| CODE | EPE1014 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Responding to Multicultural Contexts | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Early Childhood and Primary Education | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The increase in the population of non-Maltese residents living in Malta, and consequently the increase in diversity in terms of ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic differences within the community has had multiple implications, particularly with regard to the social composition and its effect on social cohesion. The number of non-Maltese minors has increased in the Maltese education system in the last few years, stressing the deep structural and socio-cultural changes in the Maltese society. This is a distinctively Maltese situation: this rate is not comparable with other countries where the “transformation” took a longer time. Another important aspect is the so-called polycentrism (i.e. the presence of a number of different nationalities within the classrooms). This is a peculiar element which intervenes in the daily life of schools, where members of Senior Leadership Teams and teachers have to develop strategies for managing a plethora of different socio-linguistic backgrounds in each classroom. The school is one of the contexts that most reflects this diversity. It can be identified as one of the privileged observatories to grasp, even if not in a complete and exhaustive manner, the changes a society is going through. Lack of guidance, knowledge and policy can be at the basis of the feeling of uneasiness some teachers are experiencing while trying to accommodate to the differences or to develop inclusive practices. The school, an important socialization agency, plays the role of transmitting cultural heritage, shaping and developing the human capital of the young generations, while promoting equal opportunities and social cohesion. Study-unit Aims: The study-unit aims at providing students with an introduction to cultural awareness, cultural differences, cultural intelligence and intercultural communication and management capabilities. It will explore critical cultural theoretical frameworks, the role and importance of interpersonal relations and communication in different cultural and religious contexts at individual, organisational and societal levels. Through this study-unit, students will understand their own culture, what it means to them, as well as the multiple sub-cultures they belong to. They will also develop awareness of what makes them who they are, and how their culture influences the way they interact with other people. They will learn to understand their students’ background and cultural and religious traits and respect, recognise and value them so to promote inclusive classrooms, schools and societies. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study unit, participants will be able to: a) Describe cultural frameworks and use cultural dimensions models appropriate for the primary school setting; b) Discuss identity and the intersectionality of identities with issues related to lack of recognition; c) Identify how unconscious bias, prejudices and stereotypes can affect relationships and interactions; d) Illustrate examples and situations of intercultural communication and management of challenges and misunderstandings; e) Appraise strategies to manage migration trauma, culture shock and implications for communication and interaction in the classroom, and; f) Critique negotiation strategies and intercultural and interreligious conflict management tools. 2. Skills By the end of the study unit, will be able to: a) Apply intercultural skills in a primary school setting; b) Respect and promote values of cultural religious diversity and inclusion; c) Recognise that there are various means to communicate effectively with people of different cultures; d) Apply strategies to de-escalate and manage intercultural and interreligious conflicts and misunderstandings when negotiating across cultures. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts - Meyer, E. (2016), The Culture Map. Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures, PublicAffairs, New York City, USA. Supplementary readings - Cushner, K. (2009). International perspectives on intercultural education. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. - Deardorff, D. K. (2020). Manual for developing Intercultural competence: story circles. Routledge. - Deardorff, D.K. (2011). Intercultural competence in foreign language classrooms: A framework and implications for educators. In Witte & Harden (Eds.), Intercultural Competence: Concepts, Challenges, Evaluations. ISFLL 10. - Deardorff, D. K. (2006). The identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization at institutions of higher education in the united states. Journal of Studies in International Education 10, 241-26. - Deardorff, D. K. (2009), The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence, SAGE: United States of America. - Deardorff, D. K. & Deardorff, D. L. (2000). OSEE tool. Presentation at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. - Hampden-Turner, C. and Trompenaars, F (2012), Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business. London: Nicholas Brealey International. - Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. - Livermore, D. (2022), Digital, diverse and divided, Berrett-Koheler Publishers. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar & Independent Study | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Zoi Arvanitidou Julian Galea |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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