Course Form

Academic Year 2016/2016

Course International Multimodal Communication

Degree Business Communication

Assessment plan Daytime/ Evening

Technical and Scientific Unit Grupo de Tradução

Total Workload / Weekly 3.0 Academic year / Term 2nd Academic year /
Summer Semester
Theoretical/Practical Work (hours) 3.0
Attendance Optional

Number of Credits 4.0

(ECTS)
Language English

Prerequisites
Course Responsible Doutora Alexandra Albuquerque
Teacher
Course Teacher Doutora Alexandra Albuquerque
Doutora Célia Tavares

Syllabus
Objectives
1. To use English effectively to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to several target publics and
cultural environments;
2. To understand the context of and to challenges communication in a global market;
3. To manage cultural diversity in international communication;
4. To select and use various tools to support multimodal communication;
5. To understand the role of translation and localisation in international communication;
6. To analyse and manage multimodal communication in interpersonal encounters;
7. To analyse and manage multimodal presentations;
8. To analyse and manage multimodal communication in multilingual, international, intercultural and professional contexts.

Syllabus
1. International Communication: brief introduction
2. Multimodal Communication:
- Concept
- Communication modes and communication channels
- Some theories
3. Intercultural Multimodal Communication
- Models of intercultural communication (G. Hofstede e E. Hall)
- English as an International Language: a Language with many cultures
- using semiotic resources for diversity and inclusion management
4. Multimodal Communication in Multilingual contexts
- translation-mediated communication:
- technics, tools and basic skills
- the importance of terminology in business translation
5. Multimodal business communication
- e-commerce and localisation
- some basics of information design
- information visualisation
-using storytelling in business presentations
6. Multimedia translation: a tool for accessibility and inclusion
- AVT modes and challenges
- Introduction to subtitling
- Introduction to audio description

4/6
Show coherence between teaching methods and learning objectives of the course
Theoretical points of the program are followed by a reflection and critical analysis of examples, leading to the development of
practical work. Students will learn, by exploring and applying the acquired concepts, through autonomous and group work. Practical
work is the subject to personal and group reflection, self/peer evaluation following a perspective of future learning and integration of
the technologies and approaches developed throughout the semester. Particular importance is given to continuous assessment that
allows students to demonstrate the competencies acquired with his work. This assessment plan values competencies and
knowledge shown by students at the level of preparing individual/group assignments with written and oral presentation; carrying out
practical exercises; participating in teaching activities, projects and academic assignments; evaluating and discussing those
assignments and analysing and resolving problems arising from theoretical and/or practical reflection.

Teaching methodologies
The lessons consist of laboratory sessions, with the use of computer equipment, use of the Internet, and use of the applications of
computer-assisted translation and machine translation. Lessons have theoretical/practical nature. Simulation situations will be
created with different degrees of complexity in order to apply the developed competencies within a problem-solving approach.
Lecture method as well as inductive, deductive and comparative reasoning methods, in individual and group projects and
assignments.

Show coherence between teaching methods and the course learning objectives
Lessons will be both theoretical and practical and will have a duration of three hours per week, according to what is established in the
course curricula.
Considering that this curricular units are theoretical and practical, the underlying pedagogical method is guided towards "knowing how
to do and "learning how to learn". It links the various types of pedagogical methods used.
Teaching/learning has a multidisciplinary perspective and seeking to stimulate research capabilities and group work.
The involvement of students in individual and/or group projects allows the connection between the theoretical aspects of the UC and
their applied practice, in the present as well as in future work.

Assessment Methods
Assessment Plans: CONTINUOUS AND FINAL ASSESSMENT

Description of the various assessment methodologies

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
- Classes will have both a theoretical and applied approach. Main Concepts will be presented and students will then be invited to
participate in discussions, case-studies’ analysis, analysis of texts, production of texts and production of other semiotic resources.
-
Assessment:
Continuous Assessment:
- A: Class Work: (50%).
- B: Group Work: (50%)
- Each assignment must have a minimum grade of 7 (out of 20).
- The continuous assessment plan is the one that constantly values the competencies and knowledge shown by students throughout
the teaching year in several circumstances, at the level of:
- Preparing individual/group assignments with written and oral presentation;
- Carrying out practical exercises;
- Participating in teaching activities, projects and academic assignments which complement and extend classes; and evaluating and
discussing those assignments;
- Analysing and resolving problems arising from theoretical and/or practical reflection;
- Carrying out mini-tests/tests in moments that are predefined for assessment and that are scheduled in the beginning of the semester
and distributed throughout the semester.
- Along with the teaching component, the students are expected to prepare the topics, perform research and timely plan their tasks
for class whenever prompted to do so.
FINAL ASSESSMENT
The final assessment plan is based on individual and/or assignments throughout the semester with oral and written presentation, and
global assessment tests, commonly designated as examinations (Written tests). These tests must be held at the end of the semester
according to the course regulations.

Calculation of final grade

Class Work (50%) + Group Work (50%).

Second chance Assessment

Second chance assessment according to the RIFA regulation.

5/6
References
Arola, K. L., Sheppard, J., Ball, C. E., Arola, U. K. L., & Ball, P. C. E. (2014). Writer/designer: A guide to making multimodal projects.
Boston, MA, United States: Bedford Books.
Bonacchi, S., & Karpiński, M. (2014). Remarks about the use of the term “multimodality” (A Word from the Editors of the Journal).
Journal of Multimodal Communication Studies, I(1), 1–7.
Fernández-Villanueva, M., & Jungbluth, K. (Eds.). (2016). Beyond Language Boundaries: Multimodal Use in Multilingual Contexts.
PT&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=DE%20GRUYTER%20MOUTON%20multimodal%20communication&f=false
Hiippala, T. (2016). The structure of multimodal documents: An empirical approach. Routledge.
Jewitt, C., Bezemer, J., & O’Halloran, K. (2016). Introducing Multimodality (1st ed.). Retrieved from
https://books.google.pt/books?id=tazOCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205&dq=DE+GRUYTER+MOUTON+multimodal+communication&hl
=pt-PT&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=DE%20GRUYTER%20MOUTON%20multimodal%20communication&f=false
Kress, G. (2004). Reading Images: Multimodality, Representation and New Media. Expert Forum for Knowledge Presentation.
Retrieved from http://www.knowledgepresentation.org/BuildingTheFuture/Kress2/Kress2.html
Żebrowsk, E. (2014). Multimodal messages. Journal of Multimodal Communication Studies, I(1), 8–15.

Other References
Available on the Moodle Page of the course.