MA Global Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is crucial to comprehending the world of today and participating in the world of tomorrow. Globalisation has led to ever-greater centrality of knowledge and information. Different linguistic communities have ever-increasing contact – through migration, tourism, education, and information and media flows yet linguistic and cultural barriers persist.

As language and intercultural exchanges become more frequent and diverse – and the media that carry these exchanges proliferate – it is even more crucial to understand intercultural communication and how to use and promote it. This course will equip you to do just that.

You will explore how the linguistic forms and patterns within a language give expression to that culture’s worldview, sociocultural norms and values. And you’ll approach linguistic communication as a cultural practice, used to both create and sustain our sense of personal, cultural and national identity. You’ll use a variety of different analytic approaches, ranging from discourse analysis and anthropological linguistics to semiotics and cross-cultural pragmatics.

We do not assume pre-existing knowledge so we introduce you to all these approaches. However, we do expect an awareness of intercultural communication and a capacity to develop an academic interest. You might already have studied, or have a career in, business, development studies, education, hospitality and tourism, law, management, marketing, psychology or medicine, for example, or a less vocational degree in English, history, geography, media or politics. Or you might have a background in languages and communication. Either way, as graduate of this course you will bring significant added value to your chosen profession.

Our students come from across the globe and this makes our seminars particularly engaging – you’ll take part in fascinating cross-cultural exchanges both with your peers and your tutors.

You will also study digital technologies which increasingly mediate international human communication, and constitute one of the key infrastructures that enable and inflect global cultural interchange. This will equip you with the theoretical and empirical understanding necessary to explain global cultural communications today.

About

How do we successfully communicate with people when we come from different cultures or do not share their language? How can global companies manage their diverse workforce? These are the kind of issues you will learn to address on this MA.

You will develop a broad-based approach to the study of language and intercultural communication, both as a cultural resource and a cultural practice. And you will gain an understanding of how the new media and mobile technologies that characterise contemporary global networks are affecting communication.

In a world where most people work in professions that routinely operate across linguistic and cultural barriers, our MA in Global Intercultural Communication will enable you to take on a wide range of key roles in a host of professions where an understanding of intercultural communication is critical.

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Telling Tales

It is tempting to think that the way we recount an event is clear and unambiguous, yet tiny differences in our langauge can reveal - or obscure - the reality of what had happened.

Prepare British children for life after Brexit – teach them another language

Looking forward, Britain’s new relationship with the EU will necessitate conducting trade and political communications in a new dynamic – one which is unlikely to be done in the medium of English.

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

You are assessed on the basis of coursework, which mainly involves case studies, oral and written presentations, commentaries, essays and an 8,000-word dissertation.

You will receive regular feedback on your practice assignments from your tutors, as a platform for improving your work before your formal or ‘summative’ assessment, and we encourage you to discuss this feedback with your tutors.

Structure

This is a one-year full-time course but you can also take it part-time over two years. You will take a combination of compulsory and optional modules, giving you a solid foundation in the discipline, with room to specialise in areas that particularly interest you.

In your first semester you will build a strong base of disciplinary knowledge with a set of three complementary compulsory modules:

Language, Culture and Thought
The Power of Discourse: Representation and Interaction
Understanding Digital Media

Then in your second semester, you will specialise by selecting three modules from a range of options, which will help you build your skills and experience. Topics typically include: intercultural communication in practice; conflict and conflict resolution in intercultural communication; language issues in a global multilingual context; politics and media; forensic linguistics and translation; and intercultural education and training.

Your studies will culminate with a dissertation on a subject of your choice. You will choose a topic to follow your own interests or career plans, in consultation with members of our academic team. You will begin work on this at the end of the spring semester, with submission in September.

Teaching and Learning

The department of Language and Communication Studies at UEA is small enough that you will receive personal staff-student contact and individual academic support, whilst also benefiting from the buzz of the larger, interdisciplinary School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies. We are at the cutting edge of research, ensuring that when you graduate you are well informed and highly employable.

You will learn from experts in intercultural communication, in cross-cultural communication, cross-cultural pragmatics, (critical) discourse analysis, and cross-cultural cognitive linguistics. We also have particular specialist knowledge in translation, including translation quality and ethics, technological tools, audiovisual translation, forensic linguistics, and sport translation.

You will also participate in a year-long Academic and Research Skills programme, helping you make the most of your studies and preparing you for your subsequent career. This programme also provides a great foundation for further postgraduate studies at PhD level.

Independent study

As well as seminar work, you will benefit from numerous events and talks to support you in your learning as you work towards your career goals. These include a series of regular talks from visiting professionals and academics, addressing translation, intercultural communication, and language and culture-related topics of global, cultural and social significance. You can also attend a wealth of talks, screenings and exhibitions across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and we are affiliated to the prestigious British Centre for Literary Translation.

You will have access to the James Platt Centre, our state-of-the-art language laboratory and multimedia self-access resources room, with computer-assisted translation software (SDL Trados and MultiTerm 2014, MemoQ, WINcaps). These materials complement the excellent holdings of the UEA library.

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Assessment for Year 1

You are assessed on the basis of coursework, which mainly involves case studies, oral and written presentations, commentaries, essays and an 8,000-word dissertation.

Compulsory Modules

LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND THOUGHT

Code PPLC7010A

Credits 20

Do you want to understand the relations between language, culture and thought? This module will give you an insight into some aspects of Linguistic Anthropology, Psycholinguistics, and Applied Linguistics. You will look at language and linguistic issues from different perspectives in relation with culture and mind. You will be able to understand aspects of cross-cultural variation in verbal and non-verbal communication, acculturation and culture shock, multilingualism and second language acquisition, and differences in the encoding of meaning. You will take part in classroom-based activities in pairs and small groups. You will be assessed at the end of term with an essay. This module will provide you with intercultural awareness and a deeper understanding of the differences among languages and cultures.

THE POWER OF DISCOURSE: REPRESENTATION AND INTERACTION

Code PPLL7001A

Credits 20

Why may some politicians or journalists prefer to say: the UK immigration number needs to be controlled rather than we need to control the number of immigrants coming to the UK? and why am I addressing you as you or we in the rest of this module description? In this module, you'll explore some of these questions and discover the ways in which language in use (discourse) shapes and is shaped by socio-cultural practices, values and perspectives, reflecting different communicative conventions and purposes. We will consider, for example, the powerful expressive patterns used in media, advertising, political speeches, news reporting, institutional contexts and how they may work to persuade, entertain or (mis-)inform us. The module will also help you discover how particular uses of language have the power to shape the way we relate to each other and continually construct our social roles. Essentially, this module is for those who are curious about the practical impact of expressive choices in everyday written and oral communication and wish to find out more about linguistic flexibility, creativity and transferability, including translation and localisation. On completion of this module, you'll have learnt how to identify significant expressive patterns in any form of communication and use this understanding to challenge and/or shape communicative practice in your future studies or employment. You'll be taught in a seminar format, providing plenty of opportunity for hands-on practice and discussion and you will be assessed on the analysis of material of your own choice.

UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL MEDIA

Code PPLM7000A

Credits 20

Digital technologies are often hyped as revolutionising society. You will be introduced to the ways in which the internet and other digital technologies are (and are not) affecting society from theoretical and empirical perspectives. The module is divided into three blocks: the first introduces the theoretical debates surrounding digital media; the second discusses how our everyday interpersonal relations are affected by digital media; the third addresses the impact of digital technology on media and politics. Topics covered include: the network society; social networking and virtual communities, surveillance, digital journalism and online activism.

ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH SKILLS - Year Long

Code PPLC7015Y

Credits 20

The year-long module PPLC7015Y is designed to familiarise postgraduate students with research resources and basic aspects of research methodology (e.g. access to, and use of, sources and resources, collection, analysis and presentation of materials and data). It is taught over two semesters: the first in the Autumn focuses on seminar-related activities, the second in the Spring on dissertation-related work. It is assessed by an oral exam on a pass/ fail basis after the end of the second semester. The module is obligatory for all LCS full-time postgraduate students on taught MA programmes and open only to them.

Optional A Modules

(60 credits)

LANGUAGE ISSUES IN A GLOBAL MULTILINGUAL CONTEXT

Code PPLC7001B

Credits 20

Every day millions of people across the globe consume information on the internet or on television, mediated from languages that they do not know. How does this happen? What is at stake? Linguistically, socio-culturally? These are the kinds of question that we address with Language Issues in a Global Multilingual Context. We focus on language-related issues associated with the globalisation of communication and the media. You will consider a range of materials - texts and their translation(s), multilingual sources of information (e.g. global news, consumer information), products of audiovisual translation (e.g. subtitling, dubbing), IT mediated or processed texts - to explore issues involved in the transposition and dissemination of (spoken and written) text into other media and other languages across different spheres of activity (e.g. media, politics, culture). The subject matter relates to different domains of enquiry (including mediation/translation studies, linguistics, communication studies, cultural studies, for example) and the aim is to sensitize you to language-related issues in a global context from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Within the interdisciplinary context of the module, you will develop to a high level your awareness and understanding of language and communication issues in a global world, and become familiar with different critical approaches to these issues. You will gain the ability to evaluate these approaches critically and evaluate their relevance and usefulness to your own needs and circumstances. You will acquire skills of independent research, with a focus on appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, and refine your oral and written presentation skills of your findings. Sound receptive knowledge of at least one language other than the mother tongue required.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN PRACTICE

Code PPLC7007B

Credits 20

Do you wish to pursue a career in international management and relations, multilingual business, or international development? Are you interested in becoming a more effective communicator in other professions such as translation, interpreting, education, and cultural mediation? In this module we will explore the issues fundamental to intercultural communication (IC) in practical contexts. You will examine the different ways of thinking about effective communication in a variety of work/organisation-based environments. During the seminars/lecture series, invited practitioners will introduce you to how IC operates in specific organisations, including government agencies or in multilingual business management. On completion of this module, you will have developed the linguistic skills, cultural competence, and critical thinking required for the production of an extended research project in intercultural communication. You will also have acquired a sense of how cultural assumptions may influence communication with others from different backgrounds, and developed a greater willingness to enter into dialogue with the values prevalent in cultures other than your own.

CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Code PPLC7008B

Credits 20

Can “cultural” differences cause conflict in communication? How are they to be resolved without prioritizing one culture over the other? In this module we study conflict and conflict resolution strategies across different cultural contexts. You will study a wide range of communication domains, e.g. everyday encounters, language at work, language in diplomatic contexts, language and social cohesion, language and racism, language and gender, and language in the globalization process, also with reference to your specific linguistic/cultural backgrounds. Our approach is interdisciplinary; it includes Face and Politeness Theories, Discourse Analysis and Intercultural Communication Studies. The module will help you understand better the conditions for cross-cultural misunderstanding and conflict and strategies of conflict escalation and resolution.

INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Code PPLC7014B

Credits 20

It is often claimed that intercultural communication is essential in today’s globalised world, but how can it be taught, learned and assessed? This question is essential for practitioners in a wide range of educational contexts and it is the central theme you will explore. You don’t need to have a teaching qualification to take this module. Whether you are a current or an aspiring teacher, trainer, mentor or coach, you will examine the pedagogical tools of intercultural learning that can be applied in your subject specialism. You will have the chance to gain a firm grounding in key notions from theoretical and empirical perspectives, delving deeply into critical pedagogy and uncovering core concepts, such as curriculum internationalisation, global citizenship and intercultural education. You will benefit from the flexibility of this module and gain experience in adapting new knowledge to suit your individual interests, needs and career aspirations, and will learn through a mixture of seminars and self-directed study carefully structured around central themes, analysing current research in highly interactive and critically reflective teaching sessions. As you study, you will put your new knowledge into practice through the application of theories to specific teaching and training contexts. On successful completion of this module, you will have the knowledge and skills to put yourself in a better position to gain employment where intercultural training and education is required, for example in multinational companies, non-governmental organisations, government departments, the education sector and health care industry. This module is open to both home and international students training to become teachers. It is also suited to practising or future teachers, trainers, trainees, educators, coaches, consultants, mentors, curriculum developers and any other professionals in a broad range of fields (e.g. language teaching, content and language integrated learning, media, business, politics, international relations, translation and healthcare). The teaching sessions will be delivered in the English language.

POLITICS AND MEDIA

Code PPLM7002B

Credits 20

Working from the assumption that the media are an integral part of modern political life, we will examine the way in which politics is represented in the media and reviews critically the argument about 'bias'. We will also explore the arguments around the ownership and control of media, the increasing use of the media by political parties and the changing relationship between citizens and politics engendered by new communication technologies.

FORENSIC LINGUISTICS AND TRANSLATION

Code PPLT7007B

Credits 20

Can the language we speak be the reason why we are judged to be guilty instead of innocent? The study of Forensic Linguistics and Translation will reveal when this indeed can be the case. In your studies you will: - study language in legal contexts, and learn how laws and legal texts are interpreted and translated, how language can be used to one’s advantage in the court of law and how you can break the law just by using language. - learn about the many challenges of translating and interpreting in legal contexts and how language differences can be used and abused. - work through authentic examples from police and court materials in the UK and USA. - learn how to find, present and defend linguistic evidence, how to be more linguistically alert in professional translation and how to win arguments by thinking steps ahead of the opposition. - exercise initiative and personal responsibility, hone decision-making skills in complex and unpredictable situations and gain experience in the independent learning skills that is essential for continuing professional development.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

Bachelors (Hons) degree - 2.1 or equivalent

Degree subject

Humanities or Social Sciences

Additional entry requirements

If you have alternative qualifications that have not been mentioned above then please contact the university directly for further information.

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in two components only, with 6.0 in the other two)
PTE (Pearson): 52 (minimum 42 in two components only with 48 in the other two)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests

INTO UEA also run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk.

Intakes

This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.

Admissions Live Chat

Telling Tales

It is tempting to think that the way we recount an event is clear and unambiguous, yet tiny differences in our langauge can reveal - or obscure - the reality of what had happened.

Prepare British children for life after Brexit – teach them another language

Course Reference Number: 1544293

MA GLOBAL INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION