Introductory description

This module explores the knowledge, skills and competences for appropriate and effective intercultural communication. To this end, we draw on methods and theoretical frameworks from cross-cultural and developmental psychology, cross-cultural communication, applied linguistics, educational sciences, as well as from insights from cross-cultural training, evaluation, and the business field.
The module is designed to give you an interdisciplinary overview of intercultural competence models and equip you with relevant skills for your professional life regarding the development and assessment of intercultural competence. It also equips you with strategies to reflect critically about and learn from your own encounters across cultures.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Conceptualisations of intercultural competence across disciplines.
• Conceptual pathways or typologies for categorising intercultural competence models.
• Competence and non-competence-based models of intercultural constructs.
• Evaluation and assessment of intercultural competence.
• Programme/impact evaluation of research-based intercultural interventions.
• Methods and tools for assessing intercultural competence.
• Intercultural learning outcomes.
• Ethics in assessing intercultural competence.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Identify and use different intercultural competence models.
• Engage critically with the different disciplinary assumptions behind intercultural competence models.
• Discern evaluation from assessment.
• Discern evaluation from research.
• Describe and apply instructional strategies for facilitating intercultural competence.
• Describe and apply methods and tools for assessing intercultural competence.
• Formulate learning outcomes (for intercultural competence development).
• Develop an assessment plan.
• Evaluate the quality and/or suitability of different intercultural assessment tools.
• Develop research-based intercultural interventions and evaluate their programme effectiveness (programme/impact evaluation).
• Problematise ethical challenges in assessing intercultural competence.
• Reflect critically on your own development of intercultural competence.

Indicative reading list

Ajjawi, R., Tai, J., Boud, D., & Jorre de St Jorre, T. (Eds.). (2023). Assessment for inclusion in higher tducation: Promoting equity and social justice in assessment. Routledge.
Almeida, J. (2020). Understanding student mobility in Europe: An interdisciplinary approach. Routledge.
Byram, M. (2021). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence: Revisited. (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.
Byram, M., Fleming, M., & Sheils, J. (Eds.). (2023). Quality and equity in education: A practical guide to the Council of Europe vision of education for plurilingual, intercultural and democratic citizenship. Multilingual Matters.
Bennett, J. M. (Ed.). (2015). The Sage encyclopedia of intercultural competence. Sage.
Barrett, M. et al. (2021). Assessing competences for democratic culture. Principles, methods, examples. Council of Europe. Available at: https://rm.coe.int/prems-005521-assessing-competences-for-democratic-culture/1680a3bd41
Deardorff, D. K., & Arasaratnam-Smith, L. A. (Eds.). (2017). Intercultural competence in higher education: International approaches, assessment and application. Routledge.
Deardorff, D. K. (2015). Demystifying outcomes assessment for international educators: A practical approach. Stylus Publishing.
Deardorff, D.K. (Ed.). (2009). The Sage handbook of intercultural competence. Sage.
Lantz-Deaton, C.; & Golubeva, I. (2020). Intercultural competence for college and university students: A global guide for employability and social change. Springer.
Mertens, D., & Wilson, A. T. (2019). Program evaluation theory and practice: A comprehensive guide (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Suskie, L. A. (2018). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Research element

In this module, you are asked to develop and evaluate a research-based intercultural intervention that you can use as part of your dissertation module project and/or in your future profession or workplace. Moreover, all contents are informed by a research-based approach that allows you to bridge the gap between theory and practice, as well as between research and evaluation.

Interdisciplinary

This module draws on methods and theoretical frameworks from cross-cultural and developmental psychology, cross-cultural communication, applied linguistics, educational sciences, cross-cultural training, evaluation, and the business field.
You are familiarised with theoretical frameworks and assessment methods for conceptualising and assessing intercultural competence, and we work together to discern different disciplinary assumptions behind a range of models and assessment instruments/tools. Through this, you acquire skills in thinking through the integrative habit of mind advocated by interdisciplinary approaches as you learn how to create a common ground between varied (and at times, conflicting) disciplinary insights.

International

This module is designed to give you an interdisciplinary overview of intercultural competence models and equip you with relevant skills for developing intercultural research-based interventions in your research, such your dissertation module project, or in professional projects of international scope that incorporate an evaluation component. As with all our research modules, students are encouraged and actively supported to think globally and locally in their work and their project designs.

Subject specific skills

• Identify and describe different conceptualisations of intercultural competence, and underlying disciplinary assumptions (through an interdisciplinary approach).
• Identify and apply a range of instructional strategies, assessment methods and tools for developing and assessing intercultural competence.
• Evaluate the quality and/or suitability of different intercultural assessment tools.
• Develop and evaluate the programme effectiveness of research-based intercultural interventions that can be used as part of students’ research or of professional projects that incorporate an evaluation component.
• Formulate intercultural learning outcomes.
• Problematise ethical challenges in assessing intercultural competence.

Transferable skills

• Identify and apply assessment methods and tools.
• Discern evaluation from assessment, and evaluation from research.
• Create a common ground between different disciplinary insights (interdisciplinary approach).
• Communicate complex ideas effectively in writing.
• Communicate clearly and contribute effectively to oral discussions.
• Read academic papers effectively and critically.
• Work collaboratively in teams.
• Plan and manage time and workload to meet deadlines.