Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme.
Limited places are also open for exchange students.
Please note: this course takes place in The Hague. Traveling between University buildings from Leiden to The Hague may take about 45 minutes.
Description
In today’s globalized world, we all communicate increasingly with people from backgrounds different than our own -- both online and offline. What are the pitfalls of communicating across cultures? What are the advantages? What difference does the mode of communication make? This course deals with these questions from a cross-cultural pragmatics perspective as well as by looking at case studies of communicating across cultures in different professional contexts (education, healthcare, business etc.). By studying how communication works in different cultures and across cultures, the goal is to gain a better understanding of how (and why) we all come to understand (or misunderstand) each other on a daily basis and of the micro- and macro-social parameters involved in this process.
Course objectives
This course will provide students with:
Insight into the role of culture in shaping communication;
Insight into how different modes of communication (non-verbal, computer-mediated) differ across cultures;
The ability to critically think about the main concepts in pragmatics and their adequacy to describe communication in different cultural contexts and situations;
Ability to analyse concrete instances of language use from different media in terms of the theoretical concepts discussed.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Weekly lectures will cover issues both inside and outside the readings.
Tutorials
Tutorials are held once every three weeks, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your tutor in advance. Being absent at more than one of the tutorial sessions will result in a lowering of your tutorial grade (30% of the end grade) with 1 point for each session missed after the first session. Please note that being absent at any tutorial session may have a negative impact on the grade of the assignment due for that particular tutorial session. This is at the discretion of the tutor.
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), which equals 140 hours, broken down by:
| Component | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Attending lectures | 24 hours |
| Attending tutorials | 8 hours |
| Assessment hours (exams) | 2 hours |
| Study of compulsory literature | 64 hours |
| Completing assignments, preparing for classes and exams | 42 hours |
Assessment method
Assessment
Final Exam:
Written examination with long open questions and (up to) 50% multiple choice questions .
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 30% |
| Final Exam | 70% |
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note of the following:
The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of Tutorial grade and Final Exam grade.
The Final Exam grade needs to be 5.5 or higher.
This means that failing Exam grades cannot be compensated with a high Tutorial grade.
Resit
If the end grade is insufficient (lower than a 6.0), or the Final Exam is lower than 5.5, there is a possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing Final Exam grade. No resit for the tutorial is possible.
Please note that if the Resit Exam grade is lower than 5.5, you will not pass the course, regardless of the tutorial grade.
Retaking a passing grade
Please consult the Course and Examination Regulations 2019 – 2020.
Exam review and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organised.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for tutorial groups. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.
Reading list
Readings will include chapters from various sources, and will be announced on Blackboard.
*It is not necessary to purchase any books for this course.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis for Tutorials and Lectures is mandatory.
Students will be enrolled for Exams by the Administration Office, as long as they have a valid Tutorial enrolment.
General information about uSis is available on the website.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
When contacting lecturers or tutors, please include your full name, student number, and tutorial group number.
Please use your University email-address (uMail) when communicating with any person or department within Leiden University.