Course Catalogue

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This course is an introduction to key approaches, perspectives and socio-political developments specifically relating to the field of language and intercultural education. With transnational flows of people, cultures, and products, language skills and intercultural competences are an asset to many fields of employment. This course offers an overview of key and cutting-edge critical language and intercultural education approaches and encourages students to reflect on - and develop - intercultural communication skills, including considerations on decolonisation and on pedagogical practices for multicultural contexts

This is a taught course, normally based on one lecture each week, and one seminar for a total of two hours of synchronous teaching. The course is supported by a carefully selected range of online resources, selected readings, and self-assessment exercises.

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The course is assessed through:

■ A 2,500-word essay, consisting of a meta-reflection on personal experiences of intercultural communication/foreign language learning/foreign language teaching, enhanced with references to theoretical frameworks and approaches in language and intercultural education (60%)

■ A 15-minute group presentation on the application of language and intercultural skills in an educational context (40%). Students will be given an individual grade for their contribution to the presentation.

The aims of this course are twofold:

i) to provide students with an overview of language and intercultural education for real life contexts; 

ii) to provide students with an opportunity to reflect systematically on personal intercultural experiences, raising awareness on learners' own cultural identities, while at the same time developing students' intercultural competences and skills.

Perspectives on language and intercultural education are explored drawing from cutting-edge approaches. In the contemporary globalised world, an advanced understanding of the field of education requires a qualified familiarity with language and intercultural approaches for living in a multicultural and multilingual world.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of key approaches in the field of language and intercultural education.

2. Analyse a variety of approaches in the field of language and intercultural education, particularly those concerning their own selected focus area and context of study.

3. Evaluate and apply intercultural competences and skills to real life contexts.

4. Synthesize culturally responsive pedagogical practices for multicultural and multilingual environments.

5. Demonstrate a professional quality of communication in the course assignments, keeping within the word limit and including referencing and bibliography in accordance with programme guidelines.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.