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Education University of Groningen Summer Schools

Intercultural Competence for students

Intercultural Competence Development for students
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'Developing intercultural competence is a core capability in the 21st century and involves cultural self-awareness, understanding the experiences of people from diverse communities, and the capability to adapt one’s mindset and behavior to bridge across differences.’ – Mitch Hammer, 2011.

Businesses know that productivity depends on a work force that is socially and emotionally competent. If you want to become successful in a diverse world, a large part of that success will depend on your ability to communicate and negotiate among diverse cultures.

Intercultural competence is considered one of the top 10 work skills needed for the workforce of the future.It entails recognizing cultural differences, understanding how these differences influence interaction and maximizing that knowledge in order to minimize misunderstanding.

This summer school is a structured training based on a developmental approach to building intercultural competence, regardless of your current level of cultural understanding. The offered program will be taught by a senior practitioner in the field with more than 10 years’ experience in intercultural training development and delivery and will cover everything from cultural stereotypes to cognitive and communication styles.

What is it in for you?

  • Gain a deeper insight into your own culture
  • Learn more about different behavioral and communication patterns
  • Share critical intercultural incidents and best practices
  • Develop your own intercultural competence by doing exercises, games and simulations
  • Learn how to deploy intercultural competence development in your academic and/or professional field(s)
Practical information

Dates

24 June - 28 June 2024 from 9:30-12:30, Groningen, the Netherlands

On Wednesday there will be no class, but you will have a team assignment that you need to complete together that day.

Location
On campus in Groningen, the Netherlands

Level
BA/MA/PhD students
Fee
€ 175
Academic coordinator
Drs. Michaela Carriere
Contact
ic@rug.nl
Requirements

This summer school is intended for BA, MA and PhD students. Prior knowledge of the field of intercultural communication is preferred, yet not necessary.

(NB We also offer a Winter School on Intercultural Competence Development for Professionals. Professionals who teach intercultural competence are asked to apply to this winter school for professionals, and not the summer school for students.)

Learning outcomes

After this course you will be able to:

  • Better understand the differences between cultural stereotypes and cultural generalizations.
  • Recognize and deploy different styles of communication.
  • Gain a theoretical understanding of intercultural competence development.
  • Gain a deeper insight into your own culture.

The summer school programme will start on Monday 24 June 2024 and end on Friday 28 June 2024. Upon successful completion of the program, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Participation that mentions the workload of 15 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of participation.

Application procedure

To apply, we kindly ask you to fill out the online application form. Please include the following documents in your application:

  • A letter of motivation (max 1 A4) in which you describe your interest in intercultural competence, including a description of your theoretical knowledge or of your practical experience. Make the case for why we should choose you to attend the summer school on Intercultural Competence.
  • A copy of your CV to inform the teacher of your background.


The deadline for application is 6 May 2024.


If you have any questions about our Summer School, please do not hesitate to contact us at ic rug.nl.

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*For those who participated in the winter school: this summer school is a direct interpretation and implementation of the principles of training design addressed during the winter school.

Last modified:22 September 2023 1.42 p.m.