Given that feature films can enhance the teaching of intercultural communication, this article describes in detail how the 2006 comedy film, Outsourced, can be integrated into a course. The article relates the film to four different functions of film and shows how Outsourced can help create an intercultural experience for students, serve as the basis for a case analysis of cross-cultural adjustment, give meaning to cultural concepts, and create powerful metaphorical images to expand classroom discussions to broader issues. Also explored are ways the film can be used in teaching advanced intercultural communication concepts.
Adler, R.B., & Elmhorst, J.M. (2008). Communicating at work: Principles and practices for business and the professions (9th ed.). Tuas Basin Link, Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
2.
Bisoux, T. ( 2009, November/December). "Outsourcing" the curriculumBizEd, 42-46.
3.
Cardon, P.W. ( 2010). Using films to learn about the nature of cross-cultural stereotypes in intercultural business communication courses. Business Communication Quarterly, 73, 150-165.
4.
Champoux, J. ( 1999). Film as a teaching resource. Journal of Management Inquiry, 8, 206-217.
5.
Hofstede, G. ( 1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
6.
Inigo, M. ( 2007, December 1). The stereotyping of Spanish characters and their speech patterns in Anglo-American films. RAEL: Revista Electrónica de Lingüística Aplicada [RAEL: Electronic Journal of Applied Linguistics], Issue 6, 1-15.
7.
Jarman, F. (n.d.). Welcome to the intercultural film database! Retrieved from http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/interculturalfilm/index.php
8.
Jeffcoat, J. (Director). (2006). Outsourced [Motion picture]. United States: ShadowCatcher Entertainment.
9.
Kopnina, H. ( 2007). The world according to Vogue: The role of culture(s) in international fashion magazines. Dialectical Anthropology , 31, 363-381.
10.
Mallinger, M., & Rossy, G. ( 2003). Film as lens for teaching culture: Balancing concepts, ambiguity, and paradox. Journal of Management Education, 27, 608-624.
11.
Mee, K., & Dowling, R. ( 2003). Reading idiot box: Film reviews intertwining the social and cultural. Social & Cultural Geography, 4, 185-199.
12.
Mitry, D.J. ( 2008). Using cultural diversity in teaching economics: Global business implications. Journal of Education for Business, 84, 84-89.
13.
Nakata, C. (Ed.). (2009). Beyond Hofstede: Culture frameworks for global marketing and management. London, England: Palgrave Macmillan.
14.
Seitz, M.Z. ( 2007, September 28). Life lessons in a global marketplace. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/movies/28outs.html
15.
Tidwell, C.H., Jr. ( 2001, November 1). Fools rush in: Developing cross-cultural sensitivity using film-based group projects. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association , Atlanta, GA.
16.
United Arab Emirates. (2010). CIA world factbook. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ae.html
17.
Wiedenhaefer, R.M., Dastoor, B.R., Balloun, J., & Sosa-Fey, J. ( 2007). Ethno-psychological characteristics and terror-producing countries: Linking uncertainty avoidance to terrorist acts in the 1970s. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 30, 801-823.
