MANY ROOTS, MANY VOICES

The benefits of intercultural communication through literature: The contact of exchange students with foreign authors.

One of the main aspects of higher education is the production and studying of academic literature. That's not different for exchange students and their case could use special attention.. Since exchange students find themselves abroad, their contact with various aspects of foreign culture is constant. Between these aspects we can consider local literature as a highly significant one. Through local literature the exchange students can be in contact with the culture they're inserted in and learn about its history. In the context of an exchange course the use of local literature can be a means of learning specific aspects of a foreign culture and in this aspect it promotes intercultural communication. The immmersion caused by such a contact may lead the student to learn about issues which are particularly special inside the country, in Sweden's case for example, issues like: gender roles now and in the past; national cinema development; wellfare-state; late political progresses; art history. Besides helping the exchange student understand all these questions as academic matters it also allows them to adapt to the culture he's in. Another very probable benefit of the contact with foreign literature is the learning of a new language. Some courses may use simple introductory texts in the host country's language for exchange students to develop their understanding of the new language; obviously this side of the contact with literature will also help the student to adapt and understand the country's culture.