Learning Outcomes

• Mastery of intercultural communication and competence
• Acquisition of culture-general knowledge
• Sensitisation to cultural differences
• Effective management of critical intercultural situations in everyday university life

Topics

• Interculturality and experiences of cultural difference
• What is culture? How are our actions and thoughts shaped by culture?
• Cultural self-reflection and building self-awareness
• Cultural dimensions and/or cultural standards as culture-general approaches
• Effective management of interculturality and cultural differences in everyday university life 

Methods

• Interactive presentations
• Group work
• Simulation
• Case analysis
• Exercises
• Etc.

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The following learning objectives are to be met in this workshop: Acquisition of general cultural knowledge, awareness of cultural differences and dealing with culturally induced communicative misunderstandings.

Content:

•     Interculturality and the experience of cultural difference
•     What is culture? How are our actions and thoughts shaped by culture?
•     Cultural self-reflection and self-awareness
•     Cultural dimensions and/or cultural standards as explanatory approaches
•     Consciously dealing with interculturality and cultural differences in everyday working life

Article 4 of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany stipulates the inviolability of freedom of belief, conscience and freedom of religious and ideological confession and emphasizes that the unhindered practice of religion is guaranteed. But what do religion, faith and spirituality and their practice have to do with everyday life at the university - in the team, in the student body? Isn't that a private matter?
On closer inspection, the way we organize our everyday lives and our encounters with other people are shaped by our ideas about our existence in the world.

Religious/ideological diversity can go hand in hand with conflicts. In order to do justice to the different realities of life of university employees and students, it therefore makes sense to deal with the topic of “religion” on a structural and personal level as part of intercultural understanding. How is religious diversity anchored in the diversity concept? Why does it include people who describe themselves as areligious, atheist, non-believers, etc.? Where does (structural) discrimination based on religious affiliations take place at the university?

In this workshop we will focus on the following topics:

• Beliefs and associated everyday rituals and routines
• The concept of religious diversity
• Discrimination and prejudice in relation to religious affiliation
• Religious diversity in the context of the intercultural opening of the university

Following the workshop, a visit to a religious community is planned on a voluntary basis.

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Whether in international projects or in collaboration with colleagues from other fields or disciplines, good cooperation is not always easy to achieve, but valuable synergies can arise, especially in intercultural contexts. Which factors hinder the development of genuine cooperation and which promote it? The training enables participants to recognize these factors in their work context and to develop the appropriate attitude and skills they need to consciously manage them.

• Culture, interculturality and transculturality Communication and intercultural communication
• Diversity, superdiversity
• Ideologies of inequality
• Participation and well-being
• Language and misunderstandings
• Team building and dealing with conflicts
• Techniques of dialogical process facilitation

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Science is international. For this reason, thinking and acting internationally is decisive in the worldwide competition for students and scientists. We view it as our task to maintain teaching and research at the highest international level and to secure their continued development. Internationalisation is a long-term goal of our University.
This brings about new challenges with regard to the organization of everyday university life. Communication processes are different, the understanding of time and hierarchies is different and learning behavior and teaching cultures can also differ significantly depending on the cultural background.
Intercultural skills are the only way to successfully manage everyday life at an international university. Participants will acquire these in our training course, which is specifically designed for senior executive staff: You will learn about general cultural awareness, which will give you confidence in contact with people from other countries and cultures, and find out about sensible measures and rules to follow in intercultural interaction and communication. You will gain confidence in your behavior and communication skills and learn about your limits and possibilities.

Main topics

• Cultural identity: own and foreign
• Cultural dimensions: Factual vs. relationship orientation, understanding of hierarchy
• Cultural dimensions: Uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs. femininity, understanding of time
• Direct vs. indirect communication, praise and criticism in different cultures
• Non-verbal and paraverbal communication
• Dealing with critical situations in an intercultural context

Methods

•  Active exercises on the topic of communication (direct vs. indirect, formal vs. informal) & perception and stereotypes
• Analysis and processing of “critical incidents” in intercultural encounters
• Development of recommendations for action and guidelines for internationalized everyday university life
• Group work, simulations, role plays and communication exercises

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This workshop will provide an introduction to the topic of intercultural competence and give relevant knowledge about German and Arabic culture. The importance of power and hierarchy structures as well as different time orientations in both cultures will be discussed. In order to facilitate communication, not only the university systems and ideas of services are compared, but also the communication styles and values of good behavior and forms of politeness. The newly acquired knowledge should help students to master critical situations in everyday university life with confidence. Case studies will be used to explain misunderstandings in intercultural communication and enable a change of perspective for mutual understanding through intercultural competence.

CONTENTS:

• Intercultural knowledge about the Arab culture
• Arab cultural standards, social structures, behavior patterns and Power and hierarchy structures
• Time orientation; direct and indirect communication in German and Arabic
• Arabic-Islamic values of good behavior, forms of politeness in dealings between people, including between the sexes
• Analysis of intercultural interactions that have been problematic

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Dr. Mazin Mosa, born in Baghdad, Iraq

- 2001 - 2006: Studied Arabic and Oriental philology and German as a foreign language at the University of Leipzig
- 2013: Doctorate at the Oriental Institute of the University of Leipzig on the topic: “The West from an Arab-Islamic perspective”
- Since 2008: Research and teaching activities at the Oriental Institute of the University of Leipzig, sworn translator and interpreter for Arabic and German

Main areas of work and research: Arabic linguistics and translation studies, history of oriental studies, intercultural dialog, intercultural communication and intercultural competence, integration.

In this seminar, you will learn to recognize and reflect on your own cultural influences (e.g. background, rituals, customs, festivals) and relate them to other cultures. In addition, background knowledge is expanded through data and experiences with partner universities in Latin America and newcomers through the Erasmus University of Lisbon in Portugal and the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The intercultural exercises and case studies serve to reflect on the participants' options for action and communicative behavior. The aim is to promote empathy towards other behaviors and to encourage participants to expand their own repertoire of actions in order to cope with new and unfamiliar situations.

CONTENTS:

• Building trust: Small talk and the rituals of getting to know each other
• Cultural differences in naming and their consequences for the assignment of titles and e-mail addresses
• Perception: Do we see or interpret?
• Changing perspectives: communicating in a foreign language
• Easy language or difficult language: How do we communicate?
• Direct or indirect communication
• Teaching and learning culture in Spanish-speaking contexts

The Graduate Academy awards qualifications in ‘Skills for Scientific Research,’ Research Management,’ ‘Science Communication’ (in English and German) as well as ‘Leadership’ and ‘Career Development,’ in particular for doctoral candidates and postdocs at TU Dresden.

See the courses for doctoral candidates

See the courses for postdocs