Intercultural Development

Do you consider yourself to be culturally curious?

Culture expands beyond national borders–it shapes the lens through which we make sense of the world and how we interact with others. The CSLC is uniquely positioned to promote language learning–a key element of successful communication–as the context of developing one’s intercultural competence and fostering cultural curiosity, but developing one's intercultural competence also happens outside of the language classroom and no foreign language experience is necessary.

Intercultural competence/sensitivity or global competence is a set of life skills that can help us deepen and strengthen our interpersonal relationships, expand our worldviews, and perform at higher personal and professional levels in our ever-globalizing world. By making an active commitment to your intercultural development, you can expect to build skills like the following:

- solidify core theoretical underpinnings of culture, communication, and intercultural competence
- build a toolbox of methods and approaches to make yourself a more effective leader and communicator
- understand and value cultural differences, especially in the context of understanding benefits of diversity
- navigate your own cultural identity and self-awareness
- manage cultural transitions, minimize miscommunication, and effectively transform conflict born of miscommunications