Bilingual Information Processing--Autonomous Learning and Cross-Cultural Negotiating--the European Monetary Union Project at Aston University

This paper discusses the role that foreign language programs should play in targeting their instruction to the particular needs of students, whether they are studying business, science, or other technical fields. It also describes an English-German negotiation simulation for final year students in the International Business and German course at Aston University in Birmingham, England. Students are divided into four teams and conduct negotiations on various real-life topics related to British and German participation in the European Monetary Union (EMU). The four topics for the 1993-94 school year were: (1) The Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM); (2) the EMU as proposed in the Maastrict Treaty; (3) the role of the Federal German Bank; and (4) the significance of the ERM and EMU for British and German industrial interests. The teams analyze briefing materials in both English and German, prepare oral and written presentations in German, conduct negotiations in both English and German, and write reports on the outcomes in both English and German. Teams not participating in a given negotiation act as journalists and write simulated news reports of the proceedings for British and German newspapers. All oral presentations and negotiations are filmed for later review and critique. (MDM)