Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
in Higher Education"
some issues and experiences
Intercultural aspects
Overvie w
Why? Intercultural competencies in Higher Education
Intercultural aspects
Definition of Culture
A pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered or developed by a given group (as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration ....) taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to these problems. (Edgar Schein 1985)
This silent language includes a broad range of evolutionary concepts, practices and solutions to problems which have their roots ... in the shared experiences of ordinary people. (Edward T. Hall 1959)
Intercultural aspects
Learning of disputing (a lot of cultures have no experience in free debating (changing arguments))
-> The Higher Education has to take into account modules or subjects for gaining intercultural competencies
Intercultural aspects
Example Russia
Especially in regions like Russia or Middle Asia there is the need to learn open mindedness for cultural differences beyond folklore and exotic. In the last 100 years there was no chance to identify differences as cultural moulded; so people have no experience in anticipating cultural conflicts and in developing productive solutions. In times of opening to the western world students and scientists need such learning chances to be able to join in international scientific dialogues (keyword: arguing culture) complementing their specialized knowledge.
Intercultural aspects
-> Learning goals: To adopt knowledge about foreign culture norms To reflect the own cultural programming To coordinate action modes which are different by culture To understand strange cultures
Intercultural aspects
Intercultural aspects
2 Perspectives
German rules Russian rules
Activities
1. Developing a curriculum for an interdisciplinary subject 2. Conducting a train-the-trainer (multiplicators) programme 3. Research on differences in learning and teaching
Intercultural aspects
Thesis
1. Teaching and learning are cultural determined! 2. So intercultural teaching and learning have to take into account intercultural aspects in a double way!
Intercultural aspects
Intercultural aspects
Different points of interest. Example - definitions of culture Deterministic definition: culture as collective programming of the
mind (Hofstede)
Cultural studies definition: culture as an expression of the powerful people media are important transmitters (Birmingham School)
Conclusion: The aspect of power, media and culture (cultural studies) is in Russia much more important than in Germany!
PD Dr. Christel Kumbruck Intercultural aspects
The words strange or foreigners dont exist in the Russian language. Its difficult to understand concepts for which your language has no word. This aspect refers to another traditional coping with foreigners as we are experienced. Conclusion: We have to take in mind that there is not the same point of view.
Intercultural aspects
Open discussions as we know in Germany are unknown in Russia; but reflections that follow artistic approaches like painting (individual cultural trees) or acting (nonverbal welcome rituals) are more practicable than in Germany; the same is with analysing written material (about cultural standards).
Conclusion: Russian students are unable to discuss without common ground (e.g. brainstorming) but they are very well in debating about wordings. At the beginning its useful to use a methodological mixture so you can find out the best instruments.
Intercultural aspects
Example: Cultural Standards Hall: Germany monochronic time orientation Russia polychronic time orientation
Hofstede: Germany individualism Russia collectivism Task: Reading and discussing wordings about these cultural tendencies Students reflected the relativity of cultural standards Students discussed about self-picture and foreign-picture Conclusion: The cultural standards dont fit perfectly to an huge and varied country like Russia.
Intercultural aspects
In games we very often implement the role of the neutral observer. Russian students hated this role and didnt manage it well. Why: They are collectivistic programmed and so nobody wants to be put outside the collective.
Conclusion: 1. The teachers have to be neutral observers. 2. We have to develop new (collectivistic) methods to compensate the functionality of an neutral observer.
Intercultural aspects
Intercultural aspects
Intercultural aspects
References
Adler, N. (1997): International dimensions of organizational behavior (3rd ed.), Cincinnati (South-Western College Publ.) Assmann, A. & Assmann, J. (1990): Das Gestern im heute.. Medien und soziales Gedchtnis, in: Funkkolleg "Medien und Kommunikation, Studienbrief 5. Hrsg. vom Deutschen Institut fr Fernstudien an der Universitt Tbingen, Weinheim, 41ff. Birmingham School Geertz, C. (1994): Dichte Beschreibung. Beitrge zum Verstehen kultureller Systeme, Frankfurt/M. (suhrkamp) Hagemann, O. (2003): Introspektion und Empathie in der Arbeit mit Strafgefangenen, in: Kumbruck, C., Dick, M. n& Schulze, H. (Hrsg.): Arbeit Alltag - Psychologie. ber den Bootsrand geschaut. Heidelberg (Asanger), 299-314. Hall, E.T. & Hall, M.R. (1985 ): Verborgene Signale. Hamburg (Gruner & Jahr) Hofstede, G. (1991). Culture and Organizations:, London (McGraw-Hill). Hofstede, G. (2006). Lokales Denken, globales Handeln. Interkulturelle Zusammenarbeit und globales Management. Mnchen: DTV-Beck. Kumbruck, C. & Derboven, W. (2005): InterkulturellesTraining., Heidelberg (Springer) . Lewis, R.D. (1998 ): When cultures collide. London (Nicholas Brealey Publishing). Machl Mead, G.H. (1968): Geist, Identitt und Gesellschaft. (engl. Original 1934), Frankfurt/M. (Suhrkamp). Mole, J. (1990): Mind your Manners. London (Industrial Society Press), (dt. Euro-Knigge fr Manager (1993)). Frankfurt/M. (Campus). Thomas, A. ( 2003) (Hrsg.): Kulturvergleichende Psychologie, Gttingen (Hogrefe) Thomas, A. (2006): Interkulturelle Handlungskompetenz Schlsselkompetenz fr die moderne Arbeitswelt, in: SGAOP: interkulturell / international: arbeiten, fhren + kooperieren. Dokumentation der 14. Jahrestagung Zrich 6.10.2006. Thomas, A., Kammhuber, S. & Schroll-Machl, S. (Hrsg.)(2003). Handbuch Interkulturelle Kommunikation und Kooperation. Band 2: Lnder, Kulturen und interkulturelle Berufsttigkeit. Gttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Thomas, A., Kinast, E.-U. & Schroll-Machl, S. (Hrsg.)(2003). Handbuch Interkulturelle Kommunikation und Kooperation. Band 1: Grundlagen und Praxisfelder. Gttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Trompenaars, F. (1993 ): Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business: London: Economist Books. Yoosefi, T. & Thomas, A. (2003): Beruflich in Russland. Gttingen (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht).
Intercultural aspects
collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another (Hofstede 1991) -> unconsciousness; socialisation; psychological mechanisms: emotions, cognition, behaviour recipe for survival (Lewis1998) -> understanding of the roots (history, ecological) the book of rules for the social game (Hofstede 2006) ->social interaction and intercultural misunderstandings
Intercultural aspects
Cultural Iceberg
Intercultural aspects
German perspective
Russian perspective
Picture (me)
Picture (me)
Intercultural aspects