Content module № 2 (Liakh Tetiana)
In the course of studying the content module “Values, Culture, Politics: Europe and Beyond” within the theme “Values of Contemporary European Political Culture”, the participants will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the leading values of contemporary European political culture, to analyze EU actions on building inter-ethnic dialogue and dialogue equality and tolerance. Particular emphasis will be placed on building intercultural communication and its impact as a factor in shaping the intercultural tolerance of Europeans. The course will also outline the basic principles of intercultural communication and the foundations of psychological readiness for inter-ethnic communication.
The theme “EU Social Challenges and Practice” will highlight the main policies and best practices of EU countries on protecting the rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities. We will consider the public values enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which guarantee the rights of EU citizens, rules for the prevention of discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or confession, disability, age or sexual orientation. Particular attention will be paid to gender equality, inclusiveness, social policy and social assistance in EU countries, based on a human rights-based approach. We plan to have the discussion on the effectiveness of this approach in comparison to popular alternative approaches – “charity” and “fundraising”. Particular attention will be paid to EU employment and social protection policies. The topic will address policy areas that contribute to the achievement of Europe 2020 goals in the fields of employment, social integration and education. It will be about building EU bridges between national social security systems for citizens crossing the borders. The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and
The European Job Mobility Portal EURES will also be considered.
In the course of observing the theme “Mass Culture and Politics” we will focus on the EU’s desire to preserve Europe’s common cultural heritage and make it accessible to all in accordance with the principles of the European Agenda for Culture. In this context, the course participants will analyze the “Creative Europe” program, which supports the arts and promotes the flourishing of the creative and audiovisual industries. Therefore, the course participants will consider the process of EU coordination of policy development, research and reporting on a range of issues, from media literacy and digital dissemination to preserving cultural heritage or enhancing the role of culture in external relations. There will be presented the EU Audiovisual and Media Services Policy, under which EU countries should coordinate with one another such issues as protecting children and consumers, ensuring media pluralism, preserving cultural diversity and combating racial and religious hatred. The topic will also address the issues of “escapism”, virtual reality, which is becoming one of the most important components of the information society culture.
Practical classes within the content module “Values, Culture, Politics: Europe and Beyond” contain applied methods of forming intercultural communication, namely:
• a method of interactive modeling that focuses on the conscious reproduction of different individual and group situations of intercultural communication. Due to this, the intercultural and emotional energy of the participants of the educational process is directed to the analysis and evaluation of situations. Participants are invited to discuss problematic situations that arose in the process of communication between representatives of different cultures, which differ in language, behavior, customs, etc .;
• a method of simulation, the essence of which is to artificially create a specific situation of intercultural communication and to predict possible variants and results, based on different points of view and aspects. Singular situations make it possible to enter into the image of a person of another culture and, as a rule, are a generalized experience of intercultural communication of all participants in the process. An important feature of this method is the compulsory creation of conditions for cultural creativity, since creativity is the main activity of its participants;
• a method of problem situations, the essence of which is to organize such situations, under which the transformation of intellectual and ethical problems into emotional ones. By means of this, participants understand the lack of resources used, find the necessary material in collaboration with the teacher to overcome difficulties, independently set tasks for developing their own capabilities, which are necessary for developing an appropriate strategy of action in an indirect or immediate situation of intercultural communication.
In the process of the course study, participants are offered training forms of work using interactive games, guided discussions, case study, brainstorming, video viewing.