Aims

This module has the explicit aim of helping students to prepare for effective and competent interpersonal communication in intercultural workplace settings. Specific module aims include:

To develop an understanding of what ‘culture’ and ‘intercultural’ means
To provide an understanding of what we mean by ‘intercultural workplace’
To generate an understanding of the challenges and rewards involved in working cross-culturally
To provide an introduction to the concepts of ‘intercultural competence’, ‘multicultural personality’ and ‘cross-cultural effectiveness’, and whether these can be taught/learned
To explore the role of language, both verbal and non-verbal, in intercultural workplace communication
To provide an understanding of the theory behind effective interpersonal communication, and how this theory can be applied to everyday communication in intercultural workplace settings
To provide an understanding of how psychological and social psychological factors influence how we communicate with each other
To provide an overview of key research areas and methodological approaches with regards to the intercultural workplace, including research on working and studying abroad and/or in intercultural settings
To develop students’ general cross-cultural understanding and intercultural communicative competence

Outline Of Syllabus

Specific syllabus content is subject to group needs analysis. The following is indicative content:

Unpacking of the term ‘intercultural workplace’ and discussion of what it means to work ‘across cultures’
An introduction and discussion of key concepts with regards to working ‘effectively’ across cultures (e.g. ‘intercultural competence’, ‘multicultural personality’ and ‘cross-cultural effectiveness’)
Misattribution and miscommunication in intercultural workplace settings: causes and possible solutions
Discussion and critical evaluation of real-life scenarios from intercultural workplace settings
Discussion of research articles with regards to working across cultures, including a critical evaluation of methodological approaches to the study of ‘culture’ in workplace settings
Working effectively in intercultural workplace settings - recent research literature and case studies from various workplace settings, including:
‘Working abroad’ – The role of intercultural communication in the experiences of expatriate business personnel
‘Crossing borders to study’ – The role of intercultural communication in the experiences of international students
Managing diversity in education – Communicating effectively on the multicultural, multilingual campus, and in multicultural, multilingual classroom settings
Intercultural communication and healthcare – Communicating effectively in intercultural healthcare contexts, e.g. communication between health care professional and ethnic minority patients,

Teamworking in intercultural contexts and effective participation in intercultural meetings: recent research literature, case studies, skills and practice

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures provide an introduction to the weekly content, establish a basic level of understanding of the topic, provide opportunities for discussion, and signal areas for individual further study and essential and further reading.

Seminars offer an opportunity for further exploration, discussion, and personal reflection, through small group activities. Seminar activities are often linked to post-lecture reading.

Structured Guided Learning activities provide students with weekly opportunities to consolidate learning through guided tasks linked to the weekly topic.

Independent study will enable wider reading, further personal self-reflection and assignment preparation.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The student group project and essay assessments complement one another:

1. The student group project assesses students’ ability to effectively work in cross-cultural teams, to
research a topic of relevance to the module content, and to prepare and deliver a professional oral
presentation.
2. The individual essay assesses students’ ability to independently engage with theory and research on
a chosen topic, and to produce a well-written and professionally presented essay.