Daugavpils University

Intercultural Relations

The aims of the programme:

• to provide students an opportunity of gaining wide theoretical knowledge, high quality research experience and practical competences in the sphere of intercultural relations, preparing students for further scientific and professional work;
• to develop creative personalities demanded in the culture environment in Latvia and competitive on an international level;
• to prepare highly qualified professionals in the sphere of intercultural relations who are competitive on the labour market in Latvia and international environment as to their education quality.

Tasks

• extending knowledge in cultural and intercultural issues from the theoretical and practical aspect, thus facilitating the understanding of the peculiarities of diverse cultures and cultural contacts;
• raising theoretical aptitude with the aim of improving students’ skills of producing, developing, and applying original ideas in their research;
• introducing students to the problems and functioning of modern mass media, communications and media, to the principles of analysing the information of Latvian and foreign mass media and other public information in the intercultural sphere;
• developing students’ competence of performing the activities of internal and external cultural communication at the institutions associated with intercultural relations;
• developing skills of predicting, coordinating and forestalling situations of intercultural crises;
• giving an opportunity of gaining experience in planning, organizing, and assessing intercultural events and projects.

As a result of the programme’s acquisition, the graduate will acquire and be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge:

• students demonstrate knowledge in intercultural relations theory
• students demonstrate practical knowledge in the sphere of intercultural relations
• students master the information on the peculiarities of the multicultural situation in Latgale region;
• demonstrate knowledge on the common EU situation in the topical goals of contemporary life;
• have a command of methods of discourse analysis;
• have obtained in-depth knowledge in the spheres of culture, sociology, economics, politology, and psychology;
• have a command of the intercultural relations situation of the Republic of Latvia.

Skills:

• can independently work with research literature;
• participate in conferences, seminars, and presentations;
• can apply in practice diverse methods of analysis and research;
• can elaborate, plan, implement, and manage projects, events, training sessions and other activities;
• recognize and analyze the processes of communication;
• can work out the conception of printed, audio-visual, and interactive media;
• can write and edit texts in compliance with the demands of journalist genres;
• can work with people, organize group work;
• can work out strategy and tactic conception, analyze the opportunities and probability of risks;
• analyze unpredictable situations and conditions assessing the opportunities of risks and transformation.

Competence:

• perceive and understand the diversity of the society;
• can understand other cultures, accept the perspective of other cultures;
• treat science as an interaction of different spheres;
• formulate the problems of intercultural relations and the scientific and practical opportunities of their solution;
• demonstrate social skills;
• master the techniques of emotional self-regulation;
• strive to update their knowledge and skills in accordance with the sphere of work;
• can integrate diverse knowledge in the development of intercultural relations;
• can follow the latest Latvian and foreign press, academic and theoretical literature as well as topical trends of research;
• are aware of their ethical responsibility and the possible impact on the community.