Dr Vivien Xiaowei Zhou
| Biography | I am a Lecturer in Intercultural Communication and Programme Leader for MSc Intercultural Business Communication. My academic speciality is based in Educational studies. My research interests primarily concern the intercultural dimension of human communication, relations and identity, particularly the narrativity of individuals’ lived experiences of interculturality. My empirical research projects to date have focused on university students’ reflective and dialogic practices in intercultural education settings. More currently, I am exploring existential and epistemic questions in intercultural communication, seeking answers that empirical research (particularly conducted within 'established' knowledge paradigms) often fails to offer as to important questions we face in the real world. Part of my endeavour is to create dialogue between different ways of knowing across epistemic, linguistic, and disciplinary traditions. I am currently editing, with Prof. Hans Ladegaard (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University), a special issue entitled "Dialoguing inter-epistemically: intercultural knowing, knowing the intercultural" for the journal Language and Intercultural Communication (provisionally scheduled for publication in late 2024). At the Business School, I lead postgraduate modules in intercultural communication and intercultural competence. I have also developed and delivered two popular undergraduate modules on intercultural competence through studies of Mandarin Chinese. I hold a BA and an MA in English Language and Literature from Peking University, China. My PhD is in Intercultural Communication from the University of Manchester, UK. I was a committee member of the International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC) from 2014 to 2018. I have been the Book Reviews editor of the journal Language and Intercultural Communication since 2019. |
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| Research Interests | intercultural communication dialogue in interpersonal communication cultural identity the liminality of transitional experiences narrative inquiry researching multilingually |
| Teaching and Learning | I teach the following modules as the module leader: Intercultural Business Communication (PG) Developing Intercultural Competence in the Workplace (PG) An Introduction to Chinese Culture and Language (UG) Intercultural Competence through Mandarin (UG) I have also participated in the following module as a tutor: Intercultural Organisational Management (UG) |