This book aims to offer insights into cognitive sociocultural and pedagogical aspects of foreign language learning and teaching. It focuses on different competences such as communicative competence intercultural competence and the autonomy of the language learner. A significant feature of this volume is that it bears the fruit of collaboration between researchers and practitioners on both sides of the Atlantic and therefore offers a variety of perspectives. The book is divided into four parts focusing on the following four areas of research sociocultural theory communicative language teaching intercultural competence and learner autonomy. The first chapter of each part covers theoretical issues by outlining the origins and development of a theory and explaining its core concepts. In the second chapter theoretical empirical and applied research is reviewed and the implications for foreign language learning and teaching are discussed. The third chapter of each part is devoted to the application of the theories in focus. It presents either an example of a research project or an application of the theory in terms of developing materials andor giving suggestions for good practice in the foreign language classroom.