IMPORTANT:
THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS, you choose one of them:
1.THE VERSION IN PERIOD 3 is concentrated in the skills period.
2.THE VERSION STARTING IN PERIOD 4 IS A FLOATING SKILLS, RUNNING THROUGHOUT PERIOD 4 AND 5, PARALLEL TO REGULAR COURSES, requiring ca. 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.
- The option of taking the skills in period 6 has been abolished from the academic year 2013-2014 onwards
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.
For the academic year 2014-2015 the maximum number of participants in the floating skills is 84 : 54 regular students and 30 exchange students.
REGISTRATION:
- FOR THE FLOATING SKILL, STARTING PERIOD 4, REGISTRATION FOR EXCHANGE STUDENTS IS OUTSIDE THE REGULAR REGISTRATION SYSTEM. EXCHANGE STUDENTS ARE INFORMED BY EMAIL ABOUT THE PROCEDURE.
- FOR REGULAR STUDENTS, REGISTRATION FOR THE FLOATING SKILLS OPENS WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 13.00 (in the regular registration system), and closes November 30.
- For the version starting period 3, registration is for all students identical to all other skills training in period 3, and closes November 9.
- There is FULL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT for both versions.
MORE INFO ON THE FLOATING SKILLS, starting in period 4
- To get credits for this version you have to follow the entire skills training in period 4 AND 5. It is a NOT a matter of choosing between period 4 and 5.
- Required time involvement for the floating skills is ca. 4 hours per week, including contact hours and self-study. Clearly, the actual time involvement might vary per week.
- DURING THE FLOATING SKILLS in period 4 and 5, LECTURES MIGHT BE SCHEDULED IN THE EVENINGS, ALSO FOR STUDENTS WHO BLOCKED EVENING EDUCATION. As there is full attendance requirement for this course, ATTENDANCE AT EVENING LECTURES IS REQUIRED. In total this concerns a maximum of three lectures: two in period 4, and one in period 5. If evening lectures are scheduled, these will be from 18.30-20.30, but NOT on Fridays,.
- Tutorials will be scheduled in day time, and can be any day in the week. There will be 8 meetings in total (probably five in period 4, and three in period 5).



COMBINATION OF THE FLOATING SKILLS IN PERIOD 4 & 5 WITH OTHER COURSES
- Given the time involvement (on average 4 hours per week, incl. meetings and lectures), 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