McCone Building, Center for Advising and Career Services
Email Address
pgrothe@miis.edu
Phone Number
831.647.4129
Language(s)
Español
Deutsch
Русский
svenska
Peter Grothe
Adjunct Professor
Professor Grothe taught at San Jose State University, Odense University in Denmark and New York University at Stony Brook. He has been a Visiting Research Scholar at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and Stockholm University.
He served as the Foreign Relations Advisor to Senator Hubert Humphrey and drafted the original Peace Corps legislation for him, and was the individual who submitted the name "Peace Corps," which to this day stands as the organization's name. Professor Grothe served as the Deputy Director of the United Nations Division of the US Peace Corps. He is Past President of the Northern California Political Science Association.
Professor Grothe has traveled in 132 countries and has lectured in 51 countries. He is author of To Win the Minds of Men--A Study of the Propaganda War in East Germany and Attitude Change of American Tourists in the Soviet Union. He has published numerous articles and essays in American Political Science Quarterly, Western Political Quarterly, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The International Herald Tribune, and other publications.
Expertise
Cross-cultural communication, US government and politics
Education
PhD, Political Science, George Washington University; MA, BA, Communications and Political Science, Stanford University
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
IPOL 8513 - Intro Intercultural Communictn
This is a very practical course which is designed to increase students’ knowledge of and sensitivity to a wide variety of cultures.
The goal is to become more multi-cultural. The centerpiece of the course is an anthropological model which sensitizes participants what to look for and what questions to ask if, for example, they were to be parachuted into North Whatisitstan.
An emphasis is placed on the critical importance of nonverbal communication, the cause of many cross-cultural mistakes. Also stressed is the deceptively difficult process of re-entry to one’s own country. Tentatively scheduled are professor experts speaking about the American, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Russian cultures. Also, a panel of clergy from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths will discuss the vital role of religion in intercultural communication.
Students will visit a local African-American church service and write a paper on aspects of that very rich American subculture. Also, there will be a Sunday cross-cultural retreat in which students will interact with many different cultures at the gorgeous redwood tree area of Big Sur State Park.
Fall 2009 - MIIS, Fall 2010 - MIIS, Fall 2011 - MIIS
WKSH 8570 - Counterterrorism Methodology
The course will focus on the techniques of cross-cultural training. It is designed for persons who may be doing some intercultural traiing as part of their future careers. During the first weekend, many practical examples of methods of cross-cultural training will be explained and practiced:
ice breakers, lectures, simulations, role playing, critical incidents, use of video, etc. A panel of Peace Corps returned volunteers and trainers will speak on Peace Corps training as will a professor who who is an expert on ethnic conflict. Students will then develop their own cross-cultural training projects or orientations and present them to the class during the following weekend. The clas will act as a "collective prfessor" and critique the projects. The course is designed to be useful, not only to IPS students, (especially those planning to work in the field of conflict resolution or work for NGOs) but also to TESOL and MBA students. An example of a project would be a design for an orientation for Chinese students coming to America on an exchange program.
Spring 2010 - MIIS, Spring 2011 - MIIS
