Intercultural Communication in a Global World
| Module title | Intercultural Communication in a Global World |
|---|---|
| Module code | SML3009 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Sonia Cunico (Convenor) Professor Francesco Goglia (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Module description
The 21st century is characterised by increasing transnational movements (of people, products, socio-cultural practices, etc.) which affect individual and collective perceptions and understanding of one’s own culture, language, and identity. To succeed in such complex multilingual and multicultural environments, intercultural awareness and competence, (the ability to recognise diversity and to function effectively in the culturally-diverse contexts) is fundamental. This module will develop an understanding of complex concepts such as culture, identity, and language and will promote the development of intercultural skills to resolve principal communicative challenges. This is of particular relevance when encounters are temporary, as in the case in tourism.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module aims to:
- Examine critically key theoretical perspectives on identity, language and culture, and explore how these complex concepts affect and inform the dynamics of interactions in multilingual and multicultural settings
- Explore what intercultural communication is and how an ability to understand diversity and respond effectively and appropriately to unfamiliar cultural practices is an essential competence in any international working and social environment
- 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
The module adopts an interdisciplinary approach and it will help you to develop a familiarity with different analytical tools and approaches, and 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. Demonstrate ability to 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 and culture
- Language, culture, and identity – From linguistics to ethnography of communication
- Language in Interaction: The structuring of talk as a cultural phenomenon
- Language in Interaction: Crossing linguistic and cultural bridges (How do I say what I mean? And do I really mean what I say?)
- Cross-Cultural Pragmatics at Work: Managing rapport through talk in the global village (from business to tourism)
- Intercultural Communication and Miscommunication
- Co-construction of culture and identity – Doing culture in different contexts
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 134 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 15 | 10 x 1.5 hour lectures and seminar |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 1 | Conclusion |
| Guided independent study | 134 | 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 | 750 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 | 3000 word project in English | 1-9 | Written |
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
- Cruse, A. (2004) Meaning in Language: An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics . Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Fischer, Kerstin (2010) Beyond the sentence: Constructions, frames and spoken interaction. In: Constructions and Frames 2(2), pp. 185-207
- Fried, M. and Nikiforidou, K. (eds) (2013). Advances in Frame Semantics . Amsterdam: John Benjamins
- 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
- Martin, Judith & Nakayama, Thomas (2007 ) Experiencing Intercultural Communication: An Introduction. McGraw-Hill Higher Education
- 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
- Spenser-Oatey, H. (2000) Culturally Speaking: Managing rapport through talk across cultures. London and New York: Continuum.
- Thomas, J. (1995) Meaning in Interaction: An Introduction to Pragmatics Longman
- Wierzbicka, A. (1991) Cross-Cultural Pragmatics Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter
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) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/02/2016 |
| Last revision date | 17/01/2019 |
