This paper advocates for using critical intercultural and participatory pedagogy as the basis for an introductory communication course. Communication programs are often concerned with the basics -- teaching students to communicate effectively through writing and speaking. Yet the methods for teaching these two classic competencies diverge widely, with some instructors opting for a more traditional approach and others taking a more modern one. A divide also exists in the way today's students are viewed by educators in secondary and, in particular, post-secondary educational institutions. Where some teachers see lamentable shortcomings of millennials and Gen Z, others see infinite possibilities in these students. Either way, colleges and universities are dealing with a generation of students that is more diverse, connected, tech-savvy, and socially aware than ever before. This paper explores the advantages of using critical intercultural pedagogical practices -- practices which are necessarily cooperative, multimodal, and participatory -- to reach the students of today. [For the full proceedings, see ED656038.]