Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer

University of Duisburg-Essen

Cross-Cultural Communication in Urban Education

-Results and Proposals for a new cross-border Master-Course design, with the supplementary component of an Intercultural Communication Certification

An interactive curriculum development of the Universities of Gdansk (PL) and Duisburg-Essen (D) based on an innovative cooperation aiming at setting up a cross-border university network serving the general purpose to support the areas of joint urban education combined with cross-cultural cooperation in a regular exchange program for master-students from both countries.This German-Polish cooperation was originally funded by the national Ministries of both countries - the so-called "German-Polish Year (2005/2006)".

Since 2010 the final evaluation phase is now funded by the German-Polish Science Foundation. German-Polish “Master-DUO Courses” under the Microscope. European Master Course with Intercultural Communication as a Supplementary Component: A Long-term Cooperation Project between the Universities of Gdansk and Duisburg-Essen

Implementing a Pilot Project at the Universities of Gdansk and Duisburg-Essen with a view to subsequently established a cross-border Master Course in the Humanities at both universities

Ever since the nineties of the last century there has been in existence a partnership and cooperation between the universities of Gdansk and Duisburg in the area of European and intercultural research and teaching projects as part of which students from Poland and Germany went on exchange visits to Duisburg or Gdansk respectively. These measures were initiated by Professor Manfred Bayer with the support of DAAD and were later – after this retirement – continued under the auspices of the J. G. Herder Foundation. During the last four years, in his capacity as a Visiting Professor at Gdansk, Professor Bayer has been able to intensify this exchange by annually conducting courses in intercultural studies both in Germany and Poland, in the course of which complete teaching modules in this field have been developed. Within the program of the German-Polish Year 2005/6 a newly developed Gdansk-Duisburg Internet Bridge has been established for the purpose of testing this intercultural component which also serves as an obligatory foundation for the proposed German-Polish Master-DUO Course starting now in the broad field of Intercultural Studies and cross-border communication.

2. General Aims and Principal Purpose

This innovative cooperation is aimed at setting up a cross-border university network: The new Master-DUO Courses serve the general purpose of international mobility and especially successful relations between Germany and Poland in the areas of joint educational programs including intercultural communication. This aim is confirmed in the preamble to the cooperation agreement signed by the Rectors and Deans on 17^th August 2007:

“In order to contribute to the implementation of the Bologna process, of the Lisbon Agenda as well as to act in the spirit of the ‘Common Declaration of the Participants of the Polish-German Higher Education Conference’ in Krakow, May 2005, the University of Gdansk and the University of Duisburg-Essen conclude this Agreement to support the academic cooperation between Poland and Germany as EU member states.”

In accordance with this agreement all Master-DUO students are obliged to attend – in addition to courses in their various special subjects – an additional module on Intercultural Communication which will be offered at both universities.

References: M. Bayer, F. Bohnsack, B. Koch-Priewe, J. Wildt (Hrsg.): Lehrerin und Lehrer werden ohne Kompetenz? Professionelle Kompetenz durch eine andere Lehrerbildung, Bad Heibrunn 2000. Zur Begründung und Überwindung von Fremdenfeindlichkeit in migrationsbedingten Transformationsprozessen, In: Piotr Dobrowolski, Joachim Liski, Janusz Sztumski (Hrsg.): Spoteczno – polityczne aspekty transformacji ustrojowej, Ustron 2001, S. 21-30. Mündigkeit und Anpassung in der Interkulturellen Pädagogik – über die Vielfalt der Kulturen und die Notwendigkeit einer politischen Bildungsoffensive. In: A. Schlüter (Hrsg.): Aktuelles und Querliegendes zur Didaktik und Curriculumentwicklung. Festschrift für Werner Habel, Bielefeld 2003, S. 192 – 206. Bayer, M.: Ksztalcenie interkulturowe jako zadanie ksztalcenia nauczycieli w Europie. In: Nikitorowicz, J.: Edukacja Miedzykulturowa, Bialystok 1995, s. 111-133. Bayer, M.: Idee filozoficznego ksztalcenia i ich zwiazek z prawami czlowieka. Maria Mendel (red.): Czlowiek, Szkola, Wspólnota. W kregu edukacji spolecznej, Torun 2000, s. 39-47. Bayer, M.: Zur Begründung und Überwindung von Fremdenfeindlichkeit in migrationsbedingten Transformationsprozessen, In: Piotr Dobrowolski, Joachim Liski, Janusz Sztumski (Hrsg.): Spoleczno – polityczne aspekty transformacji ustrojowej, Ustron 2001, S. 21-30. Bayer, M.: Marginalisierungsprobleme junger osteuropäischer Spätaussiedler aufgrund von fehlender interkultureller Kommunikationsförderung in ihrer deutschen Lebenswelt. In: Tadeusz Pilch: Kultury tradycyjne a kultura globalna: Konteksty edukacji miedzykulturowej, Bialystok 2001, S. 99-115. Bayer, M.: Prawa czlowieka wprzemianach cywilizacji europejski. Refleksje o tym, co wlasne w nas samych. Maria Mendel (red.): Animacja wspólpracy srodowiskowej, Torun 2002, s. 72-82.