More and more aspects of daily life (such as trade and business, communication, products in grocery stores) are being globalized as our world gets connected. And an increasing number of students spend some time abroad to study and live in different cultures. Those students are being prepared for 'culture shock' in their preparatory courses. This stresses that even though countries are closely connected they value their cultures, which differ from each other in many respects. One of these is the way people address one another and show respect or affection - to name only a few aspects of politeness. In this seminar we will have a closer look at this specific aspect of culture.

We will define aspects of politeness, look at different theories on politeness (e.g. the one proposed by Brown and Levinson) and read papers that present current research, which aims at presenting politeness strategies in one culture or comparing those of different countries. The aim of the seminar is to increase awareness for differences in politeness strategies and to show that the knowledge of these strategies can help to prevent misunderstandings. In this respect knowing about politeness in different countries is a form of cultural competence. It would be enriching if students from different countries participate and present their cultural understanding of politeness.

The seminar will be held in English.

Material: to be announced on studIP