International Summer Academy at the University of Kassel Intercultural Communication China-Germany: Intercultural Skills for a Globalized World Binational Seminar Academic Director Professor Holger Ehrhardt, Endowed Chair for the Work and Impact of the Brothers Grimm at the Department for Language and Literature, University of Kassel University of Kassel International Summer University Kurt-Wolters-Str. 5 34109 Kassel Germany +49 (0) 561 / 804-1869 +49 (0) 561 / 804-3815 [email protected] 1 | 3 Thematic structure: Intercultural communication skills belong to the key competencies for successful communication in international teams and a globalized world. In this seminar we focus on improving understanding in communication between German and Chinese people. On the basis of various intercultural theories, German and Chinese students will work together using case studies and simulations in order to develop a deeper understanding of the complex processes of their own intercultural interaction. Method: Classroom activity (lectures 20h) in combination with project learning outside the classroom together with German students under the guidance of a team of German and Chinese tutors. Lecturers and content: Melanie Brück holds degrees in English Language and Literature and in Intercultural Communication from the Universities of Kassel and Jena. She teaches English and Intercultural Communication at the International Study Center of the University of Kassel. As a host mother in the ISU and ISA program, she has gained much experience with the kinds of questions that arise while living abroad. She will introduce students to the most important theories of intercultural communication. Gerlinde Gild is professor of sinology, former director of the Konfuzius Institute in Hannover, and has taught seminars on Chinese History and culture as well as intercultural management and communication for many decades in several German and Chinese universities. 2 | 3 In the seminar, Prof. Gild will focus on the most important aspects of culture, economy, history, society and science. The focus will be put on understanding different styles of communication which stem from historical and sociological differences, especially in an academic context. In small exercises, German and Chinese students will explore the extent to which their culture informs their thought and behavior and how to find a basis of mutual understanding and accepting. Uei Chiang-Schreiber holds a degree in German Language and Literature, German as a Foreign language and Chinese as a Foreign Language. She is a certified trainer of intercultural didactics, suggestopedia and theatrical pedagogy. She has been teaching for our institute over ten years and is also working for large companies such as Lufthansa. In this seminar she will work out cultural differences on the basis of German and Chinese Fairy Tales, and will lead German-Chinese teams to present their own little theater pieces on the issue. 3 | 3 .