Intecultural Communication

Code:

CC077

Acronym:

CI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Communication Sciences

Instance: 2024/2025 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Germanic Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Communication Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CC	32	Study plan	3	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The central aim of this course unit is to provide theoretical knowledge and develop practical skills essential for intercultural communication. Students should acquire the ability to contextualise their individual cultural experience within a broader framework of cultures, thus enabling an in-depth understanding of the various cultural patterns and practices that exist and how they influence human interaction.
With this course unit, the development of a new professional profile for the cultural mediator begins (the subject dealt with in this curricular unit can be further developed in the 2nd cycle) who can play an extremely important role in cultural and business activities, as well as in the field of translation.

Learning outcomes and competences

Students should be able to:
- Reflect on and discuss the meaning of ‘culture(s)’;
- Understand the different approaches to the concept of culture/cultures in various areas of the Human Sciences;
- Identify various forms of contact between cultures;
- Develop intercultural competences (cultural self-awareness, cultural sensitivity, communication skills in multicultural contexts);
- Recognise stereotypes, prejudices and cases of discrimination;
- Reflect on the concepts of identity and otherness;
- Identify and explain different modes of communication (direct communication, indirect communication and intercultural conversational maxims);
- Compare ‘national cultures’ on the basis of cultural dimensions (regarding hierarchies, the relationship between the ‘self’ and the ‘other’, time and space, the management of uncertainty and emotions).

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

n.a.

Program

1. Approaches and meanings of "culture"; 2. Contact between cultures: culture shock, acculturation, identity and otherness; 3. Intercultural sensitivity; 4. Cultural dimensions, concepts and criteria for comparing "cultures 5. Culture and language: direct and indirect communication. 6. Culture and body: multimodalities of face to face interaction 7. Interpretation of cultural values from different types of materials (films, images, advertising, written texts).

Mandatory literature

Edward T. Hall; Beyond culture. ISBN: 0-385-12474-0
Geert Hofstede; Culturas e organizações. ISBN: 972-618-160-7
James William Neuliep; Intercultural communication. ISBN: 978-1-5063-9071-0
Jandt. Fred E. ; An Introduction to Intercultural Communication - International Student Edition: Identities in a Global Community. Tenth Edition, Sage Publication, 2020. ISBN: 978-1071808498
Milton J. Bennett; Basic concepts of intercultural communication. ISBN: 978-0-983-95584-9
Samovar, Larry A.; Porter, Richard E.; McDaniel, Edwin R.; Intercultural Communication: A Reader 12th Edition, Cengage Learning, 2008. ISBN: 978-0495554189

Complementary Bibliography

Adrian Holliday; Intercultural communication. ISBN: 0-415-27061-8
Edward T. Hall; The hidden dimension. ISBN: 0-385-08476-5
Hall, E. / Hall, M.; Understanding cultural differences, Random House, 1993
Trompenaars, Fons ; Riding the waves of culture, Brealey Publishing, 1993

Comments from the literature

Relevant readings will be handed out during the semester.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Classes will be student-centered, stimulating the sensibility to understand the dynamics of cultures, considering different habits, different forms of interpersonal communication and differences of perceiving and interpreting the world. Individual participation, critical thinking and problem solving will be encouraged, avoiding the lecture. Apart from brief exposures and theoretical explanations, much of the content will be introduced alongside the observation and analysis of different materials. Main attention is given to the active participation in class, by submitting small projects on different thematic issues.

Software

power point

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	20,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Exame	50,00
Prova oral	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	91,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The students must attend 75% of all classes in order to qualify for formal assessment, except in the cases provided by law.

Calculation formula of final grade

Average of all the evaluation elements.

Written component (60%):

Final exam = 50%
Final reflection = 10%

Oral component (40%):

Presentation of a topic = 20%

Active participation in class, exercises = 20%

Examinations or Special Assignments

n.a.

Internship work/project

n.a.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

“Students with special status, namely those covered by the status of Association Manager, Student Athlete, Student Firefighter, Military Student, National Team Athlete, High Performance Sports Practitioner or Student Worker" (Article 14, point 1 of the Assessment Regulations), with regard to the participation component, cannot ensure face-to-face participation, but must ensure their regular participation in the tasks proposed on the Moodle platform. The oral presentation and the written work are mandatory.

Classification improvement

In this course unit, only the ‘final exam’ component can be improved (recurso/melhoria). Students wishing to take the final exam again must register in advance with the academic management services.