Intercultural Communication and Education

In an increasingly connected world with a myriad of global study opportunities, it is more important than ever that educators develop teaching practices that are effective in intercultural learning environments. 

The MA in Intercultural Communication and Education develops your critical understanding of education and communication in the context of global movements of people and the internationalisation of education. It provides students, educators and policymakers with resources for reflecting on and responding to the growing need for effective intercultural communication in relation to education. 

Core modules such as Intercultural Communication consider communication in the context of  identity, stereotyping, prejudice and life transitions, including studying abroad, to give you a deeper awareness of cultural differences. Others, such as Intercultural and International Education, develop your critical understanding of the theories, approaches and practices of intercultural and international education. Our wide range of optional modules and the MA dissertation allow you to tailor the course to your individual interests and career path.

Through studying this course, you will develop a greater awareness of cultural differences and be better equipped to make informed decisions in relation to teaching and research in intercultural and international environments.

The course combines innovative teaching with exceptional support. You will gain valuable insight into education across the world as you study alongside students from different countries and backgrounds. To further enhance your experience, you will learn from world-class academics who are behind some of the leading research in the field.

With full-time and part-time study options, the MA is accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds. It is likely to appeal to educational leaders and practitioners from around the world who are seeking substantive professional development and career opportunities, to those progressing from undergraduate study, as well as many other backgrounds.

Course structure

Students normally study two 30 credit and one 20 credit core taught modules, one 10 credit taught module, one 30 credit taught module, plus the 60 credit dissertation over one year.

Core modules:

Intercultural and International Education (30 credits) develops your critical understanding of the theories, approaches, and practices of intercultural and international education in the contemporary world. You will cover issues including: globalisation and internationalisation; global citizenship; critical education; intercultural/multicultural education; socialisation and the nature of identity; international education; citizenship, and social justice.

Intercultural Communication (30 credits) develops your critical understanding of the theories, approaches, concepts and practices of intercultural communication in the contemporary world, including engaging with people from other cultures and backgrounds. You will cover issues including: intercultural communication as embodied in communication, culture, context, globalisation and power; identity; stereotyping, prejudice; nonverbal communication, intercultural conflict; intercultural competence; and multilingualism.

Design and Methods in Education Research (20 credits) introduces key issues, terms and ideas in education research. It teaches a range of research skills including the evaluation of research techniques across different research contexts, and the ability to conduct a high-quality study. You will learn to recognise the different purposes of education research, understand key terms and vocabulary in education research, and develop a critical standpoint in relation to research in education.

The Dissertation (60 credits) is an opportunity to research and report on a topic of interest, under the guidance of a supervisor. Drawing on the research skills and techniques developed in core and optional modules the dissertation enables you to demonstrate your capacity for independent thought, critical thinking and analysis.

Mini modules (10 credits)

You must select one 10 credit module from a list of optional modules which may include:

• Secondary Data in Education Research introduces secondary data use in multiple research designs, enabling you to critique these datasets and judge published research based on secondary data resources. This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of using existing datasets in education research; to develop skills in research designs using secondary data resources, and to develop skills for analysing and interpreting findings from secondary data research.

• Ethnographies of Education introduces you to the foundational characteristics of ethnography of education as a field of study, providing you with opportunities to discuss and reflect on a range of methodological and methodical  perspectives relevant to ethnography of education. The module introduces select key theories and conceptual frameworks and how they inform ethnographic research in different areas of study.

• Measurement in Education Research aims to develop your critical understanding of what measurement in social science research means and how it can be implemented in education research. This module explores types of measurement tools and scales in research with a focus on questionnaire development. It considers validity and reliability of measurement tools used in research, and ethical issues related to measurement in research.

• Interviews provides an overview of interviewing as a social research method with a focus on education. This module offers guidance on planning interviews, pre-interview tasks and post-interview tasks. It explores the processes of organising information; interpretations through coding; gathering data from planning through transcription to analysis, and considers the issues of ethics, positionality, and logistics.

• Narrative Enquiry – Methodology and Methods explores the philosophical, empirical, and analytical debates and practices central to the field of narrative inquiry. Narrative inquiry is the umbrella term for approaches aimed at understanding the human dimensions of lived experience over time and in personal context. This module covers a broad range of approaches to and methods for developing and understanding educational and allied research centred on narrative accounts of lived experience.

• Experiments in Education (15 credits) aims to enable you to appreciate and contribute to the debate about the role of experimentation in educational research; recognise and make choices from a range of experimental designs; identify threats to the validity of experimental features and understand strategies for minimising threats to the validity of experimental inferences; analyse, synthesise and interpret data from experimental research.

• Systematic Reviews introduces you to established methodologies for creating evidence syntheses such as systematic reviews, iterative reviews, and scoping reviews with emphasis on finding and managing information. This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding in the design, conduct and reporting of systematic reviews for use in education and social science topic areas; to develop skills for conducting systematic reviews, and to develop skills for summarising review evidence.

In recent years, optional modules have included:

You must select one 30 credit module from a list of modules which may include:

• Psychological Perspectives on Learning considers methodological approaches to the operationalization of learning (e.g., the assessment of learning ability) and reflects on the challenges to claims that certain educational interventions are causal to changes in learning outcomes. This module also critically reflects on prominent misconceptions related to learning, including the notion of learning styles, the fixedness of intelligence, and others.

• Education Policy and Evaluation is concerned with the analysis of the process of education policymaking, and critical reflection on education policy reform, evaluation, and research. This module looks closely at attempts to evaluate education policy and provides you with an opportunity to develop skills in critically appraising the ways in which policy innovation has been evaluated in the UK and elsewhere. The relationship between policy, practice and research is also critically examined.

• International Development and Education in a Global World aims to develop knowledge and understanding of key issues related to globalisation and international development and the challenges and opportunities these offer for education. For students interested in learning more about education as an international issue, this module offers an introduction to international development and comparative education. It considers why it is important to look beyond the nation state in the current context of globalisation and global inequalities and explores suitable research approaches and concepts for developing this perspective.

• Language, Education and Power considers the multiple languages in circulation in a community, and their speakers. It explores questions such as: How are languages recognised and valued in communities? How are language and identity linked? What structural features support languages in the community and their speakers? How can education support non-mainstream languages, and what are the implications for those being educated? It also considers how languages are acknowledged in research.

• The Case for Higher Education will introduce students to the changing context of global higher education landscape, including its competing purposes, value contexts, governance frameworks and the identities of key actors. It will enable students to appreciate critically the key issues within higher education and reflect on what matters in taking higher education forward.

• Digital Technologies and Education: Critical Perspectives offers a theoretical and research-based perspective on the effects and impact of digital technologies on education practice. It does so by focusing on different themes related to critical understanding of digital education

• Enhancing Teaching and Learning for Purposeful Productive Thought By the end of the module participants should have acquired a critical understanding of issues relating to teaching and learning for the fostering of productive purposeful thought in the classroom.