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University of Leeds

Introduction to Intercultural Studies: Crossing Borders

University of Leeds via FutureLearn

Overview

Learn what borders are and what motivates people to cross them

When thinking of borders, images of division often come to mind. This introductory course will help you learn how borders can both divide and connect territories or people.

You’ll encounter and discuss a range of different borders and employ theories to analyse and explain the functions and effects of different borders on space, and individuals who occupy them and cross them. You’ll explore different circumstances of crossing borders focusing on motivations such as travel or immigration and understand the effects of the invisible borders we all cross everyday.

The course is for anyone with an interest in the way in which borders shape and influence how we view each other, you don’t need any previous experience.

This course is also ideal if you are preparing to move to a different country for work or study or you work with groups of people from different cultures to yours. By completing all aspects of the course you will have achieved 14 hours of CPD time.

Syllabus

  • Borders
    • Welcome
    • National borders
    • Cultural borders
    • Borders as points of contact
    • Summary
  • Crossing borders
    • About Week 2
    • Voluntary border crossings: students, workers and tourists
    • Forced border crossing: refugees and asylum seekers
    • Crossing invisible borders
    • Summary

Taught by

Jane Wilkinson

Reviews

4.0 rating, based on 26 Class Central reviews

4.5 rating at FutureLearn based on 27 ratings

Start your review of Introduction to Intercultural Studies: Crossing Borders

  • Anonymous
    I managed to fail this course and have registered my complaint with FutureLearn because, really, this should have been a 5-star review going by the content, especially in the first week when I can honestly say I worked harder than for any other FL c…
  • Anonymous
    no supervisor input, except for one 'removed by moderator' I saw where a comment had been. It was all us ( students) reading, making comments, marking each others work, commenting on and 'liking' others' comments.
    So the quality of the course depends entirely on the quality of the students who happen to have signed up with me.
    I've previously done 2 other Futurelearn courses where the educators were much more present, giving guidance, commenting on our comments, introducing the next segment...
    This course, with its lack of guidance, was not very impressive.
  • Anonymous
    I found this course very interesting, since it mixed up theoretical parts with more practical activities. The assignments were very useful, because they made me think about what had been taught, but they also gave me the opportunity to link what I had learnt with my own experience. Borders are a very topical subject, in Europe and, more than ever, in Italy. So learning how philosophers and sociologists have defined borders has given my belief more concreteness and depth.
  • Anonymous
    Although the course allowed me to see the concept of borders from few different perspectives, there are some problems to solve out:
    1. I wish we could learn more about social borders and border conflicts, the content should be upgraded;
    2. There was no interaction with any of the course educator;
    3. Exercises and the final test:
    a) Questions were unclear and it was difficult to understand what I was supposed to write down;
    b) The final test had little correspondence to the course content (especially two questions).
  • Anonymous
    There were some interesting ideas discussed here, but none of them are new.

    People do things because they want to, or have to. Borders are everywhere, and are good or bad depending on your personal feelings about borders. We should build bridges, not walls---except to protect ourselves: we need walls around our homes, our paychecks and our cultural identity. We should feel bad about our perceived need for protection.

    This seemed to me to be a 1-hour TedTalk, "stuffed" into two weeks.
  • Anonymous
    I totally loved the course! I'm very happy I joined it and I'll be eternally grateful for this course! The concepts we worked on were well explained, presenting videos and short texts. The additional material was very good as well. There were always…
  • Anonymous
    A well structured course linking theory with practical exercises . I found it helpful to apply it to and try to understand present day situations .
    The lack of contributions from other participants was sad. I've found this very interesting on other courses. Also, there's been no feed-back on my assignment.
    Is it possible to have dialogue with the mentors?
  • Anonymous
    This is a well-structured course combining theoretical concepts with practical exercises. I find it is very useful and full of fresh thought. It will definitely help increase learners' cultural awareness and boost inter-cultural communication in future work and study. The download section resources are very helpful.

    If the examples could include border crossing in the pandemic, besides the border crossing in normal times, it could encourage more tought -provoking discussion and help the learners to delve deeper into the complexity of border crossing in both theory and practice.
  • Anonymous
    Borders are more than physical, which this course makes clear. If you have lived in other cultures the course will seem a little simplistic, but if you have not then it is a marvellous way of seeing what is meant by crossing borders, whether phsyical, mental or liminal.
  • Anonymous
    I found the course repetitive. It was the 14th course I have taken from FL. I don't think it was up to the standard I was expecting and the feed back from educators was lacking. I will in the future be more careful selecting courses from now on.
  • I had been looking forward to this course, but have come away from it feeling disappointed. I had hoped for a more in-depth examination of the impact of crossing borders both on individuals and communities, but treatment of the various topics seemed…
  • Anonymous
    This course gives a nice exposure to its theme and it certainly meets the requisite inputs. I appreciate the quality of content and the selection of sub-heads as well. Quite helpful...
  • Anonymous
    This is a very relevant introductory course tightly and clearly presented with the opportunity for self development in the field
  • Anonymous
    For such a short course, I found this full of thought provoking ideas, some familiar, some not. The presentations were clear. There appeared to be just a few students on the course when I took it, which naturally limited interaction. This was not a…
  • Anonymous
    This is my third consecutive Future Learn course and the second in the Leeds Intercultural series. I found it interesting, expanding on and raising awareness of the many intercultural experiences I encounter or have encountered in everyday life. I thought it was well designed to keep the participants challenged and engaged (not the case with the other course I did, not from Leeds). As a senior citizen rather isolated during this Covid time, I have looked forward to my daily activity doing this course. A younger person with less experience of life, will also find it illuminating. I hope to do more of the Intercultural courses from Leeds University. I am hooked!
  • Anonymous
    I should say with utmost honesty and sincerity that it was an amazing learning experience for me to take up this course. Understanding the significance of intercultural sensitivity is crucial when one needs to cross his/her linguistic, cultural, religious and national boundaries. Who makes borders and boundaries? It is man. They are made by man; and therefore, it is solely his own responsibility to know about its dynamics and intricacies. Crossing borders has always been an exciting experience filled with wonder, awe, excitement, fear, nervousness, and unexpected surprises and discoveries. Really enjoyed doing this course.
  • Anonymous
    The course is very informative, well-structured and diversified. I liked the tasks, which are very interactive and make you think about many current issues: from culture and Politics to the everyday life. The list of bibliography comprehends relevant authors and contemporary works. The teachers speak clearly and approach complex topics in an accessible way. The important in this course is the educator's feedback that gives you relevant, but simple explanation. I sincerely recommend this course.
  • Anonymous
    Answering to your question, I have definitely enjoyed the Course!!! The topic is very deep in itself and the title is attractive! Most of the tasks have been interesting and the offered material ( testimonies, videos, articles, links),very valuable!!! I was also encouraged to do some research, and to share my pieces of opinion. Reading participants' comments has been very interesting!!! Thanks British Council, University of Leeds, Educator and all the people who have been involved in this Course!!!
  • Anonymous
    This course is well organised and well presented and very informative. It offers chances to test your learning along the way informally (not graded tests but for your own ability to check your understanding.) Suitable for beginners and those who already have some knowledge of the subject. I found it very enjoyable.
  • Anonymous
    Very interesting course with well-prepared and engaging materials and links. The periodic Q and As are useful to check knowledge as you go along. One small criticism - question 1 in the final test has two similar but not identical questions, which is a bit disconcerting.

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