2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Entrepreneurship courses

Intercultural Exchange Workshop Advanced

Academic unit or major: Entrepreneurship courses
Instructor(s): Kumiko Kiuchi / Kayoko Nohara / Rie Murakami
Class Format: Exercise
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms): 9-10 Thu
Class: -
Course Code: ENT.G457
Number of credits: 020
Course offered: 2025
Offered quarter: 2Q
Syllabus updated: Apr 14, 2025
Language: English

※ Courses with parentheses in the course number have different subject codes depending on the student's year of admission.

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

A collaborative project with students learning Japanese at the Language Center of the Technical University of Munich. The primary language of instruction is English, but there will also be opportunities to engage in simple Japanese conversations with students learning Japanese. The course consists of online discussions (four sessions in June) and an in-person group project conducted as an intensive one-week seminar in September.

This is a practical course where participants exchange opinions on a wide range of topics, from everyday matters to social issues and specialized subjects, working with members who have different native languages, common knowledge, and cultural backgrounds. The goal is to identify shared challenges, develop an action plan for fieldwork, and implement it together. The course aims to foster leadership in multicultural societies and develop the ability to independently carry out projects.

Course description and aims

1) Developing Intercultural Communication Skills
Through experiences in intercultural communication, students will cultivate the ability to elicit unknown knowledge and effectively convey, recognize, and understand cultural differences.

2) Fostering Interdisciplinary Curiosity and Exploration
By collaborating with students from different countries and academic fields, students will nurture interdisciplinary curiosity and a spirit of inquiry, broadening their own perspectives.

3) Enhancing Goal-Oriented Planning and Action Skills
Through self-directed group activities, students will acquire the ability to set concrete plans and take action to achieve their goals.

Keywords

intercultural understanding, intercultural adaptation, language exchange, collaborative learning, cultural identity

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Until the fifth week, the course will be conducted via Zoom, connecting Tokyo and Munich online. From the seventh week onward, it will transition to an in-person, intensive summer seminar with face-to-face interactions.

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	(June 12) Orientation ”My campus life, my everyday life" Discussion topics: campus life, neighbourhood and urban space that surround and support campus, their relationships with students' activities in Tokyo and Munich.	Students will get to know each other. They will discuss and share their thoughts on familiar places in Tokyo and Munich.
Class 2	Asynchronous Interactions (June 19) Asynchronous Interactions 1) Ask questions to TUM students about Munich and Germany. 2) Prepare a presentation to respond to one of the questions posted by TUM students.	Students will write and exchange questions about each other's countries, cities, societies, and cultures. From these questions, they will select one theme and prepare a brief presentation.
Class 3	(June 26) "My favourite places for entertainment and relaxation" Mini-lecture: History of the formation of entertainment districts in Tokyo (yamanote-shitamachi) Discussion topics: Entertainment, Places for fun and relaxation, cultural differences between Germany and Japan about the ideas of of "free time", "holiday", etc.	Students will share their knowledge and impressions of Japan and Germany, discuss the social and cultural differences between the two countries, and deepen their understanding.
Class 4	(July 3) "Urban nature in my neighbourhood" Discussion topics: concept of "nature", natural environment (river, sea, forests, mountains, etc.), environmental protections, waste and waste treatment, etc.	Students will discuss and deepen their understanding of the differences in perspectives on environmental issues, civil engineering, and energy policies in Tokyo and Munich, as well as in Japan and Germany.
Class 5	(July 10) Mini-dialogue: Aesthetic approaches to "mobility infrastructure" in urban space Group activities: Discussion to decide a topic for their group activity and in September and plan their fieldwork.	Students will form groups for the in-person summer project. They will strengthen their interactions with group members and decide on a project theme.
Class 6	(July 17) Asynchronous Interactions Finalize their group　schedule for September.	The groups will finalize their activity plans for the project.
Class 7	On-site orientation (11am-2pm)	Students will introduce themselves in-person, review their action plans, and participate in an orientation session.
Class 8	Group activities (500 mins in total)	Each group will conduct fieldwork for their project and create a video and poster.
Class 9	Group activities (500 mins in total)	Each group will conduct fieldwork for their project and create a video and poster.
Class 10	Group activities (500 mins in total)	Each group will conduct fieldwork for their project and create a video and poster.
Class 11	Group activities (500 mins in total)	Each group will conduct fieldwork for their project and create a video and poster.
Class 12	Group activities (500 mins in total)	Each group will conduct fieldwork for their project and create a video and poster.
Class 13	5 Sep Final presentation (starting at 15:00)	Students will reflect on and summarize their group activities. They will also share their outcomes with other groups.
Class 14	5 Sep Final presentation (starting at 14:00)	Students will reflect on and summarize their group activities. They will also share their outcomes with other groups.

Study advice (preparation and review)

Textbook(s)

Handouts

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Kleeman, Karin, ed. (2020), Ecopolis München 2019: environmental stories of discovery. Rachel Carson Center for Society and Environment. (https://rccve.ub.uni-muenchen.de/rccve/article/view/23/49)

Evaluation methods and criteria

- Group Presentation (40%)
Includes a video and a poster (interactive discussion format).
- Individual Report (40%)
Approximately 1,500 words in English.
Must discuss the presentation theme with academic support, referencing relevant literature and sources.
- Reflection Sheet (20%)

Related courses

ENT.G257 ： Intercultural Exchange Workshop

Prerequisites

Students are expected to have the English skills equivalent of B1 in the CEFR (this is not a requirement). We welcome students who are able to have everyday conversation and willing to improve their communication skills.

Other

If the number of applicants exceeds the capacity, a separate selection process will be conducted.

*A pre-course online orientation session takes place at 12.40pm on 16 April. The duration is for 30-40 minutes and you can join and leave according to your schedule. If you cannot join the sesion but would like more information about the course, please contact the tutor. Attendance is optional.
address: https://zoom.us/j/93721165695
meeting ID: 937 2116 5695