Introduction to Intercultural Studies: Language and Culture

Examine the relationship between language, nationality and cultural identity

On this course you will analyse why language is a social construction and examine how it relates to cultural identity.

You will start by exploring what language is, how it relates to the way we think and how it is shaped by the culture it originates from. You’ll learn how language is used and explore cases of intercultural communication. You will examine the difficulties of translation and how politeness is expressed across cultures. Finally, you’ll learn about the controversial issue of language loss and examine the reasons that cause it and its implications for cultural identity.

The course is for anyone with an interest in the relationship between language and culture, you don’t need any previous experience.

This course is also ideal if you are working with languages, you are preparing to move to a different country for work or study or you work with groups of people from different cultures to yours. By completing all aspects of the course you will have achieved 14 hours of CPD time.

The course is for anyone with an interest in the relationship between language and culture, you don’t need any previous experience.

This course is also ideal if you are working with languages, you are preparing to move to a different country for work or study or you work with groups of people from different cultures to yours. By completing all aspects of the course you will have achieved 14 hours of CPD time.

• Investigate how languages shape cultural identity both within and across political borders.
• Assess the extent to which language both supports and inhibits the sharing of ideas between cultures.
• Debate the ways in which language can shape and control how we think.
• Explore the relationship between language, culture and politeness.
• Reflect on the association between language and cultural identity and the effects of language loss and endangerment on communities.
• Discuss the notion that translation is as much a cultural process as a linguistic one.