IC ESSAY QUESTIONS

Choose ONE of the following questions to write an analysis essay of 1200-1500

words, excluding references
- For the purpose of analysis, use the relevant concepts and theories of intercultural
communication that you have learnt in the course.
- Give brief literature introduction with proper reference of these cultural concepts.
- Share stories from your first-hand experience

1. PERSONAL IDENTITY
How do you define yourself (Who are you?)? How has your linguistic and cultural
background influenced who you are today and who you hope to be in the future?
Think about one or more facets of your identity (personal, ethnic, social, religious,
racial ....). Have you ever been in a situation in which your preferred identities were
not recognized or respected? Describe your emotions and response
Is any of your identities changing? If yes, in what way is it changing?

2. LANGUAGE BIAS
If you speak more than one language dialect (e.g. Northern and Central dialects),
when is each of them used? That is, in what places, relationships, or settings do you
use each of them? What are the reasons for your choice? Do you think that people’s
perceptions of and attitudes towards different accents or dialects can cause some
problems in intercultural interactions? Tell stories from your first-hand experience.

3. GENDER BIAS
What is “sexist” language? Have you ever been offended by sexist comments? What
kinds of comments bother you? In what situations and by whom are the comments
made? Are these comments connected to the gender biases in Vietnamese culture?
What can you say about the gender perception in our university? Share with us the
stories from your first-hand experience or your personal observation

4. DISCRIMINATION
 Have you ever experienced discrimination? Or have you ever discriminated anyone?
Why? In what form? What were your/that person’s reactions to the discrimination?
What were the attitudes or reactions of the people around you? From your own
experience, what can be done about discrimination in similar situations?

5. INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIP
Have you ever been involved in an intercultural relationship (friendship, romance)?
How was it formed and maintained? (Did any social or technological factors affect
the way you formed and maitained this relationship?)
What are the benefits and challenges of this relationship? What are the reactions of
people in your culture to it?
Do you think this intercultural relationship is a good thing or doesn’t make much
difference for your intercultural competence?

Requirements for essay wirting and submission

- Format: ESSAY, font Times New Roman, size 14, 1.5 spacing, printed on two sides,
stapled, no cover or binding required. (Save the environment!).
- Your name, class, student ID, title of the essay all in half of the first page.
- Use the number and name of the topic of your choice as the title of your essay. If
necessary, you can also give your essay a subtitle to specify the content
- Sources of references must be clearly stated following APA format
- Hand in both hard and soft copy (email the soft copy to your lecturer)
- Submit your final essay according to the agreed schedule. Late papers will be
accepted, but will be marked one grade lower than the grade deserved for every day
of delay.

Note : Plagiarism will be severely punished.