Liberal Arts 1B: Intercultural Literacies (C4L) LIBARTS1002

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 1 (SCQF level 7)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course introduces students to key concepts in Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Studies, in order that they can better understand diverse multicultural environments and their own reactions to them, developing intercultural literacy in the process. After introducing key theories, it then asks students to examine case studies of intercultural communication drawn from texts (e.g. travel writing or a novel or film) and real life, prepare an interview, and consider how cultures and people are represented and the ethics of such representation.

Timetable

20 x 1 hour sessions or 10 x 2 hour sessions as scheduled on MyCampus.

Tuesday 1-2 and Thursday 1-2

Monday 10-12

Wednesday 1-3

All classes will incorporate some tutor-led elements as well as student-led elements and discussion.

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Individual Presentation - 7 minutes - 20%

Interview Plan - 1000 words - 30%

Reflective Commentary - 1500 words - 50%

Course Aims

■ Familiarise students with key theories of intercultural practices

■ Develop students' ability to apply theoretical concepts to cultural texts

■ Foster students' skillset in evaluating real-life situations through a theoretical lens

■ Introduce students to interviewing as a research method

■ Equip students to share their analyses of intercultural practices orally and in writing

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Reflect critically on issues of cultural difference

■ Examine intercultural situations in texts and real-life experience using relevant intercultural theories

■ Assess how culture-specific practices impact communication in relation to a text or real-life experience

■ Formulate interview questions that display awareness of the ethical questions around interviewing

■ Share their analyses of intercultural practices effectively orally and in writing

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.