The module comprises two parts, a theoretically-oriented one and a practically-oriented one.
The first part aims at providing the students with basic notions in intercultural communication, a discipline that deals with the language-specific and culture-specific aspects of speech acts and conversation. When communicating in a foreign language, mastering conversational routines is one of the most difficult tasks. Such an ability is relevant to both translators, who mostly operate with written texts, and mediators, who often face unplanned conversational situations in their profession.
The main theoretical notions of intercultural pragmatics (such as, for instance, the notions of face, politeness) will be critically presented, and their usefulness will be evaluated through a rich exemplification drawn from recent studies, mostly concerned with the language- and culture-specific declinations of these notions in various European and extra-European contexts.
The second part will deal with intercultural communication in multilingual professional settings. Through the analysis of real case studies, the students will identify the possible sources of intercultural misunderstandings and impoliteness, and to sort out the common problems that arise in intercultural conversation. They will also identify good practices in dealing with this sort of problems.
At the end of the module, students will be able to apply the theoretical notions to a wide range of real and potential situations of conflict and to propose ways to prevent or resolve the conflict.