Tag: intercultural competence

Preliminary Evidence in Favor of Raising ICC at Hellenic MET Institutes

Posted Maria KoutivaLeave a commentPosted in Discussion of Research, Peer Reviewed Articles

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 upon indisputable research […]

An Interview with Craig Storti

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Craig Storti Column

What first drew you to intercultural communication and cross-cultural work? Like many people of a certain age, it was my time in the Peace Corps. I did not join the PC for an intercultural experience—I joined to escape going to Vietnam—but having had one, I was eventually able to use that experience to start a consulting/training business, helped immensely by the cachet that publishing my first couple of books bought me. What has surprised you most in all your years of training and engaging in intercultural communication work? I don’t know if it’s what surprised me, but what I have […]

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

Posted Dr. Netta Avirneri, Dr. Gabriel Guillen and Dr. Thor SawinLeave a commentPosted in Peer Reviewed Articles

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 of conceptual barriers between local and global helped learners contend with […]

Can We Really Teach This Stuff?

Posted Craig StortiLeave a commentPosted in Craig Storti Column

Dr. Deardorff made a very simple request in her email to me about this column—or so I thought: “Send in something related to intercultural competence.” Fair enough. No problem. But there was a problem, a big one: What the heck is intercultural competence? If you’re going to write about this thing, then you’d better have a pretty good idea what it is. And I really didn’t. So I began thinking. And that’s where all the trouble started. What metric should I use to come up with a definition? In the end I decided that the best, or at least one […]

Yalla Talk

Posted Hiba B. Ibrahim1 CommentPosted in Intercultural Educational Leaders & Learners Feature

One of the challenges in fostering intercultural dialogue and intercultural competence are the barriers constructed as a result of cultural, linguistic, and religious differences. Hiba Ibrahim’s Yalla Talk sought to break down these barriers, inviting Jordanian and non-Jordanian youth to come together for “culture circles.” The talks allowed students to meet face-to-face to discuss culture, religion and to build language skills in a safe and respectful environment, exposing them to a broad array of subjects and skills. Though Yalla Talk no longer hosts regular discussions, the organization has helped pave the way for similar intercultural dialogues, both in person and […]