B0275 - INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND MEDIATION

Learning outcomes

Students are expected to learn features to be aware of in cross-cultural negotiation, how to gather information about cultural styles and how to adapt behaviour to get results by simulating a cross-cultural experience and to build cross-cultural sensitivity. Moreover students will learn how to recognize the importance of attitudes and values in determining behaviour and understanding cross-cultural communication as a system as well as the cross-cultural framework, learning about key cultural differences and how to be conscious of the synergies and differences between others’ values and attitudes and those of your own culture. At the end of the course students will be acquainted on tools for recognizing cultural problems at work and avoiding them or repairing them.

Course contents

- Introduction to intercultural communication

- Building intercultural skills

Different approaches to intercultural communications (G. Hofstede, E.T. Hall)

- Cultural differences: Hofstede’s six dimensions model

- low-context and high-context cultures, orientation to time and space, proxemics (E.T. Hall)

- Ethic model of intercultural dialogue

- Culture, communication, conflict, mediation  

Specific aspects of intercultural communication (case studies).

- The role of power distance in communication within organizations and institutions in Russia 

- The different construction of historic memory, national narrative and conflictual intercultural relations in Russia and Ukraine

- Representation of cultures and intercultural relations in Educational books for migrant children in Russia

- Emerging research on intercultural new media studies: cross-cultural communication on USA and Chinese social media

 

Readings/Bibliography

ATTENDING STUDENTS 

A) COMPULSORY READINGS (ATTENDING STUDENTS)

- Doreen D. WU and Chaoyuan LI (2020), “Emotional Branding on Social Media: A Cross-Cultural Discourse Analysis of Global Brands on Twitter and Weibo”, in «International Review of Psychiatry»

- Kozlova M. & Ryabichenko T. (2021), “Ideologies of Intergroup Relations in Pedagogical Discourse: Representation of Cultures and Intercultural Interaction in the Educational Books for Migrant Children”, «Journal of Intercultural Communication Research», 50:6, pp. 541-555: available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2021.1910065

- Martin J.N. - Nakayama T.K. (2017), "Culture, Communication and Conflict", (Chapter 8), in Id., Experiencing Intercultural Communication. An Introduction, New York: McGraw-Hill Education, pp. 226-253

- Miike Y. (2002), “Theorizing Culture and Communication in the Asian Context: An Assumptive Foundation”, «Intercultural Communication Studies», XI-1, pp. 1-21

- Panoková R. (2020), Theories of Intercultural Communication, Košice

- Piller I. (2012), “Intercultural communication: An Overview”, in Bratt Paulston C., Kiesling S.F., Rangel E. S. (eds) (2012), The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 3-18

 

B) FURTHER READINGS

- Balboni P. E., Caon F. (2015), La comunicazione interculturale; Venezia: Marsilio

- Barmeyer C. & Mayer C.-H. (2020) “Positive intercultural management in the fourth industrial revolution: managing cultural otherness through a paradigm shift”, «International Review of Psychiatry», 32:7-8, pp. 638-650; available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2019.1699033

- Ferri G. (2014), “Ethical communication and intercultural responsibility: a philosophical perspective”, «Language and Intercultural Communication», 14:1, pp. 7-23; available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2013.866121

- Hall E.T. (1990), The silent language, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

- Hall E.T. (1976), Beyond Culture, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

- Hofstede G. (2001), Culture's Consequences, Sage

- Hooker J. (2012), “Cultural Differences in Business Communication”, in Bratt Paulston C., Kiesling S.F., Rangel E. S. (eds) (2012), The handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 389-407

- Hongwei Zhang (2013) “Revisiting people's mediation in China: practice, performance and challenges”, «Restorative Justice», 1:2, pp. 244-267; available at: https://doi.org/10.5235/20504721.1.2.244

- Martin J.N. - Nakayama T.K. (2017), Culture, Experiencing Intercultural Communication. An Introduction, New York: McGraw-Hill Education

- Morreale S.P. & S. Shockley-Zalabak P. S.(2015) "Organizational Trust in Cultures with a History of Distrust: A Qualitative Study of Polish and Russian Leaders’ Perspectives and Experiences", «Journal of Intercultural Communication Research», 44:1, pp. 27-43; available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2014.989255

 

The BIBLIOGRAPHY may be subject to changes until the beginning of the lecture course.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, practical exercises, analysis of videos, and class discussions with students.

Assessment methods

ATTENDING STUDENTS

The course evaluation will take into account the following aspects:

- participation in the classroom activities, class presentation 20%

- Written essay 80%

The written essay (3000 words, bibliography excluded) has to be sent to the lecturer by e-mail (claudia.portioli@unibo.it) on the day of the exam session in both formats, WORD (or ODT) and PDF.

 

Teaching tools

During the lectures supplementary material will be used and/or shared in order to promote the active participation of the students.

Office hours

See the website of Claudia Portioli