Programme

ModuleCourse (Taught in English)
BusinessInternational Management in an Inter-Cultural Environment 
SustainabilityMigration, Development, and Sustainability
Intercultural CompetenceIntercultural Competence

You can set your priority either for the module "Business", "Intercultural Competence" or "Sustainability". The courses  take place at the same time!  You have to choose one course.

Each module is automatically complemented by the German Language Course. Here you can find a detailed programme overview for theIWU: 2025.

International Management in an Inter-Cultural Environment

PROFESSOR
Name: German A. Zarate-Hoyos, Ph.D.
Office: on campus 
Office hours: 11:00 – 1:00 pm

Phone: N/A
Email: zarateg@cortland.edu  

SYLLABUS
The course´s syllabus can be found here.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Global production chains and foreign direct investment flows have accelerated as globalization has reached all corners of the world. Presence in emerging markets have become a necessity for major corporations as well as smaller companies. As a result, managers from around the world will have to operate in competitive and diverse international settings. In a competitive environment, managers must develop the knowledge and skills needed to understand the international context in which firms compete and to operate effectively in cross-national interactions. These skills are necessary for managers operating abroad or at home because both will most likely have to manage an increasing level of workforce diversity in local as well as global organizations. We will read articles, case studies and chapters and learn about globalization, global production, and foreign direct investment through country studies while also discussing  topics such as ethics, culture, diversity, leadership, cross-cultural communication, and human resource management.

INFORMATION ON THE COURSE CONTENT

Sustainability

Professor

Dr. Sascha Krannich
 

Detailed syllabus

Migration, Development, and Sustainability

Dr. Sascha Krannich (Gießen University, Germany) and Elvis Ngandwe (Tanzania) offer a course on the topics of migration, development, and sustainability. Seminar participants will get an introduction into basic terms, theories, and empirical findings in the frame of the interconnections of migration, devel-opment, and sustainability. Here, we will discuss and analyze current trends of global migration, trans-national forms of migrant activities as well as central indicators of human development and its sustain-ability in countries of origin, and how these movements fit into the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For this purpose, we will look at different international actors above and below the state level. These include international organizations and institutions (IOM, ILO, UNHCR etc.) as well as economic and civic actors, such as migrant organizations. The course also includes a three-day simulation game from the field of international development cooperation, and several field trips to relevant institutions and cities in Germany, including Berlin and Weimar.

If you already want to inform yourself about relevant issues of the course, feel free to have a look at these links:

www.undp.org  

sdgs.un.org/goals

www.giz.de/en/html/index.html

 

Intercultural Competence

Teacher:
Collette Wanjugu Döppner
cwanjugudoeppner@gmail.com

Detailed syllabus

Course description & objectives:
At the end of the course the students will be able to talk about and critically discuss topics like:

  • What is culture? Your Culture and the German Culture then and now
  • What is intercultural communication and competence and why do we need it?
  • Look at the main concepts of culture, stereotypes, prejudices, values. Stereotypes of own country and also Germany will be discussed
  • Cultural dimensions and differences - focus on German and participants’ cultures. E.g. Direct and indirect (high and low context) communication and how it influences our environment and the people we interact with.
  • Our cultural values and how they influence us and those we interact with
  • International/global business etiquette
  • Business and social customs
  • Work in a team with team members from different cultures
  • Promote and regard cultural diversity as an opportunity

You can find course material here.


The second part of the programme are the German language courses, offered on different levels.

German Language Courses

Learn German! German is a fascinating language and enables you to talk to people in Germany and Austria as well as in parts of Switzerland, Italy, France and Belgium. There are also many people in Eastern Europe who are speaking German as a foreign language.

German language courses accompany the seminar programme. IWU Fulda offers German language courses on five levels according to the Common European Frame of Reference (CEFR):

Basic Level 1 (A1 CEFR)Beginners with no knowledge of German
Basic Level 2 (A2 CEFR)Students with little knowledge of German
Intermediate Level 1 (B1 CEFR)Students with a basic knowledge of German
Intermediate Level 2 (B2 CEFR)Students with a good basic knowledge of German
Advanced Level (C1 CEFR)Students who can speak and write German fluently

The programme fee covers one language course at your level including all course materials.

In order to allocate you to the right course, there will be an assessment test at the beginning of our programme which all participants should take. This will help us to find the right level for you. You can be certain that you will be placed in a course which is neither too difficult nor too easy for you.
 

Workshops

Workshops meet once a week for approx. 2 hours. The course fee covers participation in up to four workshops of your choice. Some workshops require prior sign-up and the number of participants is limited.

Dance: Salsa
Beginner or advanced dancer – the fun factor is guaranteed!

Culture and Leisure
A diverse cultural programme with concert visits, festive events and movie nights rounds off the IWU program. The cultural program is to a large part included in the course fee. Enjoy!

Hike to the Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg is one of the most beautiful hills in the Rhön mountains. Get to know the beauty of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Rhön. Enjoy the short hike and the view!

Field Trips

On the weekends we invite you to learn more about German and European culture - past and present - while enjoying a day out with your friends. We will discover the German capital of Berlin.

Meals, except for breakfast at the hostels, are not included.

Some of the field trips are covered with the program, while others cost an extra fee.

Point Alpha (included in the programme fee), January 16, 2025
The Point Alpha Memorial is an authentic scene of the Cold War and a unique testimony to four decades of contemporary history.

Würzburg (additional fee: 50€), January 17, 2025

Visit one of the most beautiful city of Bavaria! Enjoy and explore 18th century Residence Palace known for unique baroque and rococo architecture. 

Weimar (additional fee: 50€), January 18, 2025
Come visit with us the town where the poets Goethe and Schiller and the composers Bach and Liszt lived and worked. Weimar is the birth place of the architectural style “Bauhaus” as well as of the first German republic. The darkest years of German history, however, are also represented here: At the Memorial Site Buchenwald you will learn about the horrors of the National Socialist regime.

Eisenach (additional fee: 50€), January 19, 2025

Enjoy city tour and discover with us beautiful city Eisenach! Eisenach is the city of the Wartburg where Martin Luther translated the bible into German. Eisenach is also the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Berlin (included in the programme fee), January 24-26, 2025
Visit the capital of Germany! Berlin is not only the political capital of Germany, but also the historical and cultural centre of Germany. We will have a city tour, see the famous remains of the Berlin wall, visit the German Bundestag (lower chamber) at the Reichstag building, the Holocaust Memorial… We will have plenty of time to go shopping or just enjoy day and night life in Berlin! Single rooms can be booked for an extra fee if reserved in advance.

 

Kreuzberg / Rhön mountains (included in the programme fee), January 30, 2025

Explore the beauty of Rhon Mountains, where you can experience tobogganing and have hiking tour in the mountains. 

 

Academic Director

Prof. Dr.

Uwe Hunger

Political Science with a focus on Migration

Building P (22) , Room 118
Prof. Dr.Uwe Hunger+49 661 9640-476
Consultation hours
by appointment via mail: team.hunger@sk.hs-fulda.de

Programme Coordinator

Judith Tornier

Coordinator

International Summer University and International Winter University

Building 41 , Room 101a/b
Judith Tornier+49 661 9640-1740
Office hours
Monday - Friday
Apply here Programme Overview