86676 - Intercultural Competence Learning Lab -Bologna 1

Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures

Learning outcomes

The aim is to develop intercultural skills through a path combining cycles of theoretical reflection and guided forms of exploration of the multicultural reality of the university and the city of Bologna.

 

Course contents

During the first cycle of lessons (3 sessions of 3 hours each), students will be invited to reflect on the concepts of 'culture', 'diversity' and 'identity'. The students, divided into groups, will also be guided in identifying and planning the experiences they intend to carry out in the field (definition of objectives, preparation of data collection, etc.). The second cycle of lessons (2 sessions of 3 hours each) will be used to monitor and guide the work of the groups from an intercultural point of view. In this phase, the groups will be involved in several small projects aimed at exploring the territory (for example, identifying the need for Erasmus students in Bologna, mapping the places and forms of contact / dialogue between asylum seekers and the local population). During the third round of lessons (3 sessions of 3 hours each), students will be invited to reflect on the intercultural experiences made in the field, so that they can benefit from these - in terms of awareness and skills acquired - for their personal and professional life.

 

Collaborators (University Language Centre):

Readings/Bibliography

The proposed activities are based, from a theoretical and methodological point of view, on those developed during the IEREST project.

Readings for the exam:

  • Borghetti, C. (2016), Educazione linguistica interculturale: Origini, modelli, sviluppi recenti, Roma/Bologna: Caissa Italia. [Parti I e III] [96 pp.];
  • Holliday, A. (1999), “Small cultures”, Applied Linguistics, 20(2), 237-264. [24 pp.];
  • IEREST (2015), “Introduction”, in Beaven & Borghetti (Eds.), Intercultural education resources for Erasmus students and their teachers. Koper: Annales University Press, 7-11. [5 pp.];
  • Phillips, A. (2010), “What’s wrong with essentialism?” Distinktion: Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory, 11(1), 47-60. [23 pp.].

The study of the slides is an integral part of the exam program (the slides can be downloaded from Alma Digital Library).

 

Teaching methods

The students' workload amounts to 74 hours including:

  • 24 hours of lectures and seminars (divided into three cycles of 9, 6 and 9 hours each, respectively);
  • 30 hours of collaborative group activity aimed at preparing and conducting a structured exploration of the territory;
  • 20 hours of self-study.

The lessons will take place in room VIII at the Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Moderne, in via Cartoleria 5.

Time

From 10.15 to 13.30

Timetable

  • 2 March
  • 9 March
  • 16 March
  • 6 April
  • 20 April
  • 27 April
  • 11 May
  • 18 May

Assessment methods

To be admitted to the exam, students have to attend at least 70% of the course, i.e. minimum 5 out of 8 classes and the entire fieldwork experience.

The exam consists of an individual written report, of between 7 and 10 pages. In the report, each student will present the work done in the field and discuss it on the basis of the exam readings (see above).

Regarding the writing standards for the report and the paper, we ask students to follow the indications of the Vademecum and, as regards the citation system, to follow the so-called 'author-data' system; the document can be consulted HERE.

The written work must be sent by e-mail to the teacher no later than Friday 11th May.

Assessment criteria:

  • degree and relevance of the contribution offered to the group work [for attending students only];
  • clarity of the arguments and readability of the text;
  • degree of in-depth study of the topic dealt with;
  • appropriateness of terminology used;
  • accuracy and care in drafting the text (also with respect to formatting choices).

 

Teaching tools

Slides will be used during the lessons; students can download them weekly from the Alma Digital Library. The workshop activities involve the use of additional resources, including printed materials (analysis grids, questionnaires, etc.), video clips and websites.

 

Office hours

See the website of Claudia Borghetti