Foundations for Intercultural Awareness and Engagement

As student demographics continue to diversify, so do the dynamics of our classrooms in regards to diversity of cultures and learning styles. This presents opportunities for faculty to engage the diversity their students bring into the classroom and to practice engaging with an intercultural community on a daily basis. As students are headed for a diverse society upon graduation, developing awareness and skills for intercultural competence is thus crucial.

This course consists of two parts with two sections within each. Part one, Foundations of Intercultural Awareness, consists of: 1) faculty profiles; 2) basic concepts of intercultural pedagogy. Part two, Foundations of Intercultural Engagement, consists of: 1) student profiles; 2) examples of teaching methods and course content. Each section consists of lessons followed by reflection questions.

Please understand, this course is designed as an introduction to concepts and principles necessary to build further understanding. It is meant to inform our practice as educators. It is not meant as an itemized checklist for intercultural competence. We submit that to effectively engage with a diversity of cultures necessitates that we assume the posture of a lifelong learner. It is also our hope that through this course, you will be stimulated to further explore the vast world of educating diverse learners.

We invite you to engage this course with an open heart and mind in hopes that it will benefit you as you connect with students daily from “every nation, from all tribes, peoples, and languages” (Revelation 7:9). God bless you. Contact: glen.kinoshita@biola.edu