The development of intercultural competences: two actionresearch projects in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at UcaSal

Abstract

Teachers of English as an International Language
(ILI) are faced with the challenge of promoting
the development of intercultural competences in
order to question hegemonic patterns in English
teaching. Intercultural skills include and go
beyond language competence, as they work on
transnational intercultural dialogue. The purpose
of this article is to present a synopsis of the
rationale and methodology of two interdisciplinary
actionresearch projects organized by Research
Project 199 of the Consejo de Investigaciones de
la Universidad Católica de Salta, UCaSal, Identity
and Multiculturalism in Anglophone Discourse
(RR 1733/16), which were carried out in 2020,
at the School of Arts and Sciences: «Studies
on language, culture and translation: cultural
literacy and intercultural competences» and «The
development of intercultural communicative
competence through creative projects of textual
intervention». These projects aimed at fostering
in students —future teachers of English as a
Second/ International Language and translators—
the development of the necessary skills to navigate
cultural diversity and learn to build more inclusive
options for the future.