This article is a response to the need for a more nuanced understanding of the silence and talk concems of participants with Asian and American backgrounds in relation to c1ass participation. Although the silence of students from Asian culture in English- dominant education has been widely di scussed in the L2 literature, a comparative approach to silence of Asian and Arnerican students in academic courses is scarce. By attempting to deconstruct dichotomizing trends of thinking about cl ass roαn silence embedded in cultural differences, this study aims to position dialogic negotiations of differences on the fault line in 뼈tween cultures. Using data from students' essays and classroαn observation over a semester, 1 compare and contrast perceptions of oral participatioll in an L2 acadernic class. 1 discuss what common expectations both groups have regarding oral participation and the differing attitudes they have toward silence and willingness to communicate. My discussion implies the need to remap dichotornizing ideas about East versus West and to foml a pedagogically appropriate response to silence in increasingly intercultural academic commumtles.

Ⅰ. lntroduction
 Ⅱ. Literature Review
 Ⅲ. Method
 Ⅳ. Findings and Discussions
 Ⅴ. Conclusion and Implications

• Myung-]eong Ha(Seoul National University)