Bibliogr.: p. 116-120.

"Life in the contemporary world brings almost everybody into contact with people of other languages and cultures. Foreign and second language teaching has evolved to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century by putting new emphasis on learning for communication, or communicative competence. This book argues that a further evolution is required, to take account of the affective and cognitive effects of engaging with otherness, of encountering people of different cultural identities and social values and behaviours. In other words, language learners need to acquire intercultural competence too. Linguistic competence and intercultural competence are two dimensions of intercultural communicative competence.

The main purpose of the book is to define in precise detail what intercultural competence involves, what new role foreign and second language teaching has in learners’ acquisition of that competence, and how their proficiency can be assessed. It suggests a detailed approach to the development of syllabuses and curricula. It defines appropriate modes of assessment of intercultural competence, whether acquired inside or beyond the language classroom.

The book carries forward earlier work on the aims and methods of cultural studies in foreign and second language education. It is written for teachers and those involved in curriculum development and assessment. It discusses issues which are relevant for language teachers in whatever context they work and provides a framework for developments for specific contexts and contents of language classrooms of many kinds." (Book Cover)

CONTENTS:

Introduction The Tourist and the Sojourner
Teaching and Assessment
Intercultural Communicative Competence
Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence: A Framework

1. Defining and Describing Intercultural Communicative Competence
Introduction
Communicating Across Linguistic and Cultural Boundaries
Communication and Interaction
Teaching Intercultural Communication in Context
Assessment in Context of Intercultural Communicative Competence

2. A Model for Intercultural Communicative competence
Introduction
Describing Intercultural Communication and the 'Intercultural Speaker'
Attitudes
Knowledge
Skills
Intercultural Communication in Operation
Acquiring Intercultural Communicative Competence in an Educational Setting
Relating Intercultural Competence to Communication
Intercultural Competence Defined in Terms of Objectives
The Developmental Factor

3. Objectives for Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Introduction
Formulating Teaching, Learning and Assessment Objectives
Acquiring Intercultural Competence
A Comprehensive Model of Intercultural Communicative Competence

4. Curriculum Issues
Introduction
Concepts of Progression
A Threshold of Intercultural Communicative Competence?
Planning a Curriculum for Intercultural Communicative Competence
An Example: Teaching French in an East Coast Region of the USA

5. Assessment
Introduction
Assessing the Five 'savoirs'
Purposes for Assessment
Assessing Levels of Intercultural Communicative Competence
Conclusion

Intercultural Communicative Competence and Lingua Franca

'Foreign' Language Learning

References