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Language and Communication Studies Courses

MA Conflicts in Intercultural Communications

  • Course Code DNT2Q190201
  • Duration 2 Years
  • Attendance Part Time
  • Award Degree of Master of Arts
  • Overview
  • Why Choose Us
  • Requirements
  • Course Profile
  • Fees and Funding
  • Apply
Overview
LinguisticsGlobalisation has broken down barriers of time and space and led to the ever greater centrality of knowledge and information. The increased contact between different linguistic communities (through migration, tourism, education, and information and media flows) has not, however, resolved the problem of linguistic and cultural barriers, quite the opposite. As language and cultural exchanges become ever more frequent and diverse, so does our need to comprehend the nature of intercultural communication and how it may best be promoted. These are the central concerns of the various MA programmes in the School of Language and Communications Studies at UEA.


New Module for 2011-12: Intercultural Communication in Practice

This module explores how students can become more effective communicators in international settings, by developing their intercultural competence. It is relevant to those wishing to pursue careers in international management and multilingual business. Invited speakers will introduce students to how intercultural communication operates in specific government and business organisations.

In the interdisciplinary MA in Conflicts in Intercultural Communication, we focus on the identification, analysis and resolution of conflicts in communication across different cultures. We work on case studies of intercultural miscommunication at the level of international political terminology and in discursive/pragmatic strategies, as well as in the representation of cross-national conflicts and the representation of migration conflicts. These case studies link to the broader topics of language in diplomatic contexts, language and social cohesion, language and racism, language and gender, and language in the globalization process. The course involves project and guided research work leading up to a dissertation that can also provide the platform for starting on a research degree, for instance in Intercultural Linguistics, International Politics, Social Psychology.

The course is intended specifically for international students and integrates English skills training into the overall programme of study. It will be of interest to students who are seeking to deepen their knowledge of language use in various types of conflicts involving media, Diplomatic Contexts and communication in International organisations, such as the EU and UNO, or NGOs. It can also build a platform for Postgraduate Research, for instance in the areas of Intercultural Linguistics, International Politics, and Social Psychology.

MA Degree Programmes Postgraduate Diplomas 
(MA in Communication and Language 
Studies only)
Four taught modules assessed by coursework 
(six for Communication and Language Studies)
Six taught modules assessed by coursework
Obligatory core elements and options Obligatory core elements and options
Year Long Research Method module Two-semester 100% taught courses (no dissertation)
15,000 word supervised dissertation 
(8,000 for MA in Communication and Language Studies) 
Easter to early September
 

Multi-disciplinary environment, wide range of options from across the Faculty

Full time and Part time programmes

View Course Handbook

MACIC Course Handbook 2011-12

Why Study Language and Intercultural Communication at UEA?

Several factors combine to make the choice of the UEA MA in Conflicts in Intercultural Communication programme an appropriate and exciting one:

The School of Language and Communication Studies provides a friendly and stimulating environment in which to study. The size of the School allows for more personal staff-student contact and individual academic support than in many larger institutions.

The James Platt Centre for Language Learning which is housed within the School provides an extensive range of language resources including live satellite broadcasts, CDs and DVDs in various foreign languages, as well as a wide variety of foreign language printed matter. These materials complement the excellent holdings of the UEA library. IT facilities are excellent throughout the University.

The wide range of linguistically diverse students enrolled on both this and other MA programmes in the School provides a rich environment in which to study differences in intercultural communication.

Research within the School focuses on cross-cultural communication with all staff sharing an interest in the cross-over of language, translation and media in a multilingual framework. The different standpoints from which they approach the interaction between language and forms of communication constitute complementary and mutually enriching perspectives, in line with UEA’s tradition of interdisciplinary research.

Course Content and Structure

The MA in Conflicts in Intercultural Communication is a one-year, full-time taught course but it can also be taken part-time over two years.

The structure of the programme allows individuals to develop their own interests within a structured framework of theoretical training. Some flexibility is built into the course by allowing one module to be chosen from any relevant MA module offered within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Teaching is mainly through the media of seminars and individual dissertation supervision.

The programme consists of three compulsory taught modules: Linguistic Communication amongst Cultures, Textual Interaction and Ideology: The Power of Discourse, and Cultural Representations and Language. The fourth taught module is selected either from Language Issues in a Global Multilingual Context or any other approved MA module from within the School or the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. There is also a compulsory Research Methods module which is taken by all LCS MA students.

The final compulsory element of the programme is a 15,000 word dissertation on a subject chosen by the student in consultation with members of academic staff. Work on the dissertation starts at Easter and proceeds full-time until its completion at the beginning of September.

Assessment is on the basis of coursework and the dissertation (although modules taken from outside the School may contain an examined element).

Transferable Skills

Students who successfully complete the MA will have developed to a high level their awareness and understanding of issues of culture and communication through language. They will have become familiar with different approaches to these issues, and gained the ability to assess these approaches critically and to evaluate their usefulness to their own needs and circumstances.

They will also have honed their academic skills including, the ability to read and utilise research literature, independent research, with a focus on appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis, synthesis and evaluation , presentation skills (oral and written), and the IT skills required to achieve these goals.

The programme will provide a suitable foundation for further postgraduate studies at MPhil and PhD level.
Course Organiser
Prof Andreas Musolff    
Programme Specification
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