MODERN LANGUAGE CENTRE
MODULE SYLLABUS
Title and code number:
Intercultural Learning
(4AAL00IC)
Value:
Credit Level 4
Credit Value 15
Course delivery
and duration:
A 2-hour class x 11 weeks in one
semester
Students are expected to spend an
additional 4-6 hours a week in private
study.
See website for semester dates,
timetable and teachers’ surgery hours:
www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc
Date of last revision:
July 2015
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EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE MODULE
This module aims to introduce students to the fundamental principles of intercultural
learning and ethnographic research. It proposes to develop perception and appreciation
of different cultural perspectives and values. It will prepare students to carry out an
Ethnographic Project. One of the course’s objectives is also to guide and prepare
students for the challenges of intercultural experiences and of conflict resolution by
developing practical tools to be applied in a diverse cultural environment.
This module aims to enable the students to:
have an in-depth understanding and awareness of their own culture: their own
socialisation processes, views and beliefs
be aware of a number of models of intercultural learning
be aware of cultural differences in dealing with both practical and more abstract
matters, e.g. concept of time, social etiquette, taboos, and how these can be
linguistically expressed
explore their own culture through other people’s eyes and as a means to
decoding foreign cultural patterns
gain an understanding of the ways in which their reconstruction of others’ world
may differ from the others’ experience of that world
develop independent, critical analysis and original thinking within a challenging
interdisciplinary and multi-national context
understand the principles of ethnographic research and complete an
ethnographic project
LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE MODULE
The students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills
appropriate to a credit level 4 module and in particular will demonstrate the ability
to:
widen their intercultural awareness, such as the ability to appreciate and
critically evaluate other cultures
research a topic, extracting and synthesising key information from written and
spoken sources
work creatively and flexibly with others as part of a team
engage in evaluative thinking
work with a certain degree of autonomy, manifested in self-discipline and time
management
CLASS DELIVERY AND TEACHING METHODS
The classes are conducted exclusively in English and include brief lectures,
discussions and workshop activities. Students are expected to read extensively
outside class, be well prepared, contribute to class discussions and participate in
student-centred activities in pairs and small groups.
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TOPICS
Week 1 Theories of Culture
o Introduction to the course content and assessment patterns
o Notions of culture and levels of culture
o My culture and myself: how we perceive ourselves as cultural beings
o The role of the individual: cultural, social and psychological dimensions
o Portfolio-blog: task I – my culture, myself
Week 2 Perceptions of Foreign Cultures & Intercultural Encounters
o A view of the ‘other’ and cultural stereotypes
o ‘Cultural grammar’, mental programme, cultural standards and cultural shock
o Cultural and behavioural patters
o Intercultural encounters: ways of reacting to another culture
o Portfolio-blog: task II – an intercultural encounter
Week 3 The Hidden Dimension (E. T. Hall) & Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture
o What is intercultural communication?
o Proxemics, high context cultures and low context cultures
o Hofstede’s indexes
o Portfolio-blog: task III – interviewing one friend/student
Week 4
o
o
o
o
o
Non-verbal Communication and Social space
Meta-communication and synchrony
What we say and what listeners perceive
The language of the body
Latest theories in Intercultural Studies
Portfolio-blog: task IV – observing non-verbal communication
Week 5 Introduction to the Ethnographic Project
o What is ethnography?
o How to choose a topic
o How to make a topic ethnographically relevant
o How to collect data
o Portfolio-blog: task IV B – collecting field-notes
o Assignment for the Formative Assessment
Week 6 READING WEEK: Formative Assessment: essay (1,500 words)
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Week 7 Class, Gender and Identity; Culture and Globalisation
o Regional, class and ethnic identities
o How gender is realised through communication
o Globalisation
o Gender and language
o Portfolio-blog: task V – describing a language-learning experience
Week 8 Language and Culture
o Learning a language as an intercultural experience
o SLA notions
o Byram’s notions of Intercultural Learning
o Deadline for handing-in the FA essay
Week 9 Ethnographic Research
o Ethical issues in ethnographic research
o Descriptive research and action research
o Looking at and discussing sample cases
o Methods and tools of ethnographic research
o Ideas for possible topics
o Literature review
o Portfolio-blog: task VI – selecting a topic for a project
Week 10
o
o
o
o
Doing an Ethnographic Project: Part 1
What is a ‘good informant’?
Questioning and interview techniques
Class practice
Portfolio-blog: task VII – selecting your informants and planning interviews
Week 11
o
o
o
o
Doing an Ethnographic Project: Part 2
How to transcribe interviews and how to analyse data
Writing up: structuring; referencing and quoting
Plagiarism
Feedback on the FA essay
__________________________
Students’ report on work for the Project
General review of the main topics
Question and answer session
Course evaluation and Self-assessment
o
o
o
o
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COURSE BOOK(S)
No course book is used in this class. Students will be issued with dossiers and
photocopies of specially designed worksheets. Various materials taken from a variety of
sources (i.e. textbooks, journals, authentic handouts) will be supplied by the tutors during
the course.
RECOMMENDED MATERIAL FOR SELF-STUDY
Key Texts
Agar, M. 2000. The Professional Stranger. An Informal Introduction to Ethnography.
London: Academic Press
Alred, G. , Byram, M. & Fleming, M. (eds.) 2003. Intercultural Experience and Education.
Clevendon et.al: Multilingual Matters
Clyne, M. 1994. Intercultural Communication at Work: Cultural Values in Discourse.
Cambridge, UK & New York: CUP
Cushner, K. Brislin. R.W. 1996.Intercultural interactions: a practical guide,
London: SAGE.
Furnham, A. Ward, Colleen & Bocher, S. 2001. The Psychology of Culture Shock,
London: Routledge
Geertz, C. 1975. The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. London: Hutchinson
Hall, E. T. 1969. The Hidden Dimension. New York: Doubleday: Anchor Books
Hallam, E. & Street, B. (eds.) 2000. Cultural Encounters. London: Routledge
Hofstede, G. et al. 1998. Masculinity and Femininity: the Taboo Dimensions of National
Cultures. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Hofstede, G.; Hofstede G.J., Minkov, M. Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind, McGraw-Hill USA, 2010
Kramsch, C. 1998. Language and Culture. Oxford: OUP
Lapan, S. D.. Quartaroli, M. T., Riemer, F. J. (ed.) 2012. Qualitative research: an
introduction to methods and designs, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Zarate, G. 1986. Touching a Foreign Culture. Coll. F., Hachette
Zhu Hua. 2014. Exploring Intercultural Communication: Language in Action,
London: Routledge.
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Supplementary Reading
Agar, M. 1994. Language Shock: Understanding the Culture of Conversation. New York:
William Morrow
Charmaz, K. 2006. Constructing grounded theory, London: SAGE
Clifford, J. & Marcus, G. E. (eds.) 1986. Writing Culture. The Poetics and Politics of
Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press
Davies, M. B. 2007. Doing a Successful Research Project. London: Palgrave
Hofstede, G. 1997. Cultures and Organizations. Software in the Mind. New York:
McGraw-Hill
Gubrium, J. F et al. 2012, The Sage handbook of interview research: the
complexity of the craft, Thousand Oaks, Cal.: Sage.
Gudykunst, W.B. ,Stewart, L. P., Ting T. & Stella (eds.) 1985. Communication, Culture
and Organizational Processes. Beverly Hills: Sage
Gudykunst, W. B. & Mody, B. (eds.) 2001. Handbook of international and intercultural
communication. London: Sage
Hall, E. T. & Reed, H & Mildred 1990. Understanding Cultural Differences. Germans,
French and Americans. Yarmouth: Intercultural Press
Hofstede, G. 1980. Culture’s Consequences. International Differences in Work-Related
values. Abridged Edition. Newbury Park: Sage
Jackson, J. 2012. The Routledge handbook of language and intercultural
communication, London: Routledge.
Mills, D. and Morton, M. 2013. Ethnography in Education, London: Sage.
Nunner-Winkler, G. 1998. Normal elements of ethnocentrism. In Dieter Haselbach
(ed.): Multiculturalism in a World of Leaking Boundaries. Münster: LIT, 279-308
Robinson, G. L.N. 1985. Cross-cultural Understanding. New York: Prentice Hall
Rogers, J. 1997. Sixteen Personality Types at work in organizations: Cambridge
Management Centers/ Management Futures London
Scollon, R. & Scollon, S. W. 2001. Intercultural Communication: A Discourse Approach,
2nd ed. Blackwell Publishers Storr, A. 1973. Jung. Fontana/Collins
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Spencer-Oatley, H. and Franklin, P. 2009. Intercultural Interaction: A
multidisciplinary Approach to Intercultural Communication. Hampshire:
Palmgrave Mcmillan.
LANGUAGE RESOURCES CENTRE
Research shows that successful language learners regularly review their
progress and, at higher levels, work on problematic structures – hence our
requirement that you study 4-6 hours a week outside class time. In order to
support you with your independent learning and to enable you to be exposed to
the culture of the language(s) you are learning, the Language Resources Centre
– LRC (K-1.072, first basement) provides a friendly learning environment with
state of the art facilities.
The Centre's multilingual learning advisors are always on hand to advise you on
how to make the most efficient use of the open learning facilities as well as on
how to become a more effective language learner. The Centre's resources
include 32 worldwide satellite TV channels; foreign language films and first class
learning materials on DVD and via streamed digital media; in-house learning
materials available on KEATS and Wimba Voice tools; multilingual language
learning software; daily and weekly newspapers and magazines; dictionaries,
reference books and textbooks.
During the first few weeks of the course, your teacher will arrange an induction
session for the class in the LRC so that you can familiarize yourself with the
facilities. During Term one and Term two the LRC will also facilitate free
workshops on how to get the most of your language classes. For a list of topics
as well as dates and times, including the opening hours of the LRC, please go to
their website:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/depts/mlc/olc/
ATTENDANCE
Attendance is compulsory for all language modules (SSCs). Your attendance
record needs to be 75% or above, or you may be withdrawn from the module.
If you miss a class because you are ill or have other urgent personal problems, it
is your responsibility to catch up on the contents of the class you missed. You will
find the week-by-week syllabus as well as the homework assignment for your
module on KEATS, and it is always a good idea to contact a fellow student about
more details.
If you miss more than 2 classes, you will be automatically emailed to be warned
that you may be withdrawn from the module on the grounds of non-attendance. If
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your absences are legitimate due to mitigating circumstances, you will need to
provide appropriate evidence demonstrating this to the MLC office - this could be
a letter from your personal tutor or a medical certificate, etc.
ASSESSMENT
For all details regarding deadlines and dates for assessment see the website
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/modules/dates.aspx
1. Formative assessment
Formative assessment takes place during week 6. This does not count towards
your final mark, but failure to submit the work may result in you being withdrawn
from the module or prevented from sitting the examinations. It is strongly
recommended that you complete the formative assessment because it will
provide you with feedback on your progress.
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Assignment (written at home): Essay (1,500 words)
Task brief distributed: Week 5
Hand-in deadline: Week 8
Feedback
All pieces of formative assessment are normally returned to students within 2
weeks, and the teacher will provide feedback in groups and/or individually. Group
feedback will be provided in class. In addition students can book themselves for
individual feedback during surgery hour (see day/time on the web-page:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/depts/mlc/staff/surgery.html
2. Ethnographic Project (4,000 words)
The Project will be based on some ethnographic data students need to collect
throughout the course, which will be analyzed and described in an essay. During
the course there will be lectures focusing on the project, on how to choose a
topic, how to make it ethnographically relevant, how to collect and analyze data.
There will also be an opportunity for presenting your ideas regarding your project
to the lecturers and to discuss them in order to receive guidance and feedback
throughout the course.
Project/Essay (4,000 words)
100%
Deadline for submission: on KEATS.
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