discuss formal critique - in class
• Write final draft - outside class

Term Paper

• What are the prospects for the future of a female Japanese high school student, class of '96?
• How does the Japanese language influence/reinforce behavior?
• The group holds a special place in Japanese culture. What is the origin of this behavior and what are its consequences?
• Explain and discuss the concepts of amae, honne, tatemae, on [sic] and giri with respect to Japanese behavior?
• How do the Japanese' formal and informal education systems relate to Japanese abilities and behavior?
• Why do you think the Japanese accept so much governmental control, high prices, and corruption?
• How did the early, Tokugawa, and Meiji periods' developments affect today's Japan?
• What have been the consequences of the A-bomb explosions for Japanese society?

• Class participation is an important part of the course, and much of what you learn will come from those discussions. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. Unauthorized absence will result in loss of participation credit and a penalty deducted from the final grade.
• There is no specified length for either paper. However, there are requirements for the mechanics of both:
  
  
  • Papers will be computer generated. If you use a dot matrix printer, do not use one with a dull or worn out ribbon.
  • There should be a cover sheet with your name, the date, the class, and
    the subject. Use a 10 or 12 size and a plain font such as Sans Serif, Geneva, or Helvetica (most word processing programs will have at least one of these.)
  • Back up your file every few paragraphs, and make a second copy on a separate disk. If you are using the labs at the college, make sure to do this, and do not wait until the day the material is due to print your copies. There are too many things that can go wrong to wait until the last minute. This is particularly important, since no late papers will be accepted.I simply have too many papers from different classes to have late papers to worry about. More important, you need to have the material in time for your group-mates to read it in class.
  
  
• Grading will be based on the following weights:
  
  
  
  • Class participation 10%
    
  • Weekly Analysis 15% (automatic, if all assignments completed on time)
    
  • Short paper first draft 10%
    
  • Short paper final draft 20%
    
  • Term paper first draft 15%
    
  • Term paper final draft 30%