Aims of the Programme

Overall Aim 

The overall aim of the programme is to increase participants’ knowledge and understanding of culture and communication and to enhance their skills in analysing and participating in intercultural interaction, so that they can develop the attributes needed to work effectively in professional, globalised contexts.

Specific Aims

In order to achieve this overall aim, the MSc is designed to achieve the following specific aims:

  1. To develop participants’ knowledge and critical understanding of theories, concepts and research findings relating to the multidisciplinary fields of intercultural and professional communication.
  2. To increase participants’ abilities to analyse and understand the complex interplay of factors (especially linguistic and psychological factors) that affect intercultural and professional interaction.
  3. To enhance participants’ understanding of research methods and approaches within the social sciences, especially in relation to researching intercultural and professional communication, and to develop their research skills.
  4. To provide a culturally rich learning environment that will facilitate participants’ growth in self-awareness and in intercultural and professional competence.
  5. To develop participants’ professional competence in analysing, understanding and managing intercultural issues and in communicating effectively, especially at work.
  6. To develop participants’ specialised professional skills in selected areas of intercultural expertise, according to their interests and career aspirations.
  7. To provide a framework within which participants develop intellectual abilities to argue cogently, concisely and critically at an advanced level.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, participants should be able to:

  1. Critically discuss the concept of culture and its role in the communication process;
  2. Explain in detail the communication process and factors that affect it;
  3. Draw on empirical evidence to explain in depth how linguistic and cultural factors can influence (positively or negatively) communicative effectiveness and the appropriate management of relationships, especially in workplace contexts;
  4. Carry out sophisticated pragmatic/discourse analyses of cross-cultural and intercultural data, using appropriate theoretical and analytic frameworks, and explain their relevance to intercultural communication and training;
  5. Critically evaluate research into cross-cultural, intercultural and professional communication;
  6. Apply their understanding of intercultural professional communication to help deal effectively with cultural diversity and communication issues in domains such as international business and education;
  7. Demonstrate a range of strategies for developing competence in intercultural and professional communication, both in themselves and others;
  8. Debate effectively the ethical and practical issues associated with intercultural adaptation and behavioural change;
  9. Plan and undertake in-depth research into intercultural professional communication.

Furthermore, they will have developed a range of transferable skills in relation to intercultural and professional communication and interaction, which will be essential for their successful future careers.