Hauptseminar Getting to Know Ourselves and Others through the ABCs A Journey toward Intercultural Understanding

Have you ever started thinking about who you are, where you come from and what has happened so far has shaped your personal way of thinking, your cultural values and beliefs? And have you ever started thinking about who the other person you might probably meet is, where he/she comes from and how what has happened so far has shaped his or her personal way of thinking, cultural values and beliefs? If not this will be your chance!  In this class you will first reflect upon and write down selected episodes of your own life story (Step A) and then interview someone different with respect to your own self and write down that person's story (Step B).  In Step C you will discover similarities and differences. Your data base will serve you for an in-depth analysis and metacognitive reflection.  Cross-references between personal stories and political, cultural and historical events will be made. This will allow for a multi-perspective approach (Human GPS) towards the construction of identity.    Within the ABCs we can set the ff. foci (this will be negotiated in class): - focus on life stories with respect to language learning and language acquisition - focus on life stories in a historical context - focus on life stories with respect to career Main reading: Finkbeiner, Claudia & Lazar. Althier: (eds.) (2015). Getting to know ourselves and others through the ABCs. A journey toward intercultural understanding. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.  Schmidt, Patricia Ruggiano & Finkbeiner, Claudia (eds.) (2006). The ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication: National and International Adaptations. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.   Special reading: Schmidt, P. R. & Finkbeiner, C. (2006). Introduction: What is the ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication?. In Schmidt, P. Ruggiano & Finkbeiner, C. (eds.), The ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication: National and International Adaptations (1-18). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.  Finkbeiner, C. (2006). Constructing Third Space. The Principles of Reciprocity and Cooperation. In Schmidt, P. Ruggiano & Finkbeiner, C. (eds.), The ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication: National and International Adaptations (19-42). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing. Finkbeiner, C., & Lazar, A. M. (2015). Introduction: From the ABCs to the TRANSABCs. In C. Finkbeiner & A. M. Lazar (Eds.), Getting to know ourselves and others through the ABC's. A journey toward intercultural understanding (pp. xiii-xvii). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Finkbeiner, C. (2015). Responding to cultural and linguistics diversity through the TRANSABCs Project: Reports and results. In C. Finkbeiner & A. M. Lazar (Eds.), Getting to know ourselves and others through the ABC's. A journey toward intercultural understanding (pp. 11-46). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Finkbeiner, C., & Davidson, T. (2015). An exemplary ABCs project. In C. Finkbeiner & A. M. Lazar (Eds.), Getting to know ourselves and others through the ABC's. A journey toward intercultural understanding (pp. 47-70). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Lazar, A. M., & Finkbeiner, C. (2015). Future directions for the ABCs of cultural understanding and communication. In C. Finkbeiner & A. M. Lazar (Eds.), Getting to know ourselves and others through the ABC's. A journey toward intercultural understanding (pp. 223-234). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.  Finkbeiner, C. & Fehling, S. (2006). Investigating the Role of Awareness and Multiple Perspectives in Intercultural Education. In Schmidt, P. Ruggiano & Finkbeiner, C. (eds.), The ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication: National and International Adaptations (93-110). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.  Finkbeiner, Claudia & Koplin, Christine (2002). A Cooperative Approach for Facilitating Intercultural Education. Reading Online, 6(3). Online:http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/finkbeiner.  Wilden, Eva (2008).  Selbst- und Fremdwahrnehmung in der interkulturellen Onlinekommunikation. Das Modell der ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication Online. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.   Bemerkung Our Class wil start on Oct 26th This class also qualifies you for the BIKA Certificate (Bilingual Kassel, CLIL).  This is a highly interactive class. It will include:  - face to face classes  - self- access learning classes (online) with assignments on Steps A, B and C  - Regular and active participation.  Steps A, B and C are mandatory for successful completion of the course. This complies with the regulations of the university and fully serves curricular needs of the modularized study order. Work load has been calculated precisely. Voraussetzungen - Successful participation in -Introduction into Foreign Language Teaching Methodology- for teacher candidates  - Successful participation in all other introductory courses and -Proseminare- Leistungsnachweis This class also qualifies you for the BIKA Certificate (Bilingual Kassel, CLIL).   Successful participation (Teilnahmeschein):  - assignments on Steps A, B and C - Regular and active participation   Successful Modularized Exam (Leistungsschein:) - criteria from above plus - paper including a) theory aligning culture, Human GPS and the ABCs  b) an empirical part elaborating on the interview and the ABCs                Lerninhalte This is a blended learning class with self access (online) units and face to face units.  The content is on Intercultural Communication.  The content fully complies with the standards and demands of the modularized study exam regulations.  Workload has precisely been calculated. Zielgruppe Alle Anglistik/Amerikanistik-Studierende im Hauptstudium; zugelassen werden auch Studierende des FB 05, die das Modul Landeswissenschaften erfüllen möchten und Anglistik/Amerikanistik studieren. FB 02 Institut für Anglistik / Amerikanistik - Successful participation in -Introduction into Foreign Language Teaching Methodology- for teacher candidates  - Successful participation in all other introductory courses and -Proseminare- This class also qualifies you for the BIKA Certificate (Bilingual Kassel, CLIL).   Successful participation (Teilnahmeschein):  - assignments on Steps A, B and C - Regular and active participation   Successful Modularized Exam (Leistungsschein:) - criteria from above plus - paper including a) theory aligning culture, Human GPS and the ABCs  b) an empirical part elaborating on the interview and the ABCs                Uni Kassel WiSe 2016/17 Amerikanistik Prof. Dr. Finkbeiner Claudia