MA Intercultural Communication

There is much discussion today of the need to be a good communicator and this means the ability to be able to operate in an increasingly globalised environment. In organisations people increasingly need to work with others from different cultural backgrounds and be able to manage the differing expectations, assumptions and identity needs that inevitably are now part of the social fabric of the workplace. This is equally true today in international corporations, educational contexts (classrooms, universities), the health services (hospitals) and all services that work with an increasingly culturally diverse public such as the police and the legal profession, NGOs, the armed forces in peace keeping roles, immigration services and Not for Profit Organisations operating across the world.

An enhanced understanding of intercultural communication provides the tools to navigate this complex terrain. By undertaking this degree, you will develop your expertise in, and your ability to: analyse intercultural interaction; research intercultural communication in a range of social settings and develop your ability to both practise and advise on successful intercultural communication in specific professional practice contexts.

Why study Intercultural Communication?

This degree centres intercultural communication within applied linguistics. We believe in the importance of having an understanding of how language and other modes of communication are used in human interaction. It is this understanding combined with an understanding of the operation of culture, identity and power which provides the tools for understanding intercultural communication. The degree is designed to draw upon and share the experiences of both part-time and full-time course participants from a variety of backgrounds who can bring to the course their own unique cultural understandings and experiences.

You will:

develop the tools to understand yourself and others in terms of their cultures, identities and communication practices;

develop a sophisticated and systematic breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding of linguistics in terms of language systems and language use and its applications intercultural communication;

gain a systematic and critical understanding of relevant intercultural communication knowledge and theory drawing on anthropological, sociological and psychological perspectives and relates these to the concrete world of practice;

apply a range of relevant knowledge and theory in intercultural communication to a workplace setting in terms of professional practice;

evaluate, apply and critique a range of appropriate and ethically-considered methodologies for intercultural communication research, evaluation and evidence-based practice, demonstrating ability to argue for alternative and creative approaches;

carry out a sustained piece of ethical empirical research which successfully intercultural communication knowledge and theory, data collection and analysis, which in so doing develops you as a researcher;

become autonomous, independent and innovative in scholarship, demonstrating ability to deploy a range of learning resources for research and self-critical writing, take responsibility for personal professional development and engage in academic and professional communication with others.