Category: Peer Reviewed Articles

Discussion of Research

Preliminary Evidence in Favor of Raising ICC at Hellenic MET Institutes

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by Maria Koutiva Abstract English competence is a prerequisite for working at sea and, as such, language requirements for seafarers are rather evident (Sampson & Zhao, 2003; IMO SMCP, 2001). However, it appears that to date there has not been an official intercultural communication competence (ICC) study program addressing the Hellenic MET students’ needs to work and live among multinational vessel crews. This article, part of ongoing, longitudinal research commenced in autumn 2019, presents our research on designing and piloting a Maritime sector specific ICC measurement tool. ICC is defined as the capacity to bridge cultures effectively (Arasaratnam, 2016), and […]

Peer Reviewed Articles

Making a Difference Through Intercultural Dialogue

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by Hiba B. Ibrahim “When you meet your friend on the roadside or in the market place, let the spirit in you move your lips and direct your tongue. Let the voice within your voice speak to the ear of his ear; for his soul will keep the truth of your heart as the taste of the wine is remembered. When the colour is forgotten and the vessel is no more”. – The Prophet, Gibran Kahlil Gibran As education practitioners, there are always critical moments in our profession that make us reflect on our work impact and why we do […]

Peer Reviewed Articles

How Can We Foster a Mobile Mindset While Sheltering in Place?

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by Dr. Netta Avineri, Dr. Gabriel Guillén, and Dr. Thor Sawin How can students respectfully engage with other cultures when they are learning from home? This article focuses on three ICC courses at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) that entailed travel and working with global and local partners, and were redesigned due to COVID19. We explore how faculty, students, and other stakeholders navigated global and local realities by cultivating mobile mindsets while sheltering in place. The sudden (im)mobility of learners and the design of technological platforms afforded new conversations about power and privilege, using ICC lenses. The breakdown […]

Discussion of Research

The Profile of an Intercultural Competence Educator for Healthcare and Other Professions

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by Susan Schärli-Lim et al. Introduction  Once upon a time, an international student started a 3-day work shadowing in a community setting. At the end of the first day, the community supervisor refused to work with the student stating that the student was uninterested, because she didn´t ask any questions! The student was shocked and said that she was really interested. She thought it was impolite to ask the expert any questions. Once they were guided to reflect on their different expectations, they both agreed to continue and learned a lot.  This situation reflects the need for trainers and students […]

Peer Reviewed Articles

International Story Circles Supported by Visuals: tackling language barriers and encouraging reflective thinking

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by Liesbeth Spanjers and Katrien Mertens In the Postgraduate Programme International Educating Class (PIEC), a UNESCO associated programme at the University Colleges Leuven-Limburg (UCLL, Belgium), students follow a course titled ‘Making Cultural Diversity work’, that aims at honing intercultural competence by adopting requisite attitudes, increasing knowledge, and expanding their skills repertoire for communicating across cultures. Students deliver an individual portfolio, in which they narrate personal intercultural experiences (like experiencing Story Circles) and make sense of them with reference to theoretical concepts from course readings and lectures such as multiple identities, otherising, or small cultures. The experience-based and interaction-oriented approach in […]