Published May 25th, 2020

Other

Tint: An Example for Intercultural Understanding

by Lisa Schantl

Students of the English and American Studies program at the University of Graz were recently asked to share their thoughts on Tint Journal in one of their courses. We are honored to see Tint as an academic resource!

Our online literary magazine's aim is to provide a space for English as a foreign language writers to share their stories, essays and poems. We believe that such literary contributions enrich the publishing scene as they make it more diverse, more colorful, and more open to different cultures, styles and "tints". We are therefore incredibly honored that Tint Journal recently became part of an academic course at the University of Graz and served as an example for intercultural understanding. 

Jennifer Schumm Fauster, professor of English at the University of Graz (Austria), teaches the course "Socio-Cultural Competence" which is typically taken by students enrolled in the Bachelor's and Master's program of English and American Studies. The course's objective is to investigate the concept of culture and explore the students' perception of their own culture which is a prerequisite for developing intercultural awareness. Students examine the role of culture in verbal and nonverbal communication and ideally develop a tolerance towards otherness and a deeper understanding of different values and beliefs. 

One task of this semester's course was to review three fictional texts published by Tint Journal. The students were asked to provide short summaries of the texts and a note on how such a journal could contribute to intercultural understanding. We are happy that three students chose to share their reviews with us. These are their thoughts on Tint Journal: 

"The concept of Tint Journal is very enriching and an unusual way of leanring about different cultures. Tint Journal's writers give authentic reflections of their cultural surroundings and how their national identities are shaped. I think changing our perspective and seeing these stories as an account of culture is a very good way of contributing to our intercultural understandings while enjoying a beautiful piece of fiction."
- Ana Andricic

"I appreciate the work Tint Journal does because platforms for writers who want to share their ideas and thoughts in other languages than their first language are rare."
- Bastian Deutsch

"Through a platform like Tint Journal, readers' preconceptions about various cultures can be reduced which contributes to a sense of intercultural cooperation. Journals like this one are so important because they give people from different cultures a platform to share their feelings and experiences with a wide audience."
- Sarah S. Gretler

We want to thank professor Schumm Fauster for seeing Tint Journal as an academic resource and her students for their analyses and thoughts!

If you are a teacher of English, culture or literature and want to use Tint Journal in your course or seminar, get in touch via info@tintjournal.com. We are happy to be of service!