2018/19 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

MODL1161 An Introduction to Thinking Interculturally

10 creditsClass Size: 22

Module manager: Dr Haynes Collins
Email: h.collins@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

This module is mutually exclusive with

MODL3150	Intercultural Communication and Global Citizenship: A Critic
ODFL1100	An Introduction to Thinking Interculturally

Module replaces

MODL1160

This module is approved as a discovery module

This module is approved as a skills discovery module

Module summary

In a world which is rife with conflict, intercultural understanding offers potential for developing greater social justice and cooperation between diverse groups of people. However, the concept of interculturality is also problematic and can be used in ways which have the potential to cause harm. This module will promote a reflective and critical approach to interculturality by considering it with respect to current issues and events. Given that the notion of interculturality is very broad, this module is organised around five key themes that will include case studies and engagement with everyday life events spanning from personal examples of miscommunication and potential conflict to larger discourses that we face. If you are interested in developing a global perspective and an inquisitive and critical mindset, then this module can help you achieve those objectives.

Objectives

This discovery module provides students with an introduction to five key sub-themes which support the 'language and intercultural understanding' discovery theme: exploring the notion of culture and interculturality; intercultural contact; language and culture; borders and mobilities; digital interculturality and multimodality. This module will take a critical, historical and interdisciplinary approach to intercultural studies and intercultural communication to develop students' knowledge of these fields, communicative skills, open attitudes and greater awareness of global complexity. The module will introduce key theories which underpin intercultural studies and intercultural communication in areas such as international business, politics, language and translation, and popular and media discourse. Students will be encouraged to apply a range theories to analyse case studies and incidents in daily life.
Some key questions addressed include:

Course 1: To what extent are culture and the intercultural problematic concepts? How has the field of intercultural communication developed historically? To what extent can the notion of interculturality be a positive force for social justice?

Course 2: How is the notion of intercultural contact best understood? What is the relationship between nationality and culture? What is a small culture?

Course 3: Are language and culture synonymous? How is the notion of culture relevant to language and translation? How and why are languages disappearing?

Course 4: What challenges do sojourners and migrants face as they move across national borders? Are these equal for all? What challenges do international students face studying abroad?

Course 5: How does the notion of culture influence marketing and advertising? What is the role of localisation in international business?

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students joining this module will develop:
- the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to operate more effectively and critically in a complex world.
- the ability to critically engage with the concept of interculturality and culture and how these concepts are used discursively in various representations including border studies, language, international business and political discourse;
- the ability to identify dimensions of culture and demonstrate an understanding of their own orientation towards each of these dimensions;
- an awareness of the need for a critical approach to making predictive outcomes based on cultural orientation;
- the ability to analyse incidents of possible intercultural conflict, to reflect critically on their specific causes and to suggest solutions to conflict;
A proportion of the digital material for this module is hosted on the FutureLearn platform. Students enrolled on the module will need to create a FutureLearn account in order to access this material.

Syllabus

Syllabus: The module will be made up of five sub-themes with an accompanying introduction/conclusion:
a) Introduction: covers the scope of the module and offers a brief summary and overview.
b) Exploring the notion of culture and interculturality: An overview
c) Intercultural contact: rich points, critical incidents and 'the grammar of culture'
d) Language & culture: politeness theory, identity and linguistic diversity
e) Borders and mobilities: immigrants, refugees and sojourners
f) Digital interculturality: advertising & marketing and localisation.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
On-line Learning	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	10	1.00	11.00
Tutorial	1	1.00	1.00
Independent online learning hours			40.00
Private study hours			37.00
Total Contact hours			23.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

Independent learning and private study should be directed towards reading, reflection and preparation of the reflective log and final essay.
Online learning: The digital learning team are producing (in collaboration with the module team) the equivalent of 40 hours worth of material spread over 5 courses. This will be accessed by students in their own time and will combine videos, reading tasks, small non-assessed reflective tasks etc. These will introduce students to the materials which are also provided on the reading list. Students will have their engagement with the material monitored to ensure completion.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored by attendance and participation in seminars; by engagement and monitoring of participation with online materials and by completion of their reflective log. Students will be offered a group tutorial with the module tutor to discuss their progress in advance of their essay submission.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1500	100.00
Reflective log	Formative, 750 words	0.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 24/04/2018

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