Improving Intercultural Competence of Female University Students in EFL within Saudi Arabia

AbstractThis case study is part of an ongoing research which aims to investigate and promote the values of multiculturalism, cultural pluralism and intercultural academic education in our communication-driven and culture-convergent world. As an Erasmus guest lecturer in the European Union, a visiting lecturer overseas and a lecturer in Saudi Arabia, I have always been trying to identify the opportunities of developing intercultural competence (ICC) of my university students. Firstly, this paper discusses the values and difficulties of teaching female university students in our multicultural academic environment heavily based on methodological and cultural issues in practice. Then, it focuses on the dominant role of English use among the international teaching staff and Saudi students, highlighting English as Lingua Franca in the globalised higher education. Secondly, it moves on introducing some theoretical approaches, concepts of culture and latest research results of intercultural competence (ICC). The outcome is to put practice into theory or correspond practice to theory. As a conclusion, the paper summarises the implications of developing ICC as an ongoing lifelong learning spiral in a multidimensional academic context. Finally, it presumes to forecast the opportunity of a paradigm shift in the area of intercultural university education in the near future