Postgraduate Diploma in Intercultural Communication

Purpose

This qualification is intended to provide learners with the knowledge and skills needed to develop an understanding of the central features of intercultural communication and how to apply that understanding in intercultural communication circumstances.

Learners successfully mastering these competencies will be able to contribute to the broader society by either being able to personally communicate across cultures or by being able to facilitate intercultural communication between parties.

The qualifying learner will be capable of

• Critically reviewing current insights into language related aspects of intercultural communication.
• Applying theoretical approaches to examine language-related aspects of intercultural communication.
• Solving issues relating to intercultural communication using the acquired knowledge base.
• Applying research methodology when conducting research on language related aspects of intercultural communication.

Rationale

In Southern Africa, communication regularly takes place across the boundaries drawn by the region's rich cultural and linguistic diversity. These forms of intercultural communication occur in a wide range of sectors and often result in misunderstandings across cultures caused by, among others, different conceptions of politeness, conversational interaction. This qualification is intended to address the misunderstandings that may occur in intercultural communication.

This qualification allows working professionals or academic scholars to undertake advanced reflection on current specialised practices and methods in intercultural communication using high level theoretical engagement and intellectual independence.

The knowledge, skills and cognitive ability demonstrated in a Bachelor's Degree at NQF Level 7.

Recognition of Prior Learning

This qualification may be achieved in part or completely through the Recognition of Prior Learning, which includes formal, informal and non-formal learning and work experience. Care will be taken to ensure that the mechanism used provides the learner with an opportunity to demonstrate competence and is not so onerous as to prevent learners from taking up the Recognition of Prior Learning option towards gaining a qualification.

Recognition of Prior Learning may also be used to grant access to the qualification to those learners who do not meet the admission requirements.

Access to the Qualification

Learners registering for this qualification should already have achieved a Bachelor's Degree at NQF Level 7 or 8, or an equivalent qualification.

To be awarded the qualification learners are required to obtain a minimum of 120 credits at NQF Level 8.

The following modules, each worth 30 Credit, at NQF Level 8, are compulsory

• Fundamentals of linguistic communication.
• Linguistic mechanics of intercultural communication.
• Pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects of intercultural communication.
• Fundamentals of intercultural linguistic communication.

1. Critically review current insights into language related aspects of intercultural communication.
2. Apply theoretical approaches to examine language-related aspects of intercultural communication.
3. Solve issues relating to intercultural communication using the acquired knowledge base.
4. Apply research methodology when conducting research on language related aspects of intercultural communication.

Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

This programme develops all the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

1. Demonstrate a sound knowledge of general linguistic insights into aspects of linguistic communication.
2. Demonstrate a good understanding of the theoretical approaches and research methods used to examine aspects of linguistic communication and how these approaches and methods are used for investigating such aspects.
3. Conduct Master's level research on linguistic aspects of intercultural communication skills.

Range of skills includes but is not limited to

• Reading technical texts with precision.
• Representing other people's views, arguments, theories, etc. with a high degree of precision.
• Identifying, formulating and analysing problems.
• Critically appraising and/or constructing solutions for such problems.
• Integrating different perspectives in a non-eclectic way into a coherent whole.
• Producing a technically well-finished academic text.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

1. Apply a sound knowledge of various linguistically relevant aspects of culture.
2. Apply a good understanding of the theoretical approaches and research methods used to examine linguistically relevant aspects of culture and how these approaches and methods are used for investigating such aspects.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

1. Apply a sound knowledge of various pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects of intercultural communication to solve problems.
2. Demonstrate a good understanding of the theoretical approaches and research methods used to examine pragmatic and sociolinguistic problems of intercultural communication and how these approaches and methods are used for investigating such aspects.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

1. Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful intercultural communication including knowledge of conditions for success, causes of failure/breakdown and strategies for avoiding and repairing failure/breakdown.
2. Conduct research methods used to examine success and failure/breakdown in intercultural communication and how these approaches and methods are used for investigating such phenomena in various communication contexts.

In addition the following set of Associated Assessment Criteria are applied in an integrated manor for all the Exit Level Outcomes:

1. Texts are analysed with precision and insight to their content and context.
2. Reasoning is applied objectively and critically.
3. Solutions are developed from clearly conceptualised ideas.
4. Academic papers and studies are written according to required standards.

Integrated Assessment

Formative assessment will be applied continually throughout the learning pathway of the individual learning outcomes and/or modules. Summative assessment will be applied to ensure the achievement of each learning outcome and/or module. Integrated assessment will be applied extensively across the modules of learning so as to ensure the integrated achievement of the Exit Level Outcomes.