Facilitating Cross-Cultural Communication
Through A Writing Exchange

By
 Natasha Isadora Frank
American University of Beirut

As Kumaravadivelu (2003) mentioned, a classroom should not be viewed as an island that is isolated from its external surroundings.
Embracing this notion, I implemented a writing exchange in my sophomore academic writing class (English 203) at the American University of Beirut. My students exchanged both formal and informal writing assignments with students from two American universities — California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), and the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). In addition to creating meaning beyond the confines of the classroom, the assignment was initiated to facilitate cross-cultural communication and to teach the students about the importance of audience awareness when writing. The project was also designed to help foster a critical analysis of different cultures and to examine stereotypes and generalizations.
The project involved having the students complete a variety of writing tasks in multiple genres. First, the students wrote introductory letters about themselves. Next, both classes read the same texts (“Deadly Identities” and “The Clash of Civilizations”) and wrote a two- page reading response. Both classes participated in peer review, commenting on the ideas of their colleagues’ overseas. Finally, the students wrote a reflective journal, in which they commented on what they learned from the experience and how their image of the opposite culture changed.
Naturally, all these writing tasks were sup ported by lessons on audience awareness, confronting stereotypes, and conducting peer review.
Thus, for the ATEL conference, I would like to share my insights on creating a writing exchange. In describing this experience, I aim to highlight the challenges and rewards of incorporating such a project into an English course. On more practical level, I will present sample lesson plans, assignment descriptions, and excerpts of the students’ writing. I will also offer concrete suggestions for designing and implementing a writing exchange.
Audio Visual Needs—Computer projection for PowerPoint.
References
Huntington, S. P. (1993). ‘The clash of civilizations? Foreign Affairs, 72(3).
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching.
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Maalouf, A. (1998). Deadly identities. Al JadEd, 4(25).