Intercultural Project (ICP)

Please also consult the information provided in the ICP moodle course.

Obligatory Stay Abroad

The Intercultural Project (ICP) is a compulsory element of all degree courses in the English Department. Students must spend 8 weeks or longer in an English-speaking country with the main objective of integrating into the culture. Upon their return, students reflect on their experience in a written report.

The ICP is worth 6 ECTS points. It is not a weekly course but consists of three different parts:

preparation (includes a pre-departure workshop)
the stay abroad (minimum of eight weeks)
reflection (includes a debriefing workshop and writing a reflective report)

The following degree programmes include an obligatory stay abroad in an English-speaking country (Intercultural Project (ICP)):

A longer stay abroad is highly recommended also for all other degree programmes offered by the English Department.

Part 1: Preparation

This is the time when you organise your project. You do not need a tutor's explicit approval of your project unless you are planning to go to a country which is not one of the main English-speaking countries listed in the "Where can I go?" section below.

There are no weekly classes to attend. If you need support, tutors have weekly office hours and you can sign up for an individual session to discuss your questions.

Before you go abroad, you need to sign up for and attend a pre-departure workshop on intercultural communication awareness. These workshops are normally held twice a semester on Saturdays from 10:00–13:30 towards the end of the semester.

Part 2: The stay abroad

Project requirements are to:

spend a minimum of eight weeks in an English-speaking country
be in a meaningful context to develop intercultural competence, i.e. not simply travelling or going with a friend
reflect on your experiences in the way suggested in the pre-departure workshop

Part 3: Reflection

After you return, you attend a debriefing workshop. This will give you time to share experiences with others who have been away, reflect on intercultural learning points and find out more about how to write your report.

Once you have attended the workshop, you complete a Reflective Report. The final version of your report should be written after the debriefing workshop. What you write should be based on field notes you made during your time abroad and your insights from the debriefing workshop.

When should I do my ICP?

You can do your ICP at any point during your studies.

It is very important you do not leave the ICP until your last semester or shorty before your Staatsexamen. Bear in mind the workshop timings and the writing of the report (and factor in time for marking - results will be entered on March 21 for the winter term and September 21 for the summer term).

Where can I go?

The main English-speaking countries for the ICP are the following:

The idea of the ICP is to be in an English-speaking environment which also shares some English-speaking cultural norms. However, it may be possible to go to another destination, provided it has English as an official language and your own English language skills are above average. If you are interested in this option, please speak to an ICP tutor.

What can I do?

For the ICP, you should do something that helps you integrate into the local culture. Any form of activity, paid or unpaid, will help you do this. You could work in a hostel or hotel, on a farm or in a café. You could be an assistant teacher, volunteer at a summer camp or stay with a family and help them with odd jobs. Most things are possible.

We hope that you can find something which you will really enjoy. So, take time to think about what you would most like to do and where. We recommend you start planning at least 12 months before you need the credit points for this course.

The department does not fund the ICP as such but there are several options for stays abroad which are funded (e.g. ERASMUS+, assistant teacher programmes, paid internships) to count as your ICP.

Look out for the annual information meeting.

Many different approaches to the Intercultural Project are possible. Here are some examples of what works, and what doesn't qualify as ICP:

Good examples

working in a café
work helping in a day centre for the elderly
helping out with German teaching at a university
short-term au pair job
doing odd jobs on a farm in return for free accommodation and meals.

Unacceptable examples

staying with a German relative in an English-speaking country
an eight-week backpacking tour in New Zealand with some fellow students
travelling with your partner (even for part of the time)
going with a friend from Germany and sharing an apartment/working in the same place

If you are unsure whether your idea for a project would work and want to talk it through, the best thing is to sign up for an appointment with an ICP tutor.

Can a previous stay abroad replace the ICP?

An exemption means that you do not have to do the workshops or write a report. You can apply for an exemption from the ICP if:

you have worked or studied for at least 6 months in an English-speaking country (where English is the official language), after your Abitur

you lived for most of your childhood in an English-speaking country

you completed the full 5 months of the Fremdsprachenassistenzkräfteprogramm des Pädagogischen Austauschdienstes

The procedure for getting an exemption can be found on the ICP Moodle page. If you are unsure whether your stay abroad qualifies for an exemption, please make an appointment with an ICP tutor.

Once you have completed all components of the ICP, your report has been submitted and you have participated in the other module part of the ICP-module in your degree programme, you can register for the ICP-module via LSF.

Please do not register for the exam until all of the above conditions have been met.