Estudis Interculturals

Objectius de desenvolupament sostenible (ODS)

• 5. Igualtat de gènere
• 12. Consum i producció responsables

Objectius

This course interrelates cultural values, cross-cultural communication, language and management skills.

It consists of talks, debates and oral and written activities about cultural studies and it includes presentations by guest lectureres on the national culture of some countries.

The objectives of the course are the following:

To make students aware of their own culturally-induced behaviour.
To help students develop understanding of the fact that all people exhibit culturally-conditioned behaviours.
To develop student's awareness of how culture affects people at work.
To provide students with language and cross-cultural skills in order to develop empathy with cultural differences.
To prepare students for interaction with people from cultures other than their own.
To develop critical and intellectual discussion.
To acquire pragmatic competence in cross-cultural business settings.

Resultats d'aprenentatge

• Transmetre informació, idees, problemes i solucions adequadament i d'acord amb els cànons acadèmics, de forma oral, escrita i audiovisual, a un públic tant especialitzat com no especialitzat i ser respectuós amb la diversitat lingüística i amb realitats socials, culturals, de gènere i econòmiques diverses.
• Operar amb compromís amb els valors democràtics, de sostenibilitat i de disseny universal, a partir de pràctiques basades en l'aprenentatge i servei i en la inclusió social.
• Tenir l'habilitat de gestionar el procés formatiu propi amb vista a l'adquisició d'una formació integral que permeti aprendre i conviure en un context respectuós amb la diversitat lingüística i amb realitats socials, culturals, de gènere i econòmiques diverses.

Continguts

1. Concepts of culture throughout history
2. Cultural studies
   
   1. From observation to interpretation
   2. Visible and invisible aspects of culture
   3. Linking values to behaviour
   4. Universal, cultural and personal values
3. Ethnocentrism, multiculturalism and interculturalism
4. Culture shock
5. Barriers for cross-cultural communication
6. Models of cultural analysis (Geert Hofstede, Erin Meyer and Richard D. Lewis)
7. National cultures: examples. 

Avaluació

Course assessment is based on the sum of marks of all the assessed activities done during the course. The percentages of the assessed activities are the following:

• Class attendance: 10 %
• Reflecting on your own cultural identity and peer review: 15 %
• Forum contribution (E-Portfolio): 30 %
• Final project: 20 %
• Test: 25 %

It is necessary to obtain 50 % of the total average to pass the course. All the activities that have not been done or have not been turned in on the due date cannot be repeated and will count 0 points.

In the event that a student fails the course, he/she can repeat the Final Test and resubmit the Final Project.

Metodologia

Cooperative learning and project based learning. There will also be time for discussion, simulation and teamwork about the topics covered during the presentations.

Bibliografia

Bàsica

• Hall, E.T (1959). The silent language: Vol. 3. Doubleday.
• Lewis, R.D. (2005). When cultures collide: Leading across cultures (3 ed.). Nicholas Brealey.
• Meyer, Erin (2014). The Culture Map: Breaking Through The Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. Public Affairs.
• Trompenaars,F., Hampden-Turner, Ch. (1997). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in business (2 ed.). Nicholas Brealey.

Complementària

El professorat facilita les referències de la bibliografia complementària i de lectura obligatòria en el transcurs de l'assignatura a través del Campus Virtual.