The National University of Ostroh Academy has launched the course Intercultural Communication Issues in Contemporary Europe. The course is implemented within the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module project “European Studies of Intercultural Communication: the EU Experience for Ukraine” (EuCultCom), No. 101126800, ERASMUS-JMO-2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH.
The course gives Ukrainian students a solid understanding of the multidisciplinary field of research on intercultural communication in the EU. It focuses on the EU’s cultural strategy, the realization of European values in communication, and dialogue between societies. Instructors address the politics of multiculturalism, global migration, and intercultural communication; model the greatest threats to the European space of intercultural dialogue; and examine conflicts of values in modern Europe.
The knowledge and skills gained will be useful for effectively analyzing the current situation in EU societies and the wider world, overcoming conflicts in multicultural societies, and building dialogue in modern societies.
Main topics:
- Europe in the 20th Century: From Conflicts to Reconciliation. European wars and conflicts; war reconciliation and civil society; toward a peaceful space in Europe; ethical principles of communication between European nations; post-conflict justice and reconciliation in Europe; Russian aggression in Ukraine: lessons for Europe.
- Politics of Multiculturalism. The concept of multiculturalism; main models of multiculturalism; multiculturalism and political philosophy; pluralism and citizenship in the EU; ethnic relations in European countries; European perspectives on political multiculturalism.
- Global Migration and Intercultural Communication in Europe. The European migrant crisis; exploring the causes of migration; the European Agenda on Migration; the identity of migrants; migration and cultural communication; EU migration policy; communicative issues of migration in Europe.
- Dialogue between Religions in Europe. Intercultural versus interreligious dialogue; overcoming religious stereotypes in Europe; the European Parliament’s dialogue with religions; religious communication in modern Europe; religious communication and the process of secularization; religious tolerance as the main communicative strategy of European societies; European examples of interfaith dialogue.
- Intercultural Aspects of European Higher Education. The European university as a model of intercultural communication; diversity in higher education; cultural education in conflict-affected societies; principles of cultural studies; developing intercultural competence in higher education; promoting the principles of intercultural communication among students.
- Intercultural Matters and Media in the Contemporary EU. The state of development of modern media in Europe; principles of communication in modern media; cultural issues in European media; whether cultural wars are taking place today and how the media react to them; media and the promotion of intercultural communication.
- The EU’s External Strategy for Culture. The potential of culture and creativity for sustainable social and economic development; promoting peace through intercultural dialogue; strengthening cooperation on cultural heritage.
- The Problem of Cultural Identity in the Communicative Aspect. European and national identities: how to reconcile them; the communicative aspect of modern identity; identity formation as communication with the Other; the communicative aspect of European identity.
- European Values and Their Representation in Communication. Are there European values?; how they are transformed during globalization; actualizing European values in communication; the universality of European values; European values in communication between West and East.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.