Module Directory

In this module, you will develop the knowledge and skills needed for successful intercultural communication. You will be involved in better understanding the interrelationship between language and culture, and the varieties of languages people use in different contexts. Through this module, the connection between language, power, and identity will be discovered as well as how one is represented in art, media and in the context of colonialism and post-colonialism. The mechanisms at play behind communication, and how they work in different languages will be discussed. Alongside intercultural awareness, and socio-pragmatic skills, you will learn how to engage in a debate following the rules of pragmatics and how to deliver a perfect presentation, skills which will be built upon in the spring term with LG213.

You will also practice and expand transferable skills such language mediation skills, communication and presentation skills, independent learning, creative and analytical thinking, reflective skills, problem-solving, team-working, disciplined time-management and use of electronic media.

The aims of this module are:

• To develop the ability to understand the structure and function of language and its use in a variety of contexts.


• To develop the ability to understand and use different varieties of language.


• To develop pragmatic and socio-cultural skills.


• To develop intercultural awareness.


• To develop critical and analytical skills.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Identify and appreciate varieties of register and style in different cultural contexts.


2. Make language choices appropriate to particular contexts with increased confidence.


3. Demonstrate enhanced awareness of the cultures of foreign languages and the role they play in the interpretation of meaning.


4. Compare and contrast different ways of viewing the world and of communicating and expressing oneself.


5. Identify relevant and reliable sources of information and critically evaluate them.


6. Present findings orally through the means of debating and consider how to present these in an oral presentation.

Materials placed on Moodle are essential to the module and should be treated like a textbook. They must be downloaded, printed and brought to classes. Materials will be added to Moodle when needed, and you are expected to check updates regularly.

This module will be delivered via:

• A combination of classes and independent study: one 2 hour class per week consisting of a lecture delivered in English followed by practical activities comparing and contrasting different languages and cultures.

Autumn term: relationship between language and culture; language vs. dialect; varieties of language (register, geographical and social differences); local identities and cultures; representation of self and others in culture, art, media and in the social context of colonialism and postcolonialism.