My first reaction to reading this article was that this program being offered wa s amazing.

The opportunity for an intercultural communication class to actually interact with citizens from another culture is an opportunity of a lifetime. I h ave had the opportunity to interact with individuals from other cultures in Amer ica, but to have the opportunity in a classroom to actually speak to someone in another country literally blows my mind. That being said the focus of this artic le was to illustrate the intercultural experience and to promote the benefits of learning in such an environment. One of the strengths that the article presented was the deconstruction of the co ncept of the other as it relates to individuals of other countries. There are seve ral stereotypes that Americans have for foreigners. This is a direct result of o ur inability to distrust that which we dont understand. Because of the nature of the geographic and cultural barriers to communications we naturally are apprehen sive of people from other countries. The experience provided by the Global Class room is unique because a opportunity for students to interact with foreigners in a environment that eliminates all pressure and invites pure interaction. What s tudents were quick to realize was that although individuals were living in diffe rent countries, they had a great deal of common characteristics and ideals about the inner workings of the world. The success of the program was measured in the comfort levels of the students as they discussed broad ranges of topics, from s pace exploration to homosexuality. Another strength of the program was the discernment of many communicatio n barriers that exist between intercultural communities and proposals of solutio ns to address them. One of the barriers that foreigners face when communicating with Americans is that they feel that Americans speak to fast. Through research it was discovered that Americans speak between 150-175 words a minute. A solutio n to this would simply be to slow our speaking rate so that foreigners can compr ehend. Another issue the program was able to address was the use by Americans of filler statements, such as I was wondering or No offense. In order to increase the effectiveness of intercultural communication would be to eliminate these fillers in order to produce the most effective communication. One the biggest concerns that Americans have with such interaction, is a fear of telling foreigners that they cant be understood. Many Americans feel that is disrespectful to ask such qu estions and allow themselves to continue in conversations where they dont underst and what is being said. The class introduced students to asking for clarificatio n in order to produce successful communication. Incorporating new technology has allowed a new and effective means of introducin g intercultural concepts to students. The programs thus far have been highly eff ective as a means of deconstruction barriers in communications.