Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication – A Signature Center Initiative

Abstract

The Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication (ICIC) is a university-based research and service organization created to enhance links between the city of Indianapolis, the state of Indiana, and cultures/nations throughout the world. The center is part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts in the Department of English at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). ICIC conducts internationally-recognized research on language and intercultural communication; provides practical training in language and culture for specific purposes that is informed by its research; and applies its expertise to benefit the wider community. Research Current research is on health discourse/health literacy and intercultural rhetoric/discourse through quantitative and qualitative analyses in several areas, to identify factors and forms of interaction and communication, that impact medication adherence, risk comprehension, patient decision-making, and successful self-management of diseases. Training ICIC offers group training programs and individualized tutoring in language and intercultural communication to students, faculty, medical residents and postdoctoral researchers, as well as business professionals in the community. Students from around the world come to Indianapolis to participate in our specialized language training programs. ICIC also offers training to instructors of language and intercultural communication. Our goal is to provide training tailored to learners’ needs and learning situations.