Creating an Interculturally Competent Campusto Educate Global Citizens

Abstract

Liberal arts education has traditionally taken the responsibility of preparing students to be intellectually competent and ethical citizens of society. But now society has evolved into “global villages” where people of different national and ethnic heritage increasingly live side by side in real and virtual environments. Does this kind of post-modern society demand new intellectual and ethical competencies? If so, what is the responsibility and capability of liberal arts education to teach those competencies? This paper explores how the field of intercultural relations can help address issues of intercultural competence and social justice in intellectually coherent and organizationally practical ways. The paper also address applications of intercultural principles to a wide range of curriculum issues, such as the use of intercultural communication frameworks in the classroom, strategies for encouraging intercultural learning through campus, community, and study abroad activities, and faculty development.