Intercultural Communication

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course assumes no prior knowledge and is suitable for pre-university, undergraduate and post-experience students. You will need high school-level English or above, an interest in international issues, and curiosity about, exposure to or experience with other cultures. We will start with a journey of self-discovery, telling each other our cultural stories and exploring different cultures. You will be amazed to see how cultures have influenced our perceptions, thinking, communication styles, values and beliefs.

Topics Covered

• Introduction to the course and field, potential learning objectives, and leading definitions of what constitutes “intercultural communication”.
• Exploration of story narratives, metaphors, and meanings related to interculturality.
• Analysis of situated cases to identify sources of intercultural misunderstanding.
• Benefits of intercultural applications to personal life, business and education.
• Variations in personal, social, and cultural identity, and cultivate greater awareness and sensitivity to one’s own and other’s cultural identities.
• Exposure to and appreciation of cross-cultural complexity through the social learning engagement of this international community.
• Social perceptions of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination related to intergroup contact.
• Variations and perceptions of typical communication behaviors or practices and taxonomies for understanding context, space, time and other contextual factors (Hi-low Context, Proxemics, Monochronic-Polychronic, Silence).
• Exposure to and application of leading values frameworks and levels of analysis that undergird cultural assumptions, expectations, and behaviors (from Hall, Hofstede, Schwartz, the WVS).
• Experiential descriptions of culture shock and coping dynamics, adaptation processes, and growth outcomes in cross-cultural transitions.
• Reflection on complex cases, other’s comments, and replies to enhance mindful observation, analysis, and understanding toward cultivating intercultural competence.