The document discusses how encountering foreign cultures through dialogue can reveal new depths and meanings in both cultures that were not apparent otherwise. It presents results from surveys of Korean students who participated in a cross-cultural project communicating with non-Koreans online. The surveys found that most students found the project interesting and useful and that it helped improve their communication skills, cultural awareness, and confidence when interacting with people from other cultures.

1. Culture. Why?

2. “A meaning only reveals its depths once it has
encountered and come into contact with
another, foreign meaning: they engage in a kind
of dialogue, which surmounts the closedness
and one-sidedness of these particular meaning,
these cultures. We raise new questions for a
foreign culture, ones that it did not raise itself;
we seek answers to our own questions in it; and
the foreign culture responds to us by revealing
to us its new aspects and new semantic depths.”
(Bakhtin 1986:7)

3. Cultural
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4. International or
Domestic?

5. Opportunities

6. How?

7. Table 2: Students Feelings towards
the Cross-Cultural Project
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Interesting Boring Useful Pointless Meaningful Meaningless
What did you think of this project?

8. Table 4: Students Perceived
Usefulness of Skills Utilized in the
CMC Project
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Communicating with non-
Koreans
Computer skills Group Work Skills Listening Skills Ability to Understand a
Person’s Meaning
What skills gained from this project will be useful in the future?

9. Table 5: Project Activities Students
Liked
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Creating Questions Listening to non-Korean
speakers
Answering Questions Transcribing Responses Computer Practice Communicating with
Foreigners
What activities did you like?

10. Table 7: Student Recorded Strengths
of the CMC Project
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
It helped you gain
confidence in
your speaking
ability
It improved your
writing Skills
It improved your
grammar
knowledge
It helped you
improve your
listening ability
It improved your
reading skills
It improved your
cultural
awareness
It improved your
computer skills
What were the strengths of the project?