Foundations of international communication as an elective course in training master’s degree students majoring in information, library and archival studies

Contemporary processes of globalization require training higher-qualified specialists for all spheres of people's activtiy, particularly іnformation, tibrary and archival studies. To realize this task, it is necessary to implement special relevant courses into the curriculum and teach them in English as an international language of global communication. In this context, the necesstiy of teaching the course «Foundations of International Commumcations» as an elective course is of great importance at higher education institutions geared toward training master's degree students majoring in information, library and archival studies.

The course «Foundations of International Communications» is one of the optional subjects developed at the Documentation Science and the Information Activity Department. The course is delivered in English for 1st-year master's degree students majoring in information, library and archival studies at the State University of Information and Communication Technologies. Thus, this course is taught in English Medium Instruction, which stands for the practice of teaching subjects in English, which is not the first language of students learning in the country when the majority of the population does not speak it. It is important for masters in the context of forming their communicative competencies to ensure their effective realization in the academic and professional environment.

The aim of the course «Foundations of International Communication» is to form a system of theoretical knowledge and applied skills of students to obtain professionally significant general and special cultural, and professional competencies to solve a certain range of problems tasks in their work connected with realizing international communications and achieve personal and professional success in life. theoretical applied student professional cultural competence

The course is geared toward forming hard and soft skills in the indicated field of knowledge. Students need to know all the possibilities of international communication on a professional level. Hard (job-specific) skills within the course are concentrated on the specifics of realizing international communication in the professional area, in particular issues concerning international scientific communication, business correspondence, cultural diplomacy, etc. Soft skills (people's abilities to interact in their personal and professional lives) within this optional subject include communication skills, time management, leadership qualities, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and other interpersonal skills.

There are two modules in the course devoted to theoretical and applied aspects of international communication correspondingly. In each module, there are four themes. In the first module «Foundations of International Communication as a Scientific and Study Discipline», students get theoretical knowledge within the following themes: Basic concepts of the discipline, Business correspondence as a component of international communication, Specifics of organizing diplomatic events in social and cultural activity, Diplomacy documentation in the professional activity.

The second module «Applied Aspects of International Communication» includes such themes as Specifics of international scientific communication in information, library and archival studies; Scientometric databases as a component of international scientific communication and specifics of abstracting the qualification work; Text analysis of printed, audio, video, and Internet materials in international communication; Specifics of verbal and non-verbal means of international communication, kinesics. The final control of the course is credit.

After taking the course students acquire competencies as the following abilities: motivating people and realizing a common goal; generating new ideas (creativity); identifying, posing and solving problems; working in a team; seizing opportunities for scientific communications for the publication of results innovative activity worldwide, etc. Expected learning outcomes for students include their knowledge and skills concerning using applied socio-communicative technologies for effective organization communication on professional, scientific and social levels based on tolerance, dialogue and cooperation culture of thinking; forming strategies for system organization, modernization, and improving the management effectiveness of professional activities in Information, Library and Archival Studies, etc.

The experience of teaching the course «Foundations of International Communication» shows positive dynamics of students' developing international communication skills and mastering English. All the course materials students can find in Moodle, which is a comfortable platform for realizing tasks and Modules.

Thus, it can be concluded that the academic subject «Foundations of International Communication» is an effective elective course in English for developing students' hard and soft skills, which are in employers' demands and obligatory for realizing students' professional ambitions in information, library and archival studies for Ukraine's prosperity.