Course: Intercultural communication credits: 5

Content of the course component: Working in an intercultural environment – in The Netherlands or abroad – provides a unique dynamic to teamwork, causing multicultural teams to either excel or underperform. Differences can help creativity blossom but may also be a source of uncertainty. This can create tension or even feel threatening to some, as power balances start to shift. Effective leadership, efficient management and organising therefore will be needed. Alongside the ability to use the English language at a proficient level and to communicate empathically, respectfulness and working constructively with people from different fields of language and culture in both national and international contexts is then required. As a group leader, how do you control these cultural dynamics?
      
The intercultural competency matrix is a systematic tool that can help us gain insight into our views on interculturalism. It identifies our cultural patterns by means of flexible comparisons, confrontation with others and adjustment to unfamiliar cultures. As professionals, our intercultural identity is determined by: 'what we know', 'our views on both our own and other cultures', 'the way we communicate on these issues' and 'how we establish relationships with others' - aspects which will be further explored throughout this module.  

Students from Sport Studies PE, are allowed after consultation R. Epping to join this module if group size of max 30 is not reached yet. 

Course structure: The course consists of guest lectures, regular lectures, and tutorials led by your instructor.

Assessment structure: Professional product
At the end of this module a festival takes place in the canteen of the WAS building that is a completely student-organized which is dedicated to celebrating the diversity of Sport studies and the surrounding community.
 
To complete this module, you must complete 2 components:
1: An individual component graded by a report;
2: A team component graded by participation in the festival.
 
Both components must be sufficient to get the grade (see for more information the assessment sheet).

Ad 1: The individual part: The individual part has to be completed by writing a report about the topic “Participating in, and Leading an Intercultural Team” (PLaIT). The report contains six parts as well as a part chosen by yourself. You are expected during the program to do the assignments and to read the book of Nunez - Interculturaal sensitivity. Apply the content and assignments in your individual and team work. In the program overview the chapters to be read for the upcoming week are notified. This allows you to work weekly on your end assignment so no stress is required handing it in.

Ad 2: The Team part: The festival will take place in the Willem Alexander Sports Building (canteen and surrounding). This festival will be organised by the teams of SpSt1. Each team consists of max. 4 students. The theme of the festival is: Diversity in Sports, your concern!? The task is to create awareness about the importance of intercultural and international sensitivity among the students and other visitors/ staff present in the WAS building at that moment (Note: you can off course actively invite people to attend the festival and in advance making them aware that the festival will take place by using marketing instruments). Each team must make a stand with information as well as giving a creative presentation/performance about the topic. The presentation/ performance should last no longer than 10 min. You can think of for instance: being a stand-up comedian, giving an interview on the spot, music, or something else to make the people present think about their values/ opinions/intercultural sensitivity/ communication styles etc.. Use the knowledge you got during the module to create an attractive, awakening, and interesting moment. This part will be graded on the spot by the lecturers, but you also must write a team report in which you describe the process of making the presentation at the festival. Each member of the team has to put his signature underneath the report, and you also have to give each other feedback about the participation in the development of the festival.

This team report and a link to the video of the Festival has to be uploaded in time (see assignment BB)

Literature and any costs:  Literature (Compulsory):
 Nunez, C., Nunez Mahdi, R. & Popma, L. (2021). Intercultural sensitivity. From denial to Intercultural Communication. Assen: Koninklijke Van Gorcum BV.