Tag: Iceland

MOOC: Intercultural Competency in Education (Iceland but Online)

“MOOCs”MOOC: Intercultural Competency in Education, offered by the University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, through edX. Free enrollment every 6 weeks.

Instructors: Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Professor of Multicultural Studies at the School of Education, University of Iceland; Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir, Director at Reykjavík City Department of Education, Iceland; and Ingebjørg Lundevall, teacher at Oslo VO Rosenhof, Norway.

“Some of the challenges we are facing in the world today are related to the ongoing trends towards immigration and globalization of education and the labour market. Combined with increased numbers of refugees in many countries, this has led to greater interpersonal cross cultural encounters and heightened cultural concerns. All school levels are facing complex challenges in adjusting their services to an increasingly diverse student population, irrespective of their background. It is therefore of great importance that employees at all school levels are culturally competent and can understand and adapt their services when working with people with diverse cultural backgrounds.

The aim of this course is to help the students develop intercultural competence by broadening their understanding of different cultures and different identities, as well as promoting students´ awareness of their own culture, learning from the experiences of international educators as well as professionals at the municipality level in the Nordic countries. An added value is that the course is open to participants from different parts of the world, which creates a cross-cultural learning and teaching environment.

By the end of this course you should have learned practical intercultural skills and increased your understanding of intercultural competence; how to talk about and address intercultural opportunities and challenges, how to develop strategies to respond to diverse and hybrid identities in a fairer way, and how to promote social justice in education and respect for different languages, preventing conflicts and enhancing societal cohesion.”

The course can be taken for free, or with a variable certificate for $69. It is designed to take 5 weeks, with 2-4 hours/week of time.

Radford U Study Abroad: London & Iceland 2023

Study AbroadStudy Abroad in London and Iceland, School of Communication, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA,  5-27 July 2023. Application deadline: 8 March 2023.

This program, designed for undergraduates is taught by Matthew Turner, Associate Professor of Communication This is a three-week program featuring day trips to Oxford, Dover, and Canterbury. Plus, a 2-day stopover in Iceland. Weekends in Edinburgh, Scotland; Paris, France; and Stonehenge and Cotswolds are included in the program fee. Students will experience the cultures first hand through visits to television studios and movie sets, live performances, guest lectures from professionals, and guided tours of museums, and cultural events.

Students are required to enroll in COMS 335: Media and Society, or COMS 451: Intercultural and International Communication during Summer III 2023. Program fee does NOT include tuition and fees.

Art and Intercultural Dialogue in Iceland

Applied ICDThe Reykjavik City Library in Iceland has started an  initiative called ‘Beyond Words’ using art to foster intercultural dialogue. This was developed by Martyna Karolina Daniel, project organiser and the library’s specialist in intercultural affairs.

Martyna and her colleagues are committed to making the city’s libraries a safe haven for all Icelanders, whether native or immigrant and a place where cross-cultural dialogue can take place.

The library is offering a variety of art workshops, making available a wide range of foreign-language books, and using more symbols in their signage in response to linguistic differences. They also offer storytelling in multiple languages, inviting community members to read books in any language they know, and invite extended families to participate. And they co-sponsored a Story Circle Map of Iceland, painted 2013 by 35 women who have participated in Women’s Story Circle, coming from 18 countries to live in Iceland. To make the panting they used the method of the indigenous people of Australia, which entails that many work together to create artworks.

For further information, see: 

Askham, Poppy. (2020, July 21). Beyond words: Reykjavík’s city libraries use art to foster interculturalism. The Reykjavik Grapevine.

Study Abroad: London & Iceland 2018 (Radford U)

Study AbroadStudy Abroad in London and Iceland for Communication students (undergraduate or graduate) interested in studying Media and Society or Intercultural and International Communication in London and Iceland during summer 2018.  This is a three-week program (Approximately May 14 through June 6) where students experience the cultures first hand through visits to television and movie studios, live performances, guest lectures from professionals, and guided tours of museums, and historical venues.

The program is sponsored by Radford University and taught by Matthew Turner, Associate Professor of Communication.  The application deadline is October 31.