SOA1006 Intercultural communication

    • Course code
      SOA1006
    • Number of credits
      10
    • Teaching semester
      2026 Spring
    • Language of instruction and examination
      English
    • Campus
      Lillehammer
Course content

The course targets all students and provides basic training in intercultural communication through a student active developmental learning approach. The course has a holistic and constructivist approach to intercultural competence development. This means that we place great emphasis on self-reflection, active interaction and practical application of culture general and culture specific frameworks to facilitate the student’s intercultural competence development.

Learning outcome

Upon completion of the course

Knowledge

The student

  • can explain the concept intercultural communication and the academic tradition it comes from
  • can explain and give examples of ethnocentrism, stereotypes, prejudices and unconscious cultural judgements
  • can demonstrate with examples how cultural background can affect communication across difference (e.g. communication styles and paces and conflict styles)
  • can describe methods to further develop their intercultural competence
  • can explain why empathy and the ability to change perspective in intercultural encounters is key to mutual understanding across cultures
  • know the five working phases of Rhetoric and techniques for mastering stress on stage
  • know the main culture general frameworks
Skills

The student

  • have awareness and understanding of their own characteristic ways of making meaning and acting in familiar and unfamiliar contexts
  • can listen for understanding and ask and answer questions in a culturally sensitive way
  • can recognize different communication styles, communication paces and conflict styles in intercultural encounters
General competence

The student

  • can postpone own judgement in intercultural encounters and communicate mindfully and respectfully with people with different mindsets or communication styles than their own.
Working and teaching methods

Student active classroom lectures. Group work and intercultural colloquium groups between classes. Self-study and completion of mandatory home- and reflective assignments.  

 

Compulsory activities
  • 80% attendance at lectures
  • 90% attendance at intercultural colloquium groups and oral group presentation and collective completion of weekly home assignments and group presentation
  • completion of two IDI assessments, debrief sessions and Intercultural Development Plan
  • completion of Intercultural Journal; 3 personal stories (rhetorics 1.-3. working phases) reworked after feedback from teacher resulting in 6 entries total (pre and post feedback).
Examination
Form of assessmentGrading scaleGroupingDuration of assessmentSupport materialsProportionComments
Written examination with supervision
ECTS - A-F
Individual
4 Hour(s)
  • None
Professional overlap
NameCreditsDateComment
SOA1004 Intercultural communication
5
SOA1005 ntercultural communication
7,5
Course name in Norwegian Bokmål: 
Intercultural communication
Faculty
Faculty of Social and Health Sciences
Area of study
Samfunnsvitenskapelige fag
Programme of study
Enkeltemner - HSV
Course level
Half-year programme and shorter (170-LN)