PeerNet at KIT - Mediating And Developing Intercultural Relations

A five-day workshop

designed as a practical training for increasing your intercultural and mediation skills in international projects and teams.

 

What?

In addition to cross-cultural skills, elements of mediation – a way of resolving disputes – and project management are taught. A major focus is analysis of experiences and problems encountered by students and then working out and developing skills for constructive solutions.

 

For whom?

For international and national students, who will be studying or working in an international setting. It is also geared to members of campus groups that deal with global issues as well as tutors who work with students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

 

By whom?

PeerNet at KIT is a project organized by Centre for Applied Cultural Studies (ZAK) in cooperation with the International Students Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt), supported by the PROFIN-program of DAAD and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

 

Topics covered

  • Fundamentals of intercultural (& Nonviolent) Communication
  • International project management (with practice phase)
  • Intercultural communication & networking
  • (Intercultural) conflict management
  • Meeting university groups and visiting KIT facilities
  • KIT & civil society
  • Measuring increases in intercultural competence

 

Dates

The five-day workshop is divided into two blocks. In winter semester 2012/13 the workshop will take place on the following dates: 25th – 27th October and 13th – 15th December 2012.
Between the workshops you will be expected to work together in the team on developing and presenting a project idea, which allows you to gain experience and skills in such area. Depending on your chosen project idea, this will take about three to eight hours.

 

From KIT to the world of diversity

Studying at KIT means not only a specific program of study, but also acquiring skills in dealing with national, professional, social and religious diversity. It means not only learning about advantages and positive aspects of diversity, but as well as to be challenged by it. By doing so, students become involved in international initiatives or assist international students at KIT and in the working world.
Working together with foreign counterparts, participants carry out projects successfully or help facilitate student orientation at KIT, in Karlsruhe as well as in Germany. Through this commitment, they take the role as responsible citizens, which means dealing with important social and political issues - such as integration, globalization, social diversity, democracy.
Additionally, while doing the projects, we learn, for instance, that appointment scheduling and applying quality criteria can be interpreted in conflicting ways. Students with different cultural backgrounds communicate differently and may feel stressed and confused with the above concepts. With the skills acquired in "PeerNet at KIT", students learn to become more sensitive to diverse thinking, leading to better relationships with their fellow students as well as generating a better working atmosphere in international projects.