Intercultural Communication
| Module title | Intercultural Communication |
|---|---|
| Module code | SML2246 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Sonia Cunico (Convenor) Professor Francesco Goglia (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Module description
Contact between users of different languages inevitably also constitutes contact between subjects with different cultural identities, and there are common features of such inter-cultural contact irrespective of the languages involved. Some research findings indicate that language students return from a year abroad less positive towards the ‘target’ culture than when they left home. The module will develop an understanding of what culture and cultural practice refer to, what it means to be a member of ‘a culture’ (not least in the manner of communication), and will promote intercultural competence and skills to avoid cultural stereotyping, negotiate cultural difference and engage with cultural others.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to:
- Understand the nature of culture/s
- Develop your ability to respond appropriately to unfamiliar cultural practices
- Develop a greater sensitivity to cultural and linguistic diversity through engagement with critical concepts such as culture, identity, othering, mis/communication in a range of different contexts and through different media
- Adopt an interdisciplinary approach and help you to develop a familiarity with different analytical tools and approaches
- Develop the ability to design and develop an individual research project
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate understanding of the key theoretical notions and concepts in Intercultural Communication Theory as well as their relevance in multilingual and multicultural contexts
- 2. Demonstrate the development of your Intercultural Competence through the analysis of data which illustrate instances of cultural diversity and/or mis/understanding
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Recognise, describe, and evaluate, under guidance from the module tutor/s, a variety of critical responses to case studies and sources
- 4. Demonstrate the development of ethnographic skills within a structured framework
- 5. Recognise and understand the role of language/s as a key locus of personal and sociocultural identity as well as of Intercultural mis/understanding
- 6. Demonstrate familiarity and ability to draw on a range of research literature
- 7. Engage with a variety of research approaches, including ethnography of communication, contrastive pragmatics, and discourse analysis
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Develop intercultural awareness and competence based on engagement with a variety of readings and case studies
- 9. Undertake an independent research project, which involves data collection and use of appropriate analytical frameworks
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- What is Communication? Models of communication, identity, and ‘othering’
- Context and Culture – The ethnography of communication
- Language in Interaction: The structuring of talk as a cultural phenomenon
- Language in Interaction: How do I say what I mean? And Do I really mean what I say?
- Cross-Cultural Pragmatics or When people mean different things by what they say
- Intercultural Communication and Miscommunication
- Co-construction and resistance of cultural identity and communities
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 135 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 15 | Lectures and seminars |
| Guided independent study | 1 | Available for consultation re project |
| Guided independent study | 135 | Private study and seminar preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project proposal written in English | 500 words | 1-9 | Written and/or oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project written in English | 100 | 2500 word project in English | 1-9 | Written and oral |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project | Project | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Successful referred students will receive the maximum achievable mark of 40 for their essay. Successful deferred students will have their re-assessment treated as a first attempt, thus the full range of marks will be available.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Jackson, J. (2014) Introducing Language and Intercultural Communication, London: Routledge. Available online via MyiLibrary
- Liu, S., Volcic, Z., and Gallois, C. (2014) Introducing Intercultural Communication, London: Sage. Available from the University bookshop
- Jandt, Fred E. (2015) An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community. SAGE
- Piller, I. (2011) Intercultural Communication: A Critical Introduction Edinburgh University Press
- Holliday, A, Hyde, A, and Kullman, J. · (2010) Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book for Students. Routledge
- Hua, Zhu (2013) Exploring Intercultural Communication: Language in Action (Routledge Introductions to Applied Linguistics). Routledge
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | February 2015 |
| Last revision date | 17/01/2019 |
