Developing Critical Cultural Awareness in Modern Languages: A Comparative Study of Higher Education in North America and the United Kingdom

This volume explores the relationship between language and culture while considering its implications for the teaching of modern foreign languages in higher education. Drawing on a comparative empirical study conducted at universities both in the UK and US, this text problematises the impacts of a separation of language and content in German degree programmes.

Illustrating the need for a curriculum which fosters the development of intercultural competence and criticality, Parks reconceptualises established models of criticality (Barnett) and intercultural communicative competence (Byram). The chapters in this volume discuss a range of important topics including; language graduates with deep translingual and transcultural competence, observed differences and similarities between British and American universities and faculty and student voices: developing intercultural competence and criticality.

Aimed at scholars with research interests in intercultural communication, language education and applied linguistics, this volume provides a thorough discussion for the ways in which modern language programmes in higher education can be improved. Additionally, those carrying out research in the fields of language teaching and language policy in higher education will find Developing Critical Cultural Awareness in Modern Languages to be of great relevance.

Elinor Parks completed her PhD at the University of Hull. She is currently Tutor of German at the University of York and the University of Manchester. Her research explores the complexity behind the separation between language and content in modern language degrees both in the UK and in the US. In particular, the research examines implications of the divide for students’ development of criticality and intercultural competence.