SFE41115 Intercultural Learning: English (Autumn 2016)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Compulsory course in the Master Programme in Foreign Languages in the Classroom.

Lecture Semester

Semester 1 (autumn)

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

KNOWLEDGE
The student

• has knowledge of mechanisms that can affect communication between people from different backgrounds.
• has knowledge of learning strategies that can enhance communicative competence in intercultural situations.

SKILLS
The student

• can use his/hers knowledge of intercultural competence to enhance the teaching of culture-specific knowledge (cultural knowledge, Landeskunde, civilisation studies, etc.)

GENERAL COMPETENCE
The student

• has a sound basis for self-reflection and changes of attitude.
• is aware of the importance of a diversity of perspectives in the learning process and of the relationship between language, culture and identity.

Content

• Fundamental concepts and relevant courses in the field of intercultural communication as viewed from a didactic perspective. For example: the concept of culture, values, ethnocentricity, verbal and non-verbal communication, stereotypes, cultural identity, and the multicultural classroom.
• The relationship between language, culture and identity
• Methods and learning strategies in the field of intercultural didactics that can contribute towards developing communicative competence in cross-cultural situations.
• Specific examples, focused on target-language cultures, which illustrate methods and learning strategies.

Forms of teaching and learning

The course is web-based, but also includes a seminar. The course is divided into several units. Lists of compulsory literature and assignments are prescribed for each course.
These form a basis for reflection and discussions. Students form work groups based on personal interests or background. The language of instruction is English.

Workload

Approx. 280 hours.

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

The students must write four blog articles on Fronter and write an assignment on literature searches.

Coursework requirements must be approved before students can be awarded a final grade.

Examination

Process Assessment

The students write 3 assignments during the semester, according to specific guidelines and submission deadlines. The assignments count for 25%, 25% and 50% of the final grade respectively. A final overall grade is awarded for the course.

Grading scale from A to F.

Students who are awarded a fail grade or who wish to improve their grade must rewrite and resubmit all the assignments. If a student appeals against a grade, the reassessment will affect the overall grade awarded for the course, i.e. all three papers.

Course evaluation

This course is evaluated twice every semester.

Literature

Updated March 3rd 2014

Samovar, Larry A. / Porter, Richard E. / McDaniel, Edwin R. og Carolyn S. Roy (2013). Communication between Cultures. 7^th ed. Belmont, CA.: Wadswort. (Kapittel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 og 11) (Tidligere versjoner kan brukes)

Hofstede, Geert / Hofstede, Gert Jan (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill. (Kapittel 1, 2, 3, 4 og 5.)

Byram, Michael (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Online articles