MyGlasgow Students

Intercultural Literacies

What will I learn from this course?  

 In this course, you will learn about how people navigate and deal with intercultural situations, in other words, situations where there are people present from multiple different cultures. We will discuss this in relation to situations that are quite typical, such as being an exchange or international student, being a tourist, or being an international migrant. While these all suggest culture at a national level, we will discuss what culture might mean on a more general level, asking how it might relate to concepts like class, ethnicity, religion and gender. Taking this wider understanding of culture, we will explore how we can communicate better with diverse audiences. 

After reviewing these key ideas, we will examine instances of intercultural communication as seen in fictional texts, that is, in films and/or novels. By analysing fictional examples, we will explore issues such as ethics and the fair treatment of people around us. Fictional examples allow us to discuss possible failures of communication as well as successful examples without needing to have had those experiences ourselves. 

To link these discussions with more real-life examples, we will plan to interview someone (for example, an exchange student, a newcomer to Scotland, a member of the community) using ethically sound questions about their own intercultural experiences. By reflecting on what questions to ask and what assumptions we make about communication in those interviews, we can develop and improve our own approach to intercultural communications and understanding, thus gaining some more intercultural literacy. 

When will this course be available?

Semester 2, 2025

How many credits is this course?

20 credits

What is the course code?

The course code is LIBARTS1002. More information on how to enrol can be found on the registration webpages.

How will I learn on this course?

This course will be taught as a small group seminar over 10 weeks and will use a mixture of tutor led, whole group, individual and small group (2s, 4s, etc) learning. You will work together with other students to discuss ideas, drawing on your own experiences and reflections, with the goal of understanding them better.  Working in teams with others, you will discuss how the fictional examples can be better understood using the theories and ideas from intercultural communication, and consider how situations could have been dealt with better or what issues arise from the examples. You will develop your own analysis of fictional examples as well as the interview and reflection, allowing you to deepen your understanding of how your own practice relates to the ideas discussed and your understanding of those ideas. 

This course includes some individual preparation, which will include a range of activities, such as reading academic articles or chapters, reading fiction or watching a film, watching short videos on Youtube, reading or watching news reports, reading blogs and other user-generated content, reflecting on your own and others’ experiences. Undertaking the preparation will prepare you for discussion in class as well as for developing the assessments. Assessments are individual, however there will be opportunities for peer feedback when preparing elements such as the interview questions, where these can be practised with peers before using them in the real world.  

How will I be supported academically on this course?

We will use Moodle as a learning environment to support your studies. Course material will be available in advance of the classes through Moodle. An electronic reading list will be set up and you will be able to access all readings in electronic form through this. Beyond the course materials and reading list, we will also signpost extra readings and video resources that will help to deepen your understanding of the course. 

Tutors will provide formative feedback on your planned interview questions in advance of the interview assessment. Interview training will be given as part of the formal teaching of the class, as well as preparation through rehearsal and peer feedback. In addition, you are welcome to meet tutors to discuss your plans for any assessment or feedback that you received in office hours or by appointment. 

Beyond the classroom, the university offers academic support through Student Learning Development who can help with writing and researching.

 What unique learning experiences will I have on this course?

This course is the only undergraduate course at Glasgow to focus on how developing intercultural skills across the curriculum. These are important skills in many disciplines, as culture affects how people act in many situations and being aware of cultural specificity and difference will allow you to understand better how people are engaging with communicative acts in everyday life settings, from websites to medical consultations and beyond. 

The use of fictional examples will differ from standard practices in literature and film studies as the class discussion will focus on how they approach or represent intercultural situations and use them as a source of reflection linked to your own and your peers’ experiences.  

Our focus on the interview and reflecting on the interview as one method of assessment means that you will learn this useful skill which can be applied in many disciplines, but is not always taught as a research methodology. 

What skills will I learn on this course?

The course will focus on communicating with others, especially developing intercultural awareness – this includes building relationships, applying respect, diplomacy and tact. 

You will also learn interview skills: these include listening actively, asking effective questions, applying academic integrity in interactions (through awareness of ethical approaches). In designing the questions, you will use creative skills such as designing processes and creating questions. You will be encouraged to reflect on the development of your creative work, both as part of creating it and retrospectively in assessments. 

Preparation for the presentation assessment will hone analytical skills (e.g. identify and evaluate meaning, narratives, and explanations; make contrasts and comparisons; make judgements and interpret meaning, avoiding bias) as well as communication skills (e.g. create effective and engaging written, visual, multimedia content using multiple or diverse methods; embed accessibility in the creation of content, respecting individual differences; use appropriate language and tone of voice in the creation of content). 

These skills will be surfaced through discussion of skills in the classes (e.g. use of powerpoint slide saying what skills are being learned using the Future Skills Taxonomy). Reflection and assessment activities will also surface skills; by reflecting on practice and learning then students will be able to identify what skills they have acquired. Assessment practices will include comments on skills and a rubric that reflects on how skills have been applied in the assessments.

How will I be assessed on this course?

Sequence	Assessment type (drop down menu)	Group or Individual Assessment	Weighting    (indicate % or Pass/Fail
Formative	Draft interview questions	Individual	0
Summative	7 minute presentation	Individual	20
Summative	Interview Plan	Individual	30
Summative	Reflective commentary	Individual	50

Who is the course leader?

Dr Jonathan Evans is leading this course.