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<P><FONT size=2>Teaching Intercultural Communication in Finland<BR><BR>Date: 11-Nov-2011 - 11-Nov-2011<BR>Location: Turku + online, Finland<BR>Contact Person: Fred Dervin<BR>Meeting Email: < click here to access email ><BR><BR>Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics<BR><BR>Call Deadline: 06-May-2011<BR><BR>Meeting Description:<BR><BR>Teaching Intercultural Communication in Finnish Higher Education<BR><BR>One-day conference to be broadcasted live online<BR><BR>Confirmed Speakers:<BR><BR>Michael Byram (University of Durham, UK)<BR>Ruth Illman and Peter Nynäs (Åbo Akademi University)<BR><BR>Organised by the Network for Research on Multiculturalism and Societal<BR>Interaction (MCNET, University of Turku)<BR><BR>Friday 11th November 2011<BR>Introduction:<BR><BR>The teaching of intercultural communication is far from novel in the<BR>Finnish higher education landscape. Often called interchangeably<BR>cross-cultural communication, multicultural communication,<BR>intercultural awareness, intercultural studies… it is now omnipresent<BR>and can be found, amongst others, in language learning and teaching<BR>(language centres, philology/language departments), education,<BR>sociology, religious studies, and various interdisciplinary study<BR>programmes. No doubt the ‘booming’ of international academic and<BR>student mobility has contributed to the increasing interest in the<BR>topic. As such short courses and entire modules on intercultural<BR>communication are often aimed at both Finnish students and students<BR>from abroad (exchange and international students). Several Master’s<BR>degree programmes are also offered under different labels containing<BR>the ‘intercultural’: Intercultural Encounters (Helsinki),<BR>Intercultural communication (Jyväskylä) and Intercultural Studies<BR>(Vaasa). While many courses and modules have appeared in various<BR>formats (face-to-face and online courses) at different Finnish<BR>institutions in recent years, well-established programmes have been –<BR>or are on the verge of being – terminated or put on hold.<BR><BR>This one-day conference will be the first of its kind in Finland. It<BR>aims at gathering lecturers and teachers but also researchers who are<BR>involved in teaching intercultural communication in Finnish<BR>institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences, business<BR>schools…). This is an opportunity for colleagues to meet, listen to<BR>each other, share and discuss their practices and the problems they<BR>might encounter, in terms of practicalities, theories and methods. The<BR>way intercultural communication is theorized, approached and taught is<BR>many and varied, in Finland and elsewhere, and thus needs to be<BR>discussed – and debated! Theoretical orientation, teaching methods and<BR>approaches to the ‘intercultural’ have an impact on what is taught,<BR>how it is taught, and learning outcomes.<BR><BR>Call for Papers:<BR><BR>Deadline for abstracts: Friday 6th May 2011<BR><BR>Submitting an Abstract:<BR><BR>Colleagues are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words<BR>by Tuesday, 6th May 2011. Papers can be either research-based or<BR>practical. Abstracts should be sent to frederutu.fi<BR><BR>Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following questions:<BR><BR>*Who teaches intercultural communication in Finland? To whom? And where?<BR>*Why is intercultural communication taught? Why do students take<BR>courses on intercultural communication?<BR>*How is intercultural communication taught in Finnish institutions?<BR>(How) is progression addressed and monitored?<BR>*What has changed in the teaching of intercultural communication over<BR>the years/decades?<BR>*What theoretical orientation(s) is the teaching of intercultural<BR>communication based on? Are they satisfactory?<BR>*What is the impact of the courses/modules on students/learners? How<BR>is learning assessed? (or is it assessed?)<BR>*What problems do teachers encounter when teaching intercultural<BR>communication (planning, literature, activities…)?<BR>*What sort of training do those involved in teaching intercultural<BR>communication receive? What about Professional Development?<BR>*What's on hold for the future of the teaching of intercultural<BR>communication in Finland?<BR><BR>The language of the conference is English.<BR><BR>Event coordinator: Fred Dervin (University of Turku) frederutu.fi<BR><BR>Scientific Committee:<BR><BR>Auvo Kostiainen (co-chair)(University of Turku, MCnet)<BR>Fred Dervin (co-chair)(University of Turku)<BR><BR>Nancy Aalto, University of Tampere<BR>Marie-José Barbot, University of Lille 3, France<BR>Michael Berry, Turku School of Economics<BR>David Hoffman, University of Jyväskylä<BR>Christoph Parry, University of Vaasa<BR>Riitta Pyykkö, University of Turku<BR>Karen Risager, University of Roskilde, Denmark<BR>Arja Virta, University of Turku<BR><BR>Practicalities:<BR><BR>The one-day conference is free and will take place at the University of Turku.<BR><BR>It will also be broadcasted live online and be made available on the<BR>Network website after the event for free viewing. Participants will be<BR>able to follow and take part in the conference from their own<BR>computers (required equipment includes: an Internet access, headphones<BR>and a microphone). Presenters will also be able to deliver their<BR>papers online should they wish to do so (the software used allows<BR>uploading PPT presentations).<BR><BR>Information about MCnet: <A href="http://mcnet.utu.fi/">http://mcnet.utu.fi/</A><BR>Contact: Marjut Anttonen (marjut.anttonenutu.fi)<BR><BR><A href="http://linguistlist.org/issues/22/22-1307.html">http://linguistlist.org/issues/22/22-1307.html</A><BR><BR></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>