Syllabus

• Week 1

  Making Sense of Culture

  • Introduction to the course

    In this section, you will receive an outline of what you will learn in this course and how you will study. An introduction to interacting with others online in order to maximise learning opportunities will also be provided.

  • What is culture?

    Here you will discover the concept of ‘culture’ and reflect on what it is, and consider the elements of culture and how they affect your behaviour and thinking. Two subject experts will also provide their definitions of culture.

  • The cultural iceberg

    Here you will learn about the visible and invisible elements of culture, using the metaphor of the ‘cultural iceberg’. You can discuss your own ‘cultural iceberg’ moments and apply your knowledge of the concept.

  • Being critical

    Here you consider how to find information about new cultural environments. In particular, you will learn how to consider sources about culture with a critical eye, allowing you to make well-informed decisions.

  • Obstacles in communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries

    In this section, you will watch a role-play highlighting obstacles which may arise in diverse settings. You will also be invited to reflect on your own experiences of communication in such settings.

  • Summing up week 1

    In this week's final section, you will be able to read a summary of this week’s learning. You will have an opportunity to reflect on your learning this week and will be provided with references and suggestions for further reading.

• Week 2

  The Communication Filter

  • Communication: practices and perceptions

    This week starts off with two example emails and will serve as an introduction to the theoretical concept of contextualisation cues. You will learn about these in theory, and then apply them to your own communication practices.

  • Filters and cues

    In this section you will learn about two key concepts: the ‘communication filter’, which determines how we communicate, and ‘contextualisation cues’, which are verbal and non-verbal cues which indicate our intentions.

  • Filters and cues in action

    Here you will see how missed or misinterpreted contextualisation cues lead to an unsuccessful job interview. You will be invited to discuss who is responsible for the candidate’s lack of success and relate to your own experiences.

  • Unconscious bias

    In this section, you will use the concept of ‘unconscious bias’ to discover real-life implications of using language in systematically different ways. You will be asked to contribute to a debate relating to unconscious bias issues

  • Summing up week 2

    In week 2's final section, a self-analysis tool will help assess your current level of communication skills. You will have a chance to reflect on your learning and references and suggestions for further reading will be provided.

• Week 3

  Communication Across Englishes

  • 'Englishes' in the world

    In this section, you will learn that there is more than one kind of English in the world. We will consider what this means for situations when you use English to communicate across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

  • English as a lingua franca

    The concept of ‘English as a lingua franca’ will be introduced, with an emphasis on ‘accommodation’ and ‘gatekeeping’ concepts. You will discover how it is relevant to intercultural communication and some common misconceptions.

  • Evaluating success in ELF

    Here you will watch a business pitch in which ELF is spoken. You will evaluate the speakers’ performance using an evaluation tool. A discussion will allow you to apply this tool to evaluating a social interaction you have had.

  • Negotiation of meaning

    Here you will develop your knowledge about the strategies for the negotiation of meaning which are useful for successful ELF communication. You will be able to test and apply your knowledge and understanding of these strategies.

  • Summing up week 3

    In this week's final section, you will be able to read a summary of this week’s learning and have an opportunity to reflect on what you've discovered.

• Week 4

  Managing Relationships in Diverse Contexts

  • Rapport management and its dimensions

    To start week 4, you will look at a theoretical framework by researcher Helen Spencer-Oatey outlining how relationships are managed through language. Some animations will illustrate these concepts and help relate them to yourself.

  • Interactional goals and rapport management strategies

    The rapport management framework's third dimension, ‘interactional goals’ will be introduced. You will test your dimensions of rapport knowledge and learn what verbal and non-verbal strategies can be used to manage rapport.

  • Rapport management in practice

    In this section, a role-play situated in a medical charity will further illustrate issues in rapport-management. You will then be able to discuss how the role-play's characters could have prevented the breakdown of rapport.

  • Developing (intercultural) communicative competence

    Here we discuss how we can develop (intercultural) communicative competence. Our experts give their perspectives plus a cyclical method for developing communication skills and a tricky situation planning tool will be introduced.

  • Course summary

    In this final section, you will be able to read a summary of this week’s learning and of the overall course content. You will have an opportunity to reflect on your learning throughout the course.