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Institute for Intercultural Communication

Through interaction with different cultures, everyone experiences intercultural situations. The Institute for Intercultural Communication teaches and researches the optimisation of (inter)cultural sensitivity and competence.

The IIC

The Institute for Intercultural Communication (IIC) is a cross-faculty and interdisciplinary research and consultancy institute at Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences. It pursues the goal of analysing intercultural problems scientifically and developing innovative and applicable approaches. The institute promotes an intensive exchange between practice and research as well as teaching in the context of interculturality.

  • Institute goals and focal points

    The specific objectives of the IIC are teaching, learning and research activities to develop and optimise (inter)cultural sensitivity and competence at Aschaffenburg UAS and in internationally active companies and institutions. A particular focus of the institute's research activities is the examination of the role of interculturality in the following areas:

    • Cultural and communication studies
    • Linguistics
    • Service sector (especially in the fields of tourism, hospitality, wellness and health)
    • Business administration, law and engineering
    • Business psychology
    • Internationalisation
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  • International networking and events

    The Language Centre of Aschaffenburg UAS, which is closely linked to the IIC, regularly organises an International Language Week. The IIC also hosted the annual conference of the Society for Key Competences in November 2022.

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  • Metaphor “Bridge between Continents and Cultures”

    The “Bridge between Continents and Cultures” in the west of the Icelandic peninsula of Reykjanes spans the rift between the Eurasian and North American continental plates (= Miðlina). The IIC also sees itself as a link between continents and cultures.

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Team

Associated members

  • Birgit Kraus (cooperative doctoral student with Prof. Dr. Link)
  • Angela Warkentin (cooperative doctoral student with Prof. Dr. Link)
  • Zhenan Li (cooperative doctoral student with Prof. Dr. Link)
  • Mirian Seitz (cooperative doctoral student with Prof. Dr. Link)
  • Nina Heininger (cooperative doctoral student with Prof. Dr. Link)
  • Marwa Rahman (research associate and cooperative doctoral student with Prof. Dr. Link) 

  • The "bridge between the continents" in the west of the Icelandic peninsula of Reykjanes spans the rift between the Eurasian and North American continental plates (= Miðlina). The IIC also sees itself as a link between continents and cultures.

  • The founding members of the Institute for Intercultural Communications from left to right: Prof. Dr. Wang-Nastansky, Prof. Dr. Krauße, Prof. Dr. Link, Prof. Dr. Kaiser, Prof. Dr. Angress.

Events

The IIC is a regular co-host and organiser for national and international conferences. The upcoming conferences and past events can be found below.

Gebäude aus der Vogelperspektive am Campus 1

International Language Week 2025 in Aschaffenburg

The interdisciplinary International Language Week (ILW) will take place at Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences from the 1st to the 5th of December under the motto "The Role of Global Citizenship for Foreign Language and Intercultural Education".

Hosts of the ILW are the Language Centre and the Institute for Intercultural Communication. The event consolidates existing cooperation and facilitates new trans- and intercultural collaborations.

Find out more about the International Language Week 2025

Annual Conference of the Society for Key Competences at Aschaffenburg UAS

Under the motto, Student Life Cycle: Key Competences as “Duty or Free Choice”, the 19th Annual Conference of the Society for Key Competences in Teaching, Research and Practice association took place at Aschaffenburg UAS from the 16th to the 18th of November 2022.

The Institute for Intercultural Communication was involved in the design and organisation of the annual conference.

Find out more about the Annual Conference of the GFSK

Projects

  • Connection Concepts through gaming workshop

    ConnectS UP

    The ConnectS UP project promotes the connection between universities and companies through innovative, practical teaching methods.

    Learn more
  • STEPS4EU Kick-off-Meeting in Mailand

    ERASMUS+ Project STEPS4EU

    Improvement of the overall success of engineering projects in the EU through the development of cross-functional skills of all participating team members.

    Learn more
  • The Primavera24 presenter interviews Prof. Dr. Rainer Georg Hofmann.

    mainproject

    Information transfer project focusing on digital transformation, sustainability and agile transition to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs enterprises in the Bavarian Lower Main region.

    Learn more
  • AI modelling with expert knowledge for Indusrtry workspaces

    Exkimo

    AI modelling with integration of expert knowledge for use in industrial processes.

    Learn more
  • A student sits in a research vehicle at the TH Aschaffenburg.

    i4Driving: Integrated 4D driving modelling with consideration of uncertainties

    Development of a database that expands, integrates, and provides several reference models to represent the diversity of human driving behavior for virtual CCAM evaluation.

    Learn more
  • Zwei Forscher stehen vor ihrem Forschungsprojekt

    MOSES

    Multi-optical sensor technology and real-time data processing are used to capture the process situation for automated UKP laser based PCB processing for manufacturing inductive sensors of the future.

    Learn more
  • International Mercuri students at the TH Aschaffenburg campus

    MERCURI

    Development of a transnational study programme in Customer Relationship Marketing, in collaboration with four universties.

    Learn more
  • Gebäudemauer am Campus 1

    dima Digital Manufactory

    The Digital Manufacture supports citizens of the city of Aschaffenburg with applied artificial intelligence to improve the urban living space.

    Learn more
  • Prof. Dr. Erich Ruppert und Joachim Schmitt referieren im Rahmen des Wissenstransferprojekts mainproject.

    TransferformKMU

    With TransferformKMU, the Institute for Management and leadership supports regional companies on their way out of the pandemic with further training on sustainability and transformation.

    Learn more
  • The European Central Bank Euro Symbol in Frankfurt

    Quantitative Easing

    In January 2015, the ECB Governing Council decided on the "Quantitative Easing" asset purchase programme. The project comments on this decision and the resulting consequences.

    Learn more

  • A new level for the Bridge of Knowledge App was created by the students of the Masters degree programme.

Students from the Masters programme in International Management created a new level for the Bridge of Knowledge VR quiz app in the 2024 summer semester. The app includes questions on general academic knowledge, with players progressing on a virtual bridge if they answer correctly. The new level “Intercultural basics” contains 70 multiple-choice questions that were developed in multicultural teams. This app was developed under the direction of Prof. Dr. Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer (TU Chemnitz, formerly LMU Munich). Prof. Dr. Renate Link and Prof. Sanchez-Stockhammer supported the students in creating questions. The app is available free of charge in the Google Play Store and App Store and can also be used without VR glasses.

PhD projects

The Institute for Intercultural Communication offers doctoral candidates interesting topics related to (inter)cultural sensitivity and competence. The iDok doctoral programme at Aschaffenburg UAS supports and advises doctoral candidates from the planning of the doctoral project to the publication of the dissertation.

  • Ongoing dissertations

    Name Title Co-operative university
    Heininger, Nina ChatGPT in the higher education context. Applications in foreign language teaching with a focus on German as a foreign language University of Bayreuth
    Kraus, Birgit Acquisition of language(s) and intercultural competence at the learning location 'foreign university' - quality assurance and quality development TU Darmstadt
    Li, Zhenan Qualification concept for company training staff in China FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg

    Rahman, Marwa

    Learning capsules in project management (based on the ERASMUS+ project STEPS4EU)

    		 FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg
    Seitz, Mirian Development of students' intercultural learning in the course of a study abroad programme University of Kassel
    Warkentin, Angela Intercultural leadership communication - how female managers communicate effectively in an intercultural working environment TU Darmstadt

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