Factsheet Intercultural Communication

FACTSHEET

MASTER’SPROGRAMME INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

“Diversity is our core business

Dear students,

The beginning of your new MA programme is an exciting moment. The students in this programme come from different academic backgrounds: some of you have degrees in one of the European languages, others have a Bachelor’s degree in cultural or communication studies. Many of you are well travelled and have been all over the world as tourists, as volunteers or paid workers, as exchange students during secondary school or with an Erasmus programme. Students in this programme are accustomed to interacting in different cultures and to living and thriving in multiple cultures These experiences that you and your classmates bring to programme will provide us with a shared starting point for studying language practices across cultures.

Since its inception by our retiring Professor in Intercultural Communication, Jan D. ten Thije, the programme’s motto has been ‘Diversity is our core business.’ Your richly varied backgrounds and your experiences are key to the success of our MA programme. We encourage you to take advantage of the wide range of expertise of your teachers, and also to build strong networks with your fellow students this academic year so you can continue to support and interact with each other in other contexts in the future Many of our alumni from previous years still maintain close contact with each other.

This factsheet contains information to help you during your study. It provides a quick overview of the programme, a brief introduction to your teachers, and helpful links to practical information on deadlines, rules, and people who help you in practical matters.

The year passes very quickly, so be sure to take the time to make something beautiful out of it!

Christopher Jenks

Master’s coordinator Intercultural Communication

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has worked in six distinct geopolitical regions: the United States, England, South Korea, Hong Kong, Denmark, and now the Netherlands. He specialises in the study of language in society and is particularly interested in the political and cultural implications of the global spread of English. His research interests include online communication, intercultural encounters, political discourse, and identity construction. Christopher is particularly interested in how spoken and written discourse performs a range of communicative actions (e.g., trolling and arguing) and indexes a number of social phenomena (e.g., nationalism and race).

ROF . DR . C HRISTOPHER J ENK

DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

The curriculum committee (Opleidingscommissie, OC) is a representative advisory body that deals with the quality of the education of the Master programmes within the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication. The committee consists of a teacher section (three teachers) and a student section (three students), one student from each Master.

What are the OC's duties? Students complete a course evaluation for each course at the end of each block. The OC then evaluates the courses on the basis of this course evaluation and reports on them during meetings with the rest of the OC. In addition, the OC issues advice about the Education and Examination Regulations (EER or in Dutch OER) after an evaluation of this OER. Finally, the OC advises the programme board on all sorts of matters concerning education.

For the current members of the OC, have a look at: https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/interculturalcommunication/contact/curriculum-committee If you’d like to become a member on the committee, please contact the programme coordinator!

THE CORE TEACHERS

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D R R ENA Z ENDEDEL is assistant professor and teaches different bachelor- and master courses in Intercultural Communication. She also supervises students during their internships and the writing of their thesis. Her research focus is on interpreted medical communication.

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DR M ARIE S TEFFENS is a Romanist specialised in linguistics and language education (French as L2). In 2014, she defended her doctoral thesis in Liège. Afterwards she taught at the University of Liège and at the Laval University in Québec. With regards to research, she combines her experiences in lexical semantics and corpus linguistics in order to employ digital instruments in the education of French language.

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DR . S ERGIO B AAUW is a teacher in Spanish Linguistics associated with the programme in Spanish Language and Culture. He teaches in the areas of Spanish Linguistics, language acquisition and language contact.

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D R R OSELINDE S UPHEERT is a lecturer in the English Department, teaching English and Irish literature, adaptation studies and ICC. She also supervises BA and MA theses on popular culture. She chairs the programme committee of the English Department.

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DR . M ANUELA P INTO is teacher-researcher in Italian and linguistics at the Department of Modern Languages.

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D R . D EBBIE C OLE received her Ph.D at the University of Arizona. Her work in semiotics combines research in linguistic, anthropological, and literary approaches to the study of language. Areas of interest include ideological and interdisciplinary constraints on socialized human categorizing, learning, and communicating. She also translates poetry from Bahasa Indonesia into English.

THE TEAM OF LECTURERS

STUDY ADVISOR

Your Study Advisor of this programme is Drs. Corine den Hamer.

You can contact her via studieadviestlc.gw@uu.nl in case you are under personal circumstances which might influence the progress of your study. Please contact the Study Advisor in a timely manner when you experience personal problems. You can find more information and make an appointment at: https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/intercultural-communication/contact/study-advisor

THIS PROGRAMME

This MA programme focuses on management of linguistic and cultural diversity in different organisational contexts. This domain is approached from five angles, namely:

1. A comparative perspective on languages and cultures (contrastive analysis): Students learn to identify and assess the similarities and differences between languages and cultures. Furthermore, besides the general principles of comparative research, the students will learn how to apply these principles in research to varying languages and cultures covered in the different tracks.

2. Understanding of mutual perceptions (cultural representational analysis): Students gain insight into the expectations and (stereotypical) images cultural groups have of one another and how this influences the perception and judgement of linguistic and cultural expression of the Other. On the one hand, students learn how cultural identities are constructed using specific linguistic and cultural characteristics. On the other hand, they learn how imaging can lead to exclusion processes such as discrimination and racism.

3. Understanding of language acquisition and multilingualism: Students learn how differences in language skills can affect mutual understanding in communication. They also learn how organisations develop policies on a local, regional, national and supranational level to deal with linguistic and cultural differences (diversity management)

4. Understanding of the effective interaction between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds (interaction analysis): Students learn to recognise and assess intercultural interaction processes. They learn how new patterns in interaction may occur as a result of prolonged international and multilingual cooperation. These patterns cannot always be traced back to the existing linguistic and cultural patterns of their country of origin. Students learn to recognise and assess the conditions for successful intercultural communication. On the one hand, this means insight into how mutual understanding can arise based on limited proficiency of the language of the Other. On the other hand, it means insight into organisational contexts where a perfect proficiency in the language of the Other is required.

5. An educational perspective on dealing with linguistic and cultural diversity and intercultural competences: Students gain insight into the development of their own intercultural competences and learn how insights of the above approaches (contrastive, cultural representational, interaction analysis and diversity management) can be transferred to others. Students learn general educational principles and develop languagespecific expertise in the field of intercultural training, coaching and mediation.

In summary, this field of research covers research on principles, issues and products of communication in a multilingual environment such as the internationally oriented business community, international organisations and cultural institutions at home and abroad. In other words: What it means when you make diversity your core business!

You can find more information on: https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/interculturalcommunication/curriculum

COURSE PLANNER: You will find more information on this programme’s courses in the Course Planner: https://cursusplanner.uu.nl /english/study/TW-ICCM-19

TRACKS

There are two tracks in this master’s programme to choose from. The Admission Committee assesses your language skills and decides which language specific courses you may choose!

Language specific track

If you choose the language-specific track, it will be noted on your diploma supplement. This means you focused on studying a specific language: German, English, Dutch, French, Spanish, or Italian.

To meet the requirement, you need to complete 30 EC of language-specific instruction. Half of the credits (15 EC) will come from three languagespecific courses. You can choose from our selection or from the Masterlanguage programme. Your eligibility for these courses depends on your oral and written proficiency in the relevant language.

The other EC will come from your thesis (15 EC) and internship report (15 EC). These should be written at the required proficiency level set by the programme.

3 non-language specific courses (15 EC)

2 language specific courses (10 EC)

Intercultural Consultancy (5 EC)

Master's thesis (15 EC) and an internship (15 EC).

Multilingual track

If you choose the multilingual track, you can take language specific courses in the languages that are assigned to you in your admission declaration.

In the multilingual track of the programme, the nonlanguage-specific courses (15 EC) are compulsory. In addition, you have the compulsory choice of taking 10 EC of language-specific components in one or two languages. The Intercultural Consultancy course (5 EC) is also compulsory, but you can choose in which language you want to participate this course.

Whether you can participate in the language-specific components depends on your written and oral language skills. You will take a language proficiency test at the start of the master's programme. The other components of the programme are the master’s thesis (15 EC) and the internship (15 EC)

3 non-language specific courses (15 EC)

2 language specific courses (10 EC)

Intercultural Consultancy (5 EC)

Master's thesis (15 EC) and an internship (15 EC).

Multilingual track students who choose to follow a course in any of the assigned languages, will be given the option to produce and turn in course written assignments in English, regardless of the language used in the course.

Be sure to discuss the options and requirements of a language with the programme coordinator and the coordinators of the relevant language track.

Take a look at the website for a course overview: https://students.uu.nl/en/hum/interculturalcommunication/curriculum

EUROCAMPUS

Each year, five students from Utrecht can take part in the European Master’s Programme in Intercultural Communication (EMICC). This Master’s programme started in 2002 and is organised together with eight partner universities from Germany, Estonia, France, Finland, United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. Eurocampus 2023 will take place at Tallin University. Read more about the programme here

DEADLINES AND IMPORTANT DATA

In Blocks 1 and 2 you will attend six courses, some language-specific and some non-language specific. The deadlines of the tests and assignments for these courses can be found in the relevant course manuals. For the assessment of the thesis and the internship in Blocks 3 and 4, the following dates and deadlines apply to everyone, besides the other important data:

October 2023 Thesis information market

December 2023

Block 2, week 4: Study plan: submit a detailed study plan for Block 3 (thesis) and Block 4 (internship). This study plan includes a proposal for your thesis research and a proposal for the internship organisation where you want to do your internship. You should also specify whether you want to make use of courses offered by MasterLanguage.

January 2024

Block 2, week 8: Thesis proposal: submit a detailed thesis proposal to your thesis supervisor (incl. questions, theoretical framework, social or scientific relevance, choice of research method and data collection). This proposal will be reviewed by your supervisor. He or she will give you the green light to continue or provide you with feedback on what should be improved before receiving the go-ahead The 2nd supervisor will read this proposal and give a go at the latest in week 1 of Block 3.

Block 3

You write your thesis. You will be supervised by a language teacher. The supervision often takes place in groups of three to five students.

Beginning of February 2024 Internship conversations with the internship coordinator

Block 3, week 10: Submit the final version of your thesis to your language-specific teacher. With an insufficient evaluation by the first and second assessor, there is a repair opportunity during Block 4. In that case, you are no longer entitled to supervision.

Block 4

You will undertake your internship and present your experiences to your classmates. The internship may continue into the summer holidays (in exceptional cases, also into the new academic year), but the reports should be submitted by the end of Block 4, and the supervision ends at the start of the summer holidays in July 2022.

Block 4, week 10: Submit the final version of your internship report and present your experiences to your classmates

Mid-August 2024

End of August 2024

Oct./Nov 2024

Final assessment of the internship report.

Farewell party

Degree ceremony

THIS MASTER’S PROGRAMME AND SOCIETY

Intercultural communication is an essential component in contemporary societal issues. Since it always recurs, during the master's programme you analyse various situations from different intercultural approaches. Think, for example, of taking on a role as a mediator in healthcare between the care professional and first- and second-generation migrants in the Netherlands. People are also needed in the construction industry in order to be able to meet the safety requirements on the construction site, which often employs people from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In education and at the government, professionals are also needed who can provide advice and training in the field of inclusion and diversity. You are able to create applied solutions for ICC interfaces with identity, racism, discrimination, human rights and the media. Think for example of imagology in the (digital) media, advertisements, catalogues, films and books around certain population groups or cultures. You will be trained as an intercultural expert to be able to switch between different perspectives, interests and target groups and to make analyses, give advice and connect people.

After graduation, you will be ready for various positions relating to intercultural communication processes in organisational and cultural contexts. You will be able to design and execute (practice-oriented) language and communication research. You will also have the knowledge and tools to advise companies and organisations on communication processes for migrants and expats (communicative auditing). Alumni of this programme often apply for jobs in the fields of:

communication

human resources

consultancy and PR

translation

mediation and training

sales and marketing

language education

and more

IMPORTANT FOR HUMANITIES STUDENTS

New students students.uu.nl/hum-new Practical information for new students at the Humanities faculty.

Academic calendar students.uu.nl/hum-calendar

Information about days off, course registrations and change-of-enrolment days.

UU online

Information about our online systems and how to log in: students.uu.nl/hum-online In need of a manual? IT manuals: https://manuals.uu.nl/en

REGISTRATION, PROCEDURES, INTERNSHIP INFO

Student Information Desk Humanities students.uu.nl/hum-contact

Programme related matters, such as

• course registration

• course schedules

• study results & study progress (Osiris)

• graduation

Student Services students.uu.nl/en/contact/student-services

Studying at Utrecht University in general:

• registration as a UU student

• tuition fees

• elite athletes

• disability or chronic illness

Internship coordinator students.uu.nl/hum-internshipcoordinator

Information about:

• guidelines and procedures

• internship placements

QUESTIONS ABOUT ENTERING THE JOB MARKET

Career Services students.uu.nl/hum-careerservices

Advice on getting a job after graduation through workshops, CV check-up, and coaching. Your programme coordinator will inform you about programme-specific events.

NEED EXTRA HELP?

Study advisor: students.uu.nl/hum-studyadvisor

Student psychologist: students.uu.nl/psychologist

Workshops: Skills Lab: students.uu.nl/en-skillslab

THINKING OF GOING ABROAD?

International office Humanities: students.uu.nl/hum-io

OTHER FACILITIES

University Library: students.uu.nl/hum-library

Olympos sports centre: olympos.nl/en-us/home.aspx

Parnassos cultural centre: uu.nl/en/parnassos

FACT! You can find your grades, student card and timetable in the MyUU portal and the MyUU app: students.uu.nl/en/myuu and students.uu.nl/en/ myuu-app

FACT! In the second semester, you will have to register in Osiris for courses you wish to attend. If you want to switch courses, you can do so on the change-ofenrolment days before the start of the relevant block.

FACT! Deadlines are always listed in the course syllabus, which your lecturer will provide approximately 2 weeks prior to the course’s ’start.

FACT! If you need more information about specific aspects of your programme, e.g. internships or thesis, please see the Curriculum page on the programme website via students.uu.nl/hum.

FACT! Check students. uu.nl/hum-studentlife for information about living, jobs, sports and leisure in Utrecht!

© June 2023. Utrecht University, Faculty of Humanities. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented in this factsheet is correct and up to date. Utrecht University cannot be held liable for any false, inaccurate, or incomplete information presented herein.