The study activities develop communicative competency through emphasis on the understanding of written and oral texts and spoken and written production. The main themes of the course cover study specific area and are related to the cultural context of French speaking countries and should support the preparation of their final research. The study material consists mainly of academic, literary and media texts. Important emphasis is on the development of argumentative skills and the development of the capacity to see problems from another perspective. Special attention is brought on the vocabulary. Grammar is studied in context. Written production consists of writing different types of texts, including argumentative essays, also oral skills are developed. Emphasis is on promoting collaboration between students.

The course is a solid overview of crossmedia communication, one that builds from a general introduction to a specific examination of the media and genres of crossmedia to a discussion of the concepts involved in designing and developing crossmedia communication. The major components of this course are organized in four sections: “Introduction” provides a solid introductory look at crossmedia communication; “Media” covers the variety of media that are typically involved in crossmedia production; “Genres” examines how each genre influence crossmedia design and development decision; and “Critical Thinking” explores important issues to be considered when designing and developing crossmedia communication.

During the course, the student must to work through a compulsory literature, present written homework according to the course stages, and prepare oral presentations

The course involves the following themes: basic terminology of education, the idealistic education model of German Enlightenment, Immanual Kant’s ideas of education, an anthropological view of what it means to be educated in different cultures, the development of educational thought (philosophy and history). Additionally, the critical sociological and cultural theoretical approaches to education by Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault are examined. Also, we will take a look at the psychological approach to education such as learning and development theories (information processing, behaviorism, cognitivism/contructivism and humanism). The course will give a short overview of the problems concerning curriculum and educational politics in the context of globalization. And finally, we will briefly discuss the concepts of childhood, progressive education (reform pedagogy) and issues of Estonian education.

During the course Estonian culture will be introduced through different aspects in history, traditions and more renown individuals, focusing on Estonian film, photography, art and music. Different Estonian museums (Film Museum, Arvo Pärt Center and the History Museum) and Tallinn Old Town will be visited to understand the more important cultural and historical events. Basic level of Estonian grammar and vocabulary will also be taught.

The most important problems of Estonian culture are analyzed both in historical perspective as well as in relation to contemporary developments. The main stages in the development of Estonian culture, important persons. The relations of Estonian folklore, customs and beliefs with contemporaray Estonian society. Modern Estonian culture, media and culture, cultural establishments.