EEP Workshop discussions
Image: Ellie Edwards (2012). Day of the Dead in Mexico.
Modern Languages, University of Southampton.

Cultural encounters,
ethnography and the
student researcher

Initial discussion:
• What counts as a ‘cultural encounter’
• Which would be the ‘ideal’ type of cultural encounter we’d like our
students to experience?
• And do they? In your experience, what challenges and/or opportunities
do our students have abroad in this respect?
• What can we understand by “culture shock”? What role (if any)
does/would this play in understanding cultural exchange?
Examples from the Langsnap data…

The self, the other and space we share.
Image: Juley Somougli (2014). Too Tall to be Mexican.
Modern Languages, University of Southampton.

From “cultural impressions” to
Ethnography

Share your views:
• How can we ease the process of understanding concepts such as the
“cultural-self”, “otherness”?
• Is ethnography the alternative? Should we encourage ethnography?
• How can we prepare students to take up the challenge of ethnographic
research?
• Are there other means to achieve ‘ethnographic’ understanding?
• How do we support students in integrating research into their experiences
while they are away?
Examples from returning students…

Achievements and challenges ahead
Image: Juley Somougli (2014). Problem solving skills: My working space.
Modern Languages, University of Southampton.

The student researcher
CONCLUSIONS.

Connecting language
acquisition and
intercultural learning in the
Year Abroad

Questions to consider
• How are the processes of language acquisition and intercultural learning
related?
• Do students who engage more in research during their Residence Abroad also
show more improvement in their language skills?
• How do we support students in developing language skills and intercultural
learning while they are away?
• How are these processes influenced by the transformation of the digital
landscape and connections students may have before and after the residence
abroad?