This module equips participants with knowledge and skills to manage situations where cultural differences are seen as barriers to successful work, integration and interpersonal relationships. Awareness and competence in dealing with cultural diversity are key tools in modern day workplaces, education, health and public sectors, as well as in the daily life of everyone. We teach psychological models and practice skills that will help participants understand how intercultural competence develops, including changes at the cognitive level (in our knowledge and beliefs about others), at the emotional level (in how comfortable and confident we become around difference, instead of being afraid and anxious) and at the behavioral level (how we can work in diverse teams and bridge differences of opinion). This module highlights the challenges and opportunities that diversity brings, increasing participants abilities to recognize, respect and reconcile relevant cultural differences.

The module is structured in three parts: 1.recognize, 2. respect and 3. reconcile cultural differences. The first part involves an exploration and analysis of the key ingredients of intercultural competence: identities, values and stereotypes. The theoretical insights and practical exercises of mapping one's identities and values embeds participants' awareness that "the difference starts with us". Cultural diversity is everyone's responsibility as we all contribute to it, with our individual and group based differences. Understanding how others see us and how stereotypes can constrain and impede on interpersonal communication and personal achievements is a crucial step in developing intercultural sensitivity. The second part of the module focuses on the psychological processes of developing intercultural competence (Bennett, 2004), which move an individual from ethno-centrism to ethno-relativism. We present different paradigms for understanding cultural differences, in order to foster respect towards different "cultural worldviews". Participants develop an understanding of the impact of culture on how we relate to each other, to authorities or to concepts such as time and space. Lastly, we discuss the situations where cultural diversity is disrespected, which manifest themselves in prejudice, racism and exclusionary behaviors. Experientially learning and empathizing with social exclusion are key in one's ability to change perspectives and come to respect and appreciate differences. The third part of the module is dedicated to the reconciling of differences, resolving conflicts and developing the skills to assess a situation involving cultural dilemmas. We approach this at two different levels: how individuals cope with cultural change and transitions (when they move abroad, or change work environments), how groups negotiate diversity (when working in multi-cultural, inter-professional teams). In both situations, individual and group levels, we introduce and practice the ability to evaluate a cultural incident/dilemma with a 360 degree model (Berardo and Deardorff, 2012).

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: - examine and identify one's group identities and their importance in one's life - recognize one's own cultural values and be able to position and discuss them in relation to others - understand and evaluate the impact of cultural/national stereotypes on people's everyday life, socio-economic prospects and life satisfaction - discuss cultural differences from an ethno-relativistic standpoint (beyond an ethno-centric perspective) - apply tools and models to assess the complexity of cultural dilemmas/critical incidents - analyze situations involving cultural differences using their knowledge of different cultures as well as their personal skills of empathy and perspective taking

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: - become comfortable and secure in their own identities - be aware of their own cultural values and viewpoints - challenge their own groups' cultural biases and stereotypes - display empathy and ability to take perspective towards other people's positions and points of view - value cultural diversity for its potential and opportunities to increase creativity and enrich interactions and learning - respond to situations of cultural conflict with confidence - cooperate with others to solve intercultural challenges - be respectful of cultural differences

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There are two dimensions to the delivery of this module: theoretical and practical. The theoretical content is delivered during two-hours-long weekly lectures and summative assessments. This is aimed at developing skills of "knowledgeable" and "articulate" in matters of culture, cultural paradigms, cultural comparisons and dilemmas/incidents. The practical part is delivered in online and face to face tutorials (4 hours per week in total, from weeks 1-10), as well as workshops (instead of tutorials, group work will take place in weeks 11-12) where participants learn and apply the "critical incidents" analysis, using a 360 degree model (Berardo and Deardorff, 2012). The practical exercises integrate various skills developed throughout the module. These skills involve the ability to acknowledge one's position (and potential biases) in a situation, the presence of multiple perspectives and contextual factors influencing and framing the situation, as well as the ability to formulate multiple solutions and interpretations of how "success might look like". Intercultural competence is developed in an iterative process and involves self-reflection and debriefing of one's reactions and understandings to any given situation. Bridging cultural differences is a phased process that builds towards an integration of differences, rather than the prevalence of one way or another (i.e., the development of a third way, a new space/product). The module follows these principles and combines opportunities to practice self-reflection and debriefing in individual as well as group settings, online and offline, in relation to examples given by the lecturer and also those brought in by the students from their own experiences. This approach fosters the development of the graduate attributes: "responsible", "proactive" and "collaborative". The key methods of delivery of this module revolve around experiential learning, active emergence in (imagined) situations where one's own cultural viewpoint is central and challenged, and where participants are supported to develop solutions and widen their understanding of themselves, the others and the whole situation.