Intercultural Development

Discover Intercultural Competence. Discover You.

Culture expands beyond national borders; it shapes the lens through which we make sense of the world and how we interact with others. Language educators and professionals are 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.

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 and be better positioned to cultivate these skills in your language learner groups:

• 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 the benefits of diversity
• navigate your own cultural identity and self-awareness
• manage cultural transitions, minimize miscommunication, and effectively transform conflict born of miscommunications

How the CSLC Can Help

Every learner is at a different developmental stage and has variable mental/emotional energy to consciously commit to honing their intercultural skills. We can help consult on research projects and curriculum design or provide tailor-made workshop dates for your and your students' needs. Please reach out to Mary Davis (mdavis35@nd.edu) to initiate this conversation and collaborate on tangible program interventions and outcomes that align with your goals.