The Centrality of Intercultural Communication in the 21st Century’s Liberal Arts Curriculum
Subject Area
Special Topics
Abstract
Globalization presents opportunities and challenges that demand a new kind of citizens, who must be equipped to live, compete, collaborate, and succeed in an increasingly interconnected, interdependent and diverse world. Thus, innovative educational models are emerging in an effort to empower citizens to become effective, productive members of the global society. Unfortunately, most models ignore intercultural learning, the most essential ingredient for citizens to thrive in a constantly changing transnational world.
Intercultural competence seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive the world around them; it empowers citizens to have positive interactions with those from other cultures and to appreciate the interdependence of humanity. This underscores the urgency to develop pedagogical models that can help learners acquire intercultural communication skills.
Within the framework of the aforementioned global realities, and using the following research questions, this paper aims to examine effective methodologies to equip citizens with skills and knowledge that transcend conventional geopolitical borders and cultures:
- What are the challenges of interacting with people from other cultural, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds?
- How does intercultural learning empower people to become effective global citizens?
- What are the theories, best practices and tools for building intercultural awareness, promoting intercultural learning, and sustaining intercultural competence?
- How can educators effectively integrate intercultural learning into curricular and co-curricular programs?
- How equipped are educators to impart intercultural competence in students?
The goal of this paper is to establish the urgency of integrating intercultural learning into the curriculum through effective methodologies, and demonstrate the ability of intercultural competence to empower citizens to become effective, productive leaders who have the capacity to think globally, live globally, and engage globally.
Brief Bio Note
Philip Ojo teaches French and Francophone studies at Agnes Scott College. His research focuses on Francophone literature with a concentration on Africa and the Caribbean. He is also interested in global issues, particularly migrant experience, as well as expressions of identities and social conditions in popular culture as a platform for criticism, change, and nation building.
Keywords
intercultural learning, curriculum, methodologies, intercultural competence, empowering citizens
Location
Afternoon Session 3 (PARB 227)
Presentation Year
April 2019
Start Date
4-11-2019 5:35 PM
Embargo
11-1-2018
Recommended Citation
Ojo, Philip A., "The Centrality of Intercultural Communication in the 21st Century’s Liberal Arts Curriculum" (2019). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 32.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2019/2019/32
The Centrality of Intercultural Communication in the 21st Century’s Liberal Arts Curriculum
Afternoon Session 3 (PARB 227)
Globalization presents opportunities and challenges that demand a new kind of citizens, who must be equipped to live, compete, collaborate, and succeed in an increasingly interconnected, interdependent and diverse world. Thus, innovative educational models are emerging in an effort to empower citizens to become effective, productive members of the global society. Unfortunately, most models ignore intercultural learning, the most essential ingredient for citizens to thrive in a constantly changing transnational world.
Intercultural competence seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive the world around them; it empowers citizens to have positive interactions with those from other cultures and to appreciate the interdependence of humanity. This underscores the urgency to develop pedagogical models that can help learners acquire intercultural communication skills.
Within the framework of the aforementioned global realities, and using the following research questions, this paper aims to examine effective methodologies to equip citizens with skills and knowledge that transcend conventional geopolitical borders and cultures:
- What are the challenges of interacting with people from other cultural, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds?
- How does intercultural learning empower people to become effective global citizens?
- What are the theories, best practices and tools for building intercultural awareness, promoting intercultural learning, and sustaining intercultural competence?
- How can educators effectively integrate intercultural learning into curricular and co-curricular programs?
- How equipped are educators to impart intercultural competence in students?
The goal of this paper is to establish the urgency of integrating intercultural learning into the curriculum through effective methodologies, and demonstrate the ability of intercultural competence to empower citizens to become effective, productive leaders who have the capacity to think globally, live globally, and engage globally.
