These are dynamic and important aspects of contemporary life - they shape our lives as individuals as well as our collective understandings of the world. A critical understanding of culture, media, and communication is also crucial for careers in communications, media, creative arts, design, marketing and advertising, PR, and many others. These three concepts intersect and interact in different ways  something well explore this semester. Our approach will adopt a critical intercultural communication perspective and use its theories to think about topics around culture, communication and representation, like identity, the construction of difference, the nation, colonisation, globalisation, new media, and multiculturalism. Our intellectual roots also draw from critical media studies and cultural studies. In the unit, we\'ll be investigating our engagement with other cultures and culturally diverse thinking and perspectives. We encourage you to examine yourself  to consider your cultural background and identity, to talk through any ideas in the unit you find difficult or uncomfortable, to be critical of your beliefs and assumptions, and aware of the things that cause changes to your views or thinking. The media plays an important role in social and cultural constructions of identities, cultures, minority groups, the \'Other\' and a range of other issues. Media representations can influence our perceptions of other cultures, countries, groups and peoples, and can be seen to reproduce (or even shape) culture. The unit examines the ideological role played by global media in producing and disseminating representations, identities, stereotypes, etc. As Stuart Hall puts it, we are interested in the effects and consequences of representation  its politics... how language and representation produce meaning, but how the knowledge which a particular discourse produces connects with power, regulates conduct, makes up or constrains identities and subjectivities, and defines the way certain things are represented, thought about, practised and studied (1997, p.6). Culture to Cultures recognises the value and significance of Indigenous cultures and peoples. As part of Curtin Universitys commitment to Indigenous education and culture, and developing cultural competencies in the Universitys staff and students, the unit explores Indigenous knowledges, perspectives and values. Engaging in Indigenous cultural competency helps to foster ongoing relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples that is mutually beneficial. It also helps close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and promotes an environment where Indigenous perspectives are valued, and encourages people to value diversity by accepting and respecting differences (http://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/c.php? g=202416&p=1332594).

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