IMPORTANT:
- THE VERSION STARTING IN PERIOD 4 ACTUALLY IS A FLOATING SKILLS, RUNNING THROUGHOUT PERIOD 4 AND 5, PARALLEL TO REGULAR COURSES, requiring ca. 3-4 hours study per week (more detail below). CREDITS ARE ONLY GIVEN TO STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE ENTIRE SKILLS TRAINING over both period 4 and 5. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS FLOATING SKILL (PERIOD 4,5) IS ALREADY FULLY BOOKED. PLACES IN PERIOD 3 ARE STILL AVAILABLE.
- THE VERSION IN PERIOD 3 is concentrated in the skills period.
- The option of taking the skills in period 6 has been abolished from the academic year 2013-2014.
The version in period 3 and the floating skills throughout period 4 and 5 are different in length and timing but identical in content and overall study load.

MORE INFO ON THE FLOATING SKILLS, starting in period 4 (new in 2013-2014):
- The floating skills extends to two periods: period 4 and 5.
- To get credits for this version you have to follow the entire skills training in period 4 AND 5. You can NOT choose between period 4 and 5.
- Required time involvement is ca. 3-4 hours per week, including contact hours and self-study. Clearly, the actual time involvement might vary per week.
- In each of the two course periods (4 and 5), there will be a total of ca. 4 tutorial meetings and 1-3 lectures over the entire course period, implying a total of ca. 10-12 contact hours per course period.
- In addition, self-study, preparation of exercises, and writing reflection reports requires a total of ca. 15-20 hours per course period.
- Registration for the floating skills is only necessary at the beginning, for period 4. You are automatically registered for the second part in period 5.
- For the academic year 2013-2014 the number of participants is maximized to 48 (as it is pilot).

COMBINATION OF THE FLOATING SKILLS IN PERIOD 4 & 5 WITH OTHER COURSES
- Given the time involvement (on average 3-4 hours per week), the floating skills can well be combined with 2 regular courses. Clearly, it does involve extra work next to two other courses: it is a serious skills training.
- You do not need special permission to take the floating skills next to two regular courses.
- It is not allowed to take the floating skills next to 3 courses. If you register for the floating skills and ask for permission for taking three other courses, either in period 4 or 5, this will be refused.
- Overall, the floating skills does not take more time than the concentrated skills.
- The big advantage for students for taking the floating skills is that you don’t have to be in Maastricht for period 6, implying a (much) longer free period in summer, e.g. for internships.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO VERSIONS
- The content of the floating skills (period 4&5) is roughly equal to the concentrated skills training (period 3).
- The main difference is that the floating skills gives the opportunity to apply the skills in team assignments during parallel courses. This way participants will receive feedback during the skills training on the process of grounding the skills in day-to-day practice.

GOALS OF THE SKILLS TRAINING (identical for the two versions)
Both in your career and in your studies (e.g. during an exchange period), you will have to be able to work with people from very diverse backgrounds. This requires effective intercultural skills. Intercultural skills in teamwork are used as a frame of reference in the skills training. This approach allows us to deal with virtually all relevant intercultural skills. We use teamwork in SBE as a starting point and gradually work towards translating this to the career perspective of participants. There is also scope for looking at intercultural issues in individual life experiences of participants.
You will discover how intercultural encounters are always a mixture of individual and cultural elements, how to reflect effectively on this, how to communicate about tensions you experience (and how not…), and how to talk about cultural differences in a way that is productive for everybody involved. Together, these form the building blocks of managing diversity in teams.

After an introduction to the topic you will begin with taking stock of your existing skills and determining what you want to work on in this skills training. In the following meetings we look at how communication styles, values and cultural identities have an impact on intercultural encounters, with special attention to intercultural team work. We will use role plays, discussions, reflection on your own experiences, work in small groups, all in relation to an attractive textbook. Notwithstanding the use of a textbook, focus remains on skills development. Half way the training we do an intercultural simulation where you can reflect on your development. The final session integrates your learning by looking at effective conflict management and effective intercultural cooperation.

Stella Ting-Toomey, Communicating Across Cultures. New York: The Guilford Press, 1999

The training aims at participants of all levels of intercultural experience: from very limited to very extensive. You can take it before, or after your study abroad, and as an exchange student during your stay at UM. Bicultural students and students with extensive intercultural life experience enjoy the training a lot. The skills training will turn your intercultural life experiences into a valuable asset.
An advanced level of English