The conference  "Intercultural meetings within institutional borders - Nordic Network for Intercultural Communication" will be held in Oslo, Norway, and is organized by the Centre for Educational Research and Development in cooperation with Intercult at Oslo University College.

The Conference will be opened by the mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang and rector of Oslo University College Sissel Østberg.

Preliminary keynote speakers are:

• Post doc. Sharam Alghasi, Culcom, University of Oslo
• Professor Knut Aukrust, University of Oslo
• Professor Knut Kjeldstadli, University of Oslo
• Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen, University of Oslo
• Associate Professor Anne Birgitte Leseth, Oslo University College
  

Dr. Claudia Lenz from the EWC will have a lecture about "Council of Europe on Intercultural Dialogue - the Challenge of Bridging Policy and Practice".

The main focus of the conference will be intercultural meetings that take place within the borders of an educational institution. In particular, we wish to raise the consciousness of academic staff in their meeting with a diverse student body. How do they adapt personally and pedagogically and how do they overcome the challenges of communication?

The aim of the conference is to encourage scholars and researchers with different theoretical and practical backgrounds to discuss the current issues and prospects of intercultural communication. Emphasis will be placed on the views which allow an exchange of ideas and interaction between various practitioners and researchers of intercultural communication.

In addition to the main theme Intercultural meetings within institutional borders, we therefore wish to invite papers addressing any of the following themes:

• Implications of the mass media and the world situation on intercultural communication
• Minority – majority communication issues
• Values in a multicultural society
• Cultural diversity and professional demands in vocational studies and professions
• Intercultural conflict handling
• Intercultural communication in different professions and areas of work
• Bilingualism as a social and professional asset
• Intercultural business communication
• Nordic identity and language attitudes within the Nordic countries
• The effect of internationalization through professional cooperation across national borders and through students’ and staffs’ exchange periods
  

The different themes will be divided into separate seminars as well as workshops.

If you have any questions related to the registration, please contact Mona F. Holmgren, + 47 22 45 22 55, leo@lui.hio.no

Further information on the conference can be obtained at NIC2010@hio.no .

The Conference is sponsored by the Research Council of Norway.