Cultural Awareness: Challenges to Communicating in a Diverse City

Would you like to improve your intercultural competences and your linguistic self awareness? If so, this intensive course is just what you need. We live in a complex, interconnected world where diversity, shaped by globalization and technological advance, forms the fabric of modern society. This means that people work in increasingly diverse public, business and academic environments. How does this impact our daily communication and use of language? In most cases the used language will be global English.

In this special track you will explore how to deal with cultural and linguistic diversity in daily life; at home, work or university. You will closely examine your cultural and linguistic self awareness and your intercultural competences. You will train your intercultural skills and English language competences, by learning how to anticipate, react and reflect on intercultural issues.

This course offers a combination of relevant theory and engaging case studies. It provides insights into different communication strategies with the aim to learn how to deal with potential tensions and conflicts due to (sometimes seemingly) cultural or linguistic differences. The interactive design of the course provides ample opportunity for participants to discuss, to polish their global English and to practise your speaking skills.

Our institute is situated in a historical building in the centre of Utrecht. We encourage you to explore this beautiful part of the Netherlands in your free time and practise your newly acquired intercultural skills with the locals.

Registration information: registration closes four weeks before the start of the course. You can apply via this website. We kindly ask you to do the language placement test, minimum language level is B2.

Course leader

Erick van den Bercken

Target group

Bachelor and Master students

Course aim

This course aims to improve your linguistic and cultural self awareness and intercultural competences. At the end of the course you’ll have:

gained insights into your own cultural values and environment
gained insights into other cultures
acquired knowledge about common theories dealing with cultural awareness
access to practical solutions for working together in a diverse academic and business environment
improved your global English (vocabulary, grammar and fluency).