Dr. Gillian Martin

This project aims to promote cultural and linguistic awareness amongst Business German students through E-learning. Students are matched with Business English students at a German or Austrian University and participate via web CT in both cultural and language awareness raising activities with an emphasis on business communication. Unlike existing web-based cultural learning programmes, the activities focus on understanding not just which values and beliefs differ or are similar across the two cultures, but also how their value systems are enacted and reproduced linguistically and pragmatically, i.e., how language is used in different cultures to achieve a particular communicative purpose. Phase one engages students in a process of cultural reflection and awareness raising using field research; word association and dialogue completion exercises; case studies; and critical incident analysis. Phase two builds on this enhanced awareness and involves students in task-based language learning on-line, requiring them to draw on knowledge of their mother tongue and the foreign language to solve problems, negotiate meaning and make culturally and linguistically appropriate decisions to achieve particular communicative objectives.

To develop a suite of self-access on-line exercises and tests - E-Lab - for Junior Sophister Business Studies and German students to use on their year abroad).