Preparing the ground for intercultural communicative competence through stereotypes

Abstract

Intercultural Communicative Competence has become a recognized learning goal of language teaching. This article argues for a dedicated introductory pedagogical module that teaches students the preliminary cognitive and metacognitive skills that are necessary for them to successfully approach the study of ICC. The first part of this article analyzes established theories on ICC to identify these necessary foundational concepts and skills. The article then presents a practical teaching module that prepares the ground for the learning of ICC. The module is based on a deconstruction of cultural stereotypes as a means to help students reflect on what culture is and initiate a reflection on intercultural exchange.