BA in modern languages and intercultural communication (Sonderburg, Denmark)

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1 BA in modern languages and intercultural communication (Sonderburg, Denmark) Studies crossing borders Intercultural environment This BA study program literally crosses borders, since it is jointly offered by the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Flensburg. This means that you will study in an intercultural environment in which teachers as well as students are of different nationalities: in addition to the Danish students, students come from Germany, in particular. Speaking your foreign languages will therefore be part of everyday life at the campus. People, culture, and language BA in modern languages and intercultural communication is the right choice for you if you want to work with people, culture, languages, and language teaching. Apart from solid competences in your foreign languages, it will provide you with knowledge of the tools to use for solving linguistic and communicative problems in business enterprises and organizations, as well as for teaching foreign languages to grown-ups. The combinations of foreign languages offered are: English/German for students whose mother tongue is Danish, and English/Danish for students who do not have Danish as their mother tongue. Studying abroad Choose this study program if you want to experience the world while you are studying. Having studied in Sønderborg for the first three semesters, you may spend either a study or an internship period abroad. This will give you a unique chance to test your skills and to see how far they can take you. Bachelor or master BA in modern languages and intercultural communication is a 3 year study program. After passing your BA, you may either apply for a job or continue your studies, choosing from a number of master programs. More about the study program In addition to traditional class-room teaching, the curriculum comprises projects as well as guest lectures featuring internationally renowned lecturers within the relevant subject fields or representatives of Danish and German business firms. Teaching and lecturing takes place in the languages Danish, German, and English.

2 Note that preparing for lectures individually or in study groups will take up the majority of the time you spend on your studies. Participating in study groups will enable you to discuss what you have read, preparing you for the way you will later cooperate with your colleagues on joint projects in business and other organizational contexts. Your work load will be considerable, especially when homework and projects are due, so substantial self-discipline and careful planning are required. Experience the world Your 4 th semester will allow you to develop your individual profile: you may go abroad, or you may choose an internship. If you choose a stay at a foreign university, your supervisor will assist you in composing your individual study program consisting of a combination of subjects within linguistics, mediation, and economics, including business economics. If you choose an internship, you will get to know the job conditions within a field of your personal interest, since you may find an internship of your own choice, but of course it will have to be approved by the Study Board. See Study and internship periods abroad. Read more This study program qualifies you for a job right after graduating. At the same time, it qualifies you for a number of master programs, such as: Master of Arts (MA) in International Business Communication and Communication Design International Business Communication IT and Product Design IT, Communication and Organization Web Communication Study and internship periods abroad Optimize your qualifications by spending a period abroad In the 4th semester of your BA in modern languages and intercultural communication, you may choose either a study abroad or an internship abroad period or a combination of the two. Study abroad period The University of Southern Denmark is cooperating with partner institutions around the world. Our students have spent study abroad periods in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and the USA. Of course it is up to you to decide if you want to spend a study period abroad. However, we recommend that you do so, seeing that knowledge is international and crosses borders. Moreover, your future employers will attach increasing importance to your having spent periods of work and study abroad.

3 Study abroad periods are popular, and we advise you to plan your study abroad period as carefully and as early as possible. Contact the International Office or Study Services in Sønderborg for information about study abroad periods. Internship abroad You have the option of working in a business enterprise or organization, at an embassy, or at a consulate abroad. You have to procure your internship yourself. A typical internship will be for a period of 4 to 6 months. Nearly all the positions mentioned above are unsalaried, but you may bring your State Education Grant with you. In addition, you may apply for external grants. In some cases, you may also apply to the International Office for a grant. Contact: Study Services in Sønderborg: Betina Iversen (bni@sdu.dk) Tel Tutoring service: bask@post.sdu.dk Students own stories A Swede studies German in Denmark BA in modern languages and intercultural communication in Sønderborg aims at globalization in practice, and not only Danish and German students have found their way to Alsion. Helena Sofia Larsen came all the way from Stockholm. Helena, who just started her 6 th semester: I had studied German at the University of Stockholm for two years when I married a Dane and ended up in Sønderborg. I had planned to finish my German studies here, but then I heard about the BA in modern languages and intercultural communication, which seemed much more attractive to me. In Sweden, German studies were purely linguistic, which meant that we did not care very much about it could all be applied in practice. BA in modern languages and intercultural communication has a totally differenct approach, since it has a cultural and communicative dimension as well. In short, it can be applied in real life. It simply makes sense. The future? I want to work with language, and one of the things that appeal to me is teaching grownups. I imagine a job in a large exporting business firm, in which I would be responsible for teaching the employees German. Germans are proficient in foreign languages, but in many situations they prefer to speak German, and of course Germany is a large country with millions of inhabitants with a lot of pride in their mother country. So Danish firms working globally really need to be proficient in German, and of course English is a must!

4 Wants to work for better integration Maria Friedrich belongs to the large group of German students at Alsion studying BA in modern languages and intercultural communication. However, her background is a bit different from that of most of her fellow students. Maria: I got to know Denmark already at the age of 16 or 17 because I was an exchange student in Sjælland. My plans for studying in Denmark date back to that time. Still, it seemed pretty overwhelming to move to Copenhagen, for example, to study there. The University of Southern Denmark in Sønderborg seemed to me a more secure choice within a shorter distance from Germany. At the same time, I found the BA in modern languages and intercultural communication a real challenge. Maria is now in her 6 th semester and expects to pass her exams in the summer of She spent her 4 th semester in Poland, studying at the University of Krakow. That was my international semester, integrated in my studies. I passed some business and communications subjects, and I also took lessons in Polish three times a week. I chose this study program because I really like the mixture of language and culture We are educated as generalists, not specialists, and this gives us the opportunity to work with internal and external communication as well as with PR in internationally oriented businesses. Besides, there are quite a lot of master studies to choose from if one wants to continue one s studies. One more advantage I should like to mention is that this BA is jointly offered by the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Flensburg so that when you have finished your studies, you will obtain a dual degree. Anne Jungk

5 The curriculum BA in modern languages and intercultural communication is a 3 year study program made up of 3 main components: Foreign language 1 and 2 Culture, communication, and mediation Ancillary subjects plus philosophy and methodology of science The table below shows the distribution of the subjects and the number of lectures offered in each semester. Subject Foreign language 1 (German/Danish) Cultural studies sem. 2. sem. 3. sem. 4. sem. 5. sem. 6. sem. Oral language proficiency Applied grammar and written language proficiency Communication and LSP Fremmedsprog 2 (engelsk) Cultural studies 2 2 Language proficiency: Speaking and Writing Applied grammar Communication and LSP 2 4 Culture and Intercultural Communication Communication in the workplace 2 Intercultural communication 2 2 5th semester project 1 Principles of teaching and learning 2 Translation theory 2 Ancillary subjects Information and communication theory 2 Academic Writing 2 Philosophy and methodology of science Philosophy of science 1 1 Semester abroad or internship BA project X X

6 In accordance with the individual student s preferences, the 4 th semester may be spent as a study or internship period abroad. BA project The study program is concluded in the 6 th semester by a project within one or more of the subject fields of the study program. This project, which must be written in one of your foreign languages, serves to demonstrate your ability to apply the knowledge and competences you have acquired during the entire BA program. Read more The study program allows you to choose between taking a BA after three years or continuing for another two years in order to obtain a Master s degree. The Master program offers specialization in either Communication design,international business communication, Web communication, or IT, Communication and Organization. You may also shape your competence profile via your choice of electives as well as via your choice of theme for your final thesis. Read more about the master programs offered here. Foreign languages Foreign languages 1 and 2 - For students with Danish as their first language, German is foreign language 1 - For students with German as their first language, Danish is foreign language 1 - For all students, English is foreign language 2 Foreign language 1 comprises the subjects - Cultural studies - Oral proficiency - Applied grammar and written language proficiency - Communication and LSP Cultural studies will provide you with basic knowledge about historical, political, social, and economic conditions in the areas in which the foreign language is spoken. Besides, the focus will be on the attitudes and values underlying the conditions mentioned. Oral proficiency will train your competences in understanding and analyzing spoken language (German or Danish). At the same time, correct pronunciation and oral proficiency in everyday contexts as well as subject-specific and social contexts will be trained. Applied grammar and written language proficiency will provide you with competences in grammatical analysis as well as with training in practical linguistic observation.

7 Communication and LSP will qualify you for performing communicative tasks typically occurring in business enterprises or institutions. You will learn to analyze LSP texts, and you will be trained in oral and written production of LSP in the foreign language in question. Concrete examples of what you will learn are: editing, revising, producing, and translating written LSP texts, oral presentation and argumentation, as well as summing up, explaining, and evaluating LSP-related problems. Foreign language 2 comprises the subjects - Cultural studies - Oral and written proficiency - Applied grammar - Communication, LSP and knowledge Cultural studies will provide you with extensive knowledge of British society and British culture. Knowledge of the American society and American culture will also be introduced. Oral and written proficiency will provide you with such oral and written language skills as are required for you to solve a number of communicative tasks in private, public, or international business enterprises, institutions, or organizations. On the basis of general knowledge of communication, you will obtain proficiency in oral as well as written language production. Applied grammar will give you a solid grammatical basis as far as the structures of the English language and the structures and functions of English texts are concerned, all of which are prerequisites to performing communicative tasks in various contexts. Further, you will gain insight into and knowledge about linguistic observation in practice as well as training in basic methods of language description. Communication and LSP will provide you with the ability to perform a number of communicative tasks within private, public, and international business enterprises, institutions, and organizations. In the course, focus will be on knowledge of and relevant use of the concepts and terms of macroecomics, business economics, and (business) law. Culture and Intercultural Communication The following subjects fall under this heading: - Communication in the workplace - Intercultural communication - 5 th semester project - Principles of teaching and learning - Translation theory Communication in the workplace will give you basic communicative and text linguistic knowledge about typical forms of communication in everyday business and organizational life. You will gain an

8 overview of and general knowledge of the tools required for enhancing the quality of oral and written communication. This general knowledge will enable you to comprehend and apply the specific factors and tools dealt with in the foreign languages. Intercultural communication will provide you with a general understanding of culture and communication, taking your own cultural biases and values as the point of departure. The 5 th semester project gives you the opportunity to expand your subject-specific and subject-related qualifications and/or to broaden your competences in this respect. You may for instance expand or deepen your profile within areas such as linguistics, culture, communication, business and social studies, or mediation. Principles of teaching and learning will provide you with the basic knowledge of theories of didactics and learning required for understanding the role of mediation and learning in dealing with foreign language and cultural communication and mediation. Translation theory will give you a general introduction to translation theory and to the problems involved in translating from a source to a target culture. In other words, you will gain basic knowledge of linguistic mediation, including the translation process as such as well as its product. Ancillary subjects and philosophy and methodology of science Ancillary subjects: Information and communication theory will introduce you to information search and retrieval i.a. via the internet, to methods for evaluating the quality of internet resources, and to language technology. Further, you will learn how to produce and apply electronic texts used in internal as well as external business communication. Philosophy and methodology of science: Philosophy of science will provide you with basic understanding of the characteristics of science, particularly of the humanities. On the background of an understanding of the main traditions of philosophy of science in the humanities, you will further be introduced to modern theories of communication and language.

9 Job opportunities A substantial demand exists in business life for employees with solid foreign language qualifications. In Denmark, the demand for employees with qualifications in German, in particular, is growing. In the Northern part of Germany, on the other hand, the demand for employees with qualifications in English is dominant. However, Danish is in demand as well since qualifications in Danish may form a bridge to the Scandinavian market as a whole. BA in modern languages and intercultural communication provides you with qualifications in language, cultural understanding, and communication. This special profile will qualify you for working as a language and communication specialist in private and public enterprises as well as in institutions and organizations in Denmark and abroad. Besides, you will be qualified for conducting in-house language training. Admission requirements 1. High school/secondary school examination or equivalent examination or equivalent work experience 2. English at the highest level from high school/secundary school or IELTS test (Academic) with the score 7 Here you find an IELTS test center in Germany: Contact us Contact Study Services in Sønderborg Betina Iversen Tel.: bni@sdu.dk Office hours: workdays 10 AM - 1 PM Contact address: Syddansk Universitet Alsion 2 DK-6400 Sønderborg Tutoring Service (room 832): Modern Languages and Intercultural communication:

10 Janine Schnabel Office hours, spring semester 2010: Monday AM Tel.: If you have any questions about admission to the study program, please contact the student counseling service via or via phone ( ) between 10 AM and 2 PM, Monday to Friday. Find information and application form on: