06270111 - Intercultural Communication

Credit hour 3
Total number of hours 21
Number of hours for lectures 21

Directors

Peter Somers

Goals

This course deals with the most significant aspects of multicultural behaviors and interactions, with a specific emphasis on communication among individuals and entities belonging to different cultures and countries . A particular attention will be devoted to the company cultures that in a globalised perspective become even more determinant than the national cultures.

TARGETED KNOWLEDGE    

  • Main approaches to the multicultural problems
  • Basic and advanced strategies to tackle the organizational situations
  • Understanding differencies ad managing them
  • Leadership styles in different contexts
  • Decoding and coping the company cultures
  • Theory and practice of conflict
  • Change management


TARGETED SKILLS

  • High sensitivity in detecting the weak signals and enhanced flexibilty in unexpected reactions
  • Behavioural tool to face critical and unknown situations
  • Ability to comjkmunicate to different sort of audience

Content

• Classic schools for Intercultural communication
• the Culturalistic School
• the Convergent School
• The Contingent School, the Hofstede's approach
• The fourth way
• The method of Drivers for the differences qualification
• Conflicts in intercultural situations, sane and pathological conflict
• Negotiation in multicultural context, the method of Ury and Fisher
• The black Box approach for cross cultural context
• The OK corral theory for critical intercultural conditions
• Examples, audiovisuals, case discussion in plenary

Bibliography

BOOKS USED AS REFERENCE:
All lectures will be supported by didactic documents in PDF form written by the teacher
The follow up bibliography will be tuned on the participants' interactions and interests shown in class

ADDITIONAL READINGS:
Not strictly necessary. Every student can choose a prefered text as voluntary effort to deepen the matter A few readings will be provided in class by the teacher

Tests

Final exam
Written, Collective:
Audiovisual analysis, discussions

Continuing Examination
In class examination, presentation in class

Additional Information

TEACHING METHODS
The main ingredients of the learning process are:
• Theories and models, to create the appropriate " language"
• Example and cases, to demonstrate the models validity
• Memorable Audiovisuals as tests for application of the learned methods
• Sharing of the participants experience on these subjects
• The personal professional experience of the teacher
• Some exercises to apply the methods on the students' life, professionally and personally
• Reading before and after every lesson

PRE-REQUISITE
Previous personal multicultural experience