Plenary Talk
INTERCULTURAL RHETORIC IN EAP/ESP EDUCATION
Ulla Connor, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Intercultural Rhetoric (IR), originally Contrastive Rhetoric (CR), examines issues in written English discourse between and among individuals with different cultural backgrounds. Intercultural rhetoric includes crosscultural studies (comparison of the same concept in culture one and two, e.g., academic research papers) as well as studies of interactions in which writers from a variety of linguistic, cultural, and social backgrounds negotiate meaning through speaking and writing (e.g., coauthoring research papers).
In this presentation I will examine the history of IR and how it has evolved from its beginning as CR. With this background, I will then describe the basic concepts of IR, namely a look at cultures as dynamic and complex, and texts as social actions and how they are best studied and translated into practice in EAP/ESP teaching. Perhaps most important to the concepts and theories of IR, is the topic of culture. As we examine culture, we will discern between small cultures (e.g., disciplinary cultures) and large cultures (e.g. national and ethnic) and the effects of hybridization of large and small cultures in the production and consumption of texts. Through this deeper, multilayered look at culture it will become evident why the topic of IR is relevant in the field and should and will be given a larger focus of inquiry, especially in this multicultured age of increasing global migration and the extensive use of English as a global lingua franca.
In order to illustrate texts as social interactions, I will emphasize the importance of using multiple methods of analysis, such as computerized text analysis and ethnographic approaches in solving intercultural issues. Examples from a variety of EAP/ESP teaching scenarios will be used to illustrate the importance of intercultural rhetoric – considering cultures and texts in their full complexity – as we plan and conduct EAP/ESP instruction.