SFB50414 Intercultural Communication (Autumn 2026)

Mandatory course in:

• Bachelor's Programme in Communication.
• Bachelor's Programme in International Communication with a specialisation in strategic communication (year 2025)
• Bachelor's Programme in Digital Media and Design with a specialisation in communication (year 2025 and 2026).
• One-Year Programme in Communication

Bachelor's Programme in Communication, Bachelor's Programme in Digital Media and Design with a specialisation in communication (year 2026) and One-Year Programme in Communication: 2nd semester (spring)

Bachelor's Programme in International Communication with a specialisation in strategic communication (year 2025): 3rd semester (autumn)

Bachelor's Programme in Digital Media and Design with a specialisation in communication (year 2025):4th semester (spring)

This course introduces students to theories, challenges and opportunities underlying intercultural communication competence in social and professional contexts. It explores linguistic and cultural diversity in a globalised world, focusing on communication across cultures, as well as cultural identity and power. The course examines culture as a process of collective mental programming and social conditioning in view of a range of theories on cultural dimensions and values orientation. It explores how a greater awareness of such processes and structures empowers individuals and groups and enables greater intercultural communication competence. Through theory and practical examples, students develop intercultural awareness and competence, and apply this in written, oral, and visual communication.

• Elementary social anthropology and psychology
• Range of topics within the field of intercultural communication including: culture as a conditioned process; deep structure of culture; worldview; cultural dimensions and values; culture and identity, interculturality; acculturation; ethnocentrism; cultural relativism; stereotypes and prejudice; cultural filters.
• Theories of how to compare cultures and analysis of communication situations applying

Knowledge

The student has knowledge of:

• aspects of language and culture that may influence or hinder communication between people from different cultures in in a range of work, social and academic contexts
• theories related to cultural dimensions impacting world view, shaping and being shaped by cultural values (including ideas related to high and low context cultural outlook, power distance hierarchies, individualist and collectivist cultural outlooks, uncertainty avoidance, long and short-term cultural orientation)
• culture and communication theory including concepts like cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, social conditioning theories, deep structure of culture including how culture shapes perception and interpretation.
• challenges of verbal and non-verbal communication, language functions, context, prejudice, stereotypes, sense of belonging and exclusion, self and other
• power, conflict and identity including impact of worldview, values, norms and ethics in communication
• impact of globalisation and AI in intercultural communication

Skills

The student:

• is familiar with a range of theory, methods and principles of how to compare his/her own culture with other cultures and identify potential causes of non-functioning communication.
• has had direct experience interacting with students from a range of different cultures and backgrounds in class throughout the semester, helping develop intercultural communication competencies

General competence

The student has:

• general intercultural competence across social and professional contexts
• developed capacity for autonomy, spontaneity, adaptability and ethical responsibility as effective communicators in intercultural contexts.
• developed capacity to express ideas and theory in academic written and oral contexts

• lectures and seminars in English
• communicative learning approach involving student-focussed classroom approach
• activities developing research topics as well as focus on academic writing competence

• One oral presentation (pair or group)
• One written assignment (pair or group)

All coursework must be completed at given deadlines and approved before signing up for the final exam.

Individual written assignment and individual oral exam

An individual written assignment of approx. 2500 words. The assignment is graded on the A - F grading scale. It is given a tentative grade of the assignment. This grade can be adjusted at the oral exam.

Individual oral exam - The individual oral exam consists of a discussion of the assignment. Duration approx. 10 min with questions from the examiners. Apart from assignment, no supporting materials are allowed.

The written assignment must be passed before the student can take the oral examination.

If the student decides to appeal their grade, the written assignment must be re-assessed. If the new assessment affects the tentative grading of the written assignment, a new oral exam will be arranged.

Upon re-examination, both parts of the examination must be retaken. Upon re-examination, a new assigmnet must be carried out.

A new and postponed exam is conducted simultaneously with the next regular exam. However, the department management may decide to arrange a postponed exam in the following semester.

This course is evaluated by a

• Final course evaluation

The responsible for the course compiles a report based on the feedback from the students and his/her own experience with the course. The report is discussed by the program committee at the Department of Computer Science and Communication.