The main goal of the course is to build up students' intercultural communicative competence, delivering specific knowledge in the following areas:

1. Intercultural Communicative Competence

2. Intercultural Communication

3. Pragmatics: discourse and conversation analysis

Students will familiarize themselves with intercultural theories and principles in lectures and will be invited to apply their knowledge to practical cases of intercultural communication in order to train their independent thinking during interactive lectures. The Moodle platform will be used to host group and pair work activities on the topics presented in the course. Training the behavioral abilities through practical activities and comparing what developed in class with the requests of the labor market as far as the demands and the challenges of internationalization and globalization are concerned

The course covers a variety of topics dealt with in the order given below:

1.  Intercultural communicative competence:

• descriptive models 
•  intercultural communicative competence 
• verbal and non-verbal codes
• interculturale sensibility 
• cross-cultural communicative strategies

2. The concepts of intercultural communication:

• Cutural Ideology and stereotyping
• Etnocentrism, Xenophobia, Ethno-relativism
• Culture shock
•  Intercultural sensitivity: Bennett’s model 
•  Intercultural  relational abilities

3.  Intercultural pragmatics:

• speech acts, conversational turns, communicative moves 
• contrastive conversation analysis

None

Knowledge and understanding: students will be able to explain the topics that concern intercultural communication. To this end, lectures and interactive activities will be implemented

Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be able to apply their knowledge to face-to-face and online hands-on activities focusing on intercultural communication

Making judgements: students will be able to evaluate the degree of efficacy of communication processes in intercultural contexts and will be able to plan solutions to solve communication problems. Short videos focusing on intercultural miscommunication will be shown and evaluated in class; moreover, students will be assigned activities to be carried out online;

Communication: students will be able to interact effectively and collaboratively in intercultural contexts.  To reach this goal, students will give individual and group  presentations  in class and will post comments and ideas, on Moodle,  triggering discussion;

Lifelong learning skills: students will be able to identify and analyze intercultural events autonomously. To this end, workshops and interviews will be organized.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

• Teacher-fronted lectures
• Interactive lectures
• Interviews
• Groupwork and written assignments
• Oral presentations

Attendance

The written exam will be taken in Italian language. Attending students will be assessed on the basis of their knowledge of the theoretical concepts introduced in the course (50%), their ability to apply their knowledge to practical cases of intercultural communication (35%), their subject-specific communication skills and their degree of in-class and online participation (15%).

Course books

For attending students:

Giaccardi C., La comunicazione interculturale nell'era digitale, il Mulino Ed., 2012

Balboni E.P., Caon F., La comunicazione interculturale, Marsilio Ed., Venezia, 2015

Part IV. (pp. 318-342) in Hofstede G., Hofstede G. J., Minkov M.,Culture e organizzazioni, FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2010

For non attending students:

Giaccardi C., La comunicazione interculturale nell'era digitale, il Mulino Ed., 2012

Balboni E.P., Caon F., La comunicazione interculturale, Marsilio Ed., Venezia, 2015

Hofstede G., Hofstede G. J., Minkov M.,Culture e organizzazioni, FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2010

Assessment

The written exam will be taken in Italian language. Attending students will be assessed on the basis of their knowledge of the theoretical concepts introduced in the course (50%), their ability to apply their knowledge to practical cases of intercultural communication (35%), their subject-specific communication skills and their degree of in-class and online participation (15%).

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

Giaccardi C., La comunicazione interculturale nell'era digitale, il Mulino Ed., 2012

Balboni E.P., Caon F., La comunicazione interculturale, Marsilio Ed., Venezia, 2015

Hofstede G., Hofstede G. J., Minkov M.,Culture e organizzazioni, FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2010

Assessment

The written exam will be taken in Italian on the reading materials assigned. Students will be assessed on the basis of their knowledge of the concepts introduced in the reading materials (60%), their ability to think critically about the topics assigned (30%), and their subject-specific communication skills (10%).

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.