Kursthemen
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Welcome ...
... to our online self-learning course version 2.0. It is a self-learning course which will continue to grow, develop and change. We may, for example, include other case studies and material. This is why we understand our work as a 'work in progress'.
For those, who want to use the material or part of it in their teaching and training sessions and are looking for didactical information and additional tasks and case studies, we have developed a Trainer Manual which can be accessed here. (https://glocal-campus.org/course/view.php?id=22)
Enjoy!
Course content and guidance through the course "Intercultural communication" (InCom)
Topics
- How to navigate through this course
- How to use this course
- Copyrights
- Download: Learning journals
- About us
With increasing global and local diversity, having the skills and expertise to communicate effectively and appropriately across cultures is key. In fact, it is an important competence that is required in a range of professional, social and work contexts. Improving your expertise, experience and skills in this area will therefore not only help you in your everyday life but also in your job search and career development.
With this in mind, we would like to welcome you to our online course ‘Intercultural communication’. This course will help you identify and analyse key challenges of working in intercultural contexts and develop professional as well as social competencies to support and enable a high level of performance and work satisfaction. In a nutshell, the objective of this course is to enhance your intercultural competencies so that you can work competently in a range of diverse social and work environments.
The following video will highlight the key elements of the course:
Video introduction: intercultural communication
During the course you will have the option of either working through all the sessions consecutively, or selecting particular sessions that you would like to focus on from the table of contents. Ideally, participants will work through each module, which consists of ten sessions with around three hours of self-study per session. There are also alternative ways to use the course and these are explained in the section 'How to use this course'.
Please click here for a brief introduction on how to navigate through this course
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Topics
- Prelude
► Task: Case "On the way to the cafeteria"
► Task: Case "Exchanging business cards"
► Task: Case "Being a good student" - Introduction
- A narrow and an expanded concept of culture
- An open versus closed concept of culture
► Task: Being efficient
► Task: Case "Where do you come from?"
► Task: Find your own example
► Task: The 'Fridays for Future' movement - Summary
- Learning review
► Task: Case "On the way to the cafeteria" (Reprise)
► Task: Case "Exchanging business cards" (Reprise)
► Task: Case "Being a good student" (Reprise) - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
This session will help you to understand the complexity of intercultural interactions based on different understandings of culture and a dynamic and multi-faceted approach to cultural analysis.
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- reflect different understandings of culture and their influence on the interpretations of interpersonal encounters
- define culture from a dynamic and multi-faceted perspective
- differentiate between culture as structure and process
- assess interpersonal encounters based on a dynamic understanding of culture
- discuss the opportunities inherent in applying a dynamic understanding of culture
- Prelude
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Diversity and heterogeneity of lifeworlds
► Task: Changing eating habits - Interculturality and intercultural interactions, the attempt of a definition
► Task: Defining the term 'intercultural encounter' - Intercultural encounters in my social and work environment
► Task: Analyzing an intercultural encounter
► Task: Reflexivity in perception
► Task: My intercultural encounter - The relevance of dealing with intercultural interactions
► Task: Case "Negotiating with Chinese business people" - Summary
- Learning review
► Task: Case "Experiences abroad" - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
In this session you will analyse intercultural situations in professional and personal contexts with respect to the aim of interculturality.
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- Explain the concept of interculturality
- Analyse professional and personal interactions from a cultural perspective
- Understand and discuss the relevance of the topic in a global, professional and personal context
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Culture and the concept of multi-collectivity
► Task: My collectives - Culture as a repertoire of knowledge
► Task: Culture and knowledge (1)
► Task: Culture and knowledge (2)
► Task: Culture and knowledge (3) - Culture as knowledge learned and passed on
► Task: Teaching and learning
► Task: Socialisation across cultures
► Task: Socialisation at Disneyland - People as products and producers of culture
► Task: Culture scripts – giving a tip - Culture and its link to context
► Task: Culture and context – the job interview - Summary
- Learning review
► Task: Biographical reflections - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
You will be able to assess your own multi-cultural embeddedness by considering the core characteristics of culture.
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- The link between culture and social behaviour
► Task: At the doctor
► Task: The missing information - How do we want to engage with others?
► Task: My fellow researchers
► Task: Getting to know each other
► Task: Working together?
► Task: Hierarchical versus egalitarian orientation
► Task: What you think and what you say
► Task: A team presentation
► Task: Business deal
► Task: Differences in time orientation
► Task: Getting to know myself and my cultural orientation - My cultural identity profile
► Task: My cultural profile - Bridging cultural differences
► Task: Comparing profiles
► Task: Bridging cultural differences - Summary
- Learning review
► Task: Case "To cut a long story short..." - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
Based on your personal cultural identity profile you will critically evaluate your own behavioural preferences and those of others within a specific social and work context. In this way you will learn how behavioural differences can be leveraged.
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- develop your understanding of the connection between culture and social behaviour
- discuss and apply key cultural frameworks
- evaluate a personal identity profile
- recognise and leverage behavioural differences
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Communication, an attempt at a definition
- The elements of the communication process
► Task: My personal distance zone
► Task: Accents
► Task: At a hotel reception
► Task: Counting on your fingers
► Task: How miscommunication happens - The transactional model of communication
► Task: The internal audit - Summary
- Learning review
► Task: The meeting - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
You will apply the transactional model of communication to analyse communication situations whilst identifying the influence of the various elements of the communication process on the co-creation of meaning.
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- define interpersonal communication
- assess the influence of various components on the communication process and thus the co-creation of meaning
- explain the transactional model of communication
- analyse communication situations based on the transactional model of communication
- explain why it is important to view communication as an ongoing process
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Culture, communication, and intercultural communication
► Task: My speech communities - Expanding the transactional model of communication
► Task: Exploring my communicative resources and preferences - Managing challenging communication situations
► Task: Active listening - Summary
- Learning review
► Task: Case "Waiting for my colleague to be ready" - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
Based on the expanded transactional model of communication participants show means and ways of co-creating meaning and dealing with varying degrees of confusion in intercultural settings.
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- explain the link between culture and communication
- define intercultural communication
- assess your personal communication practices and resources
- explain the expanded transactional model of communication
- apply the expanded transactional model in intercultural settings
- show means and ways of co-creating meaning and dealing with confusion and misunderstandings
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7. Pulling the strings together: Analysing interpersonal encounters by applying a culture-reflexive approach
Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Example
- Background theories
- Quasi-natural worldview
- Systemic-constructivist multiplied perspectives
- Power-reflexive practice
► Task: White Fragility - Synopsis: three meta-perspectives
- Summary
- Learning review
► Task: Case "Wearing a headscarf at work" - Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
You explore the complexity of interpersonal encounters applying a culture-reflexive approach and thus analyse a situation from three meta-perspectives
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Culture and interculturality, a quick review
- Negotiating culture, the model
- Negotiating culture, a step by step approach
► Task: Case "Mario's team" - Intercultural competence, the concept
► Task: My intercultural competence repertoire - Developing a common ground, a case study approach
► Task: Case "Made in Germany (Or India?)" - Summary
- Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
Based on the theory of negotiating culture and the concept of intercultural competence, you make meaningful suggestions for developing a common ground of understanding and creating a space for interaction
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- explain the model and approach of negotiating culture
- apply the step by step approach to a case study
- explain the concept of intercultural competence
- identify competencies needed for negotiating culture, and
- make meaningful suggestions for creating a common ground of understanding and a space for interaction
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Topics
- Prelude
- Introduction
- Developing intercultural competence
- Key areas of intercultural competence and my personal achievements
► Activity: Dealing with opposing views
► Activity: Mastering an unknown situation
► Activity: Case "Not telling the truth"
► Activity: Case "How to tackle a difficult topic in a constructive way
► Activity: Interpreting non-verbal and paraverbal behaviour
► Activity: Interpreting non-verbal and paraverbal behaviour
► Activity: The world upside down
► Activity: Privileges and disadvantages - ... and the journey continues
- Sources, further reading and web links
Learning outcome
You will reflect upon your learning achievements and foster the development of your intercultural competencies for the future.
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to
- discuss aspects of intercultural competence development
- identify and evaluate your learnings
- outline areas for refining your intercultural competence