Acquiring and Teaching Intercultural Competence:

1. Acquiring and Teaching Intercultural Competence: A Developmental Journey

2. Developmental Themes/Phases • A Japan-based childhood & pre-college education • A sense of dissatisfaction with psychology “as is” • Course revisions & international “modules,” development of a multicultural psychology course (early 1990s) • Travel-study experiences (including sabbatical) & development of relationships with “sister” institutions • Transnational collaborations with colleagues from Asia • Japan Study Resident Director (1-year appointment) • Short-term study abroad (3 1/2 weeks), cross-institutional & interdisciplinary collaboration • A campus-based course on Asian Psychologies

3. A Talk/Discussion in 3 Parts • Preparation & lifelong learning & scholarship of faculty members • Frameworks & tools for internationalizing our teaching • The “who” (our students) and the “how” (approaches to teaching)

4. Common themes from documents on internationalizing psychology • Practice reflexivity &“positionality.” • How am I “positioned” in society and how do my values & experiences of privilege and disadvantage influence my perspectives and worldview? • Provide a critical analysis of Western psychological perspectives. • How are power and privilege structures within psychology reflected in theory, research, practice, & attitudes toward diverse cultures & peoples?

5. Common themes from documents on internationalizing psychology • Frame human behavior within ecological, contextualized, interdisciplinary frameworks. • Emphasizing behavior in ecological framework decreases the likelihood “context stripping,” or treating human diversity as a set of “nuisance variables.” • Promote a holistic, inclusive “culture of evidence.” • Methodologies: a combination of traditional psychological methods (e.g., quantitative experimental methods) & qualitative methods (e.g., case study, ethnography, participatory action frameworks).

6. Some Important Aspects of Context: A Sample • 1. societal values and belief systems • 2. family and work structures • 3. economic & socioeconomic realities • 4. religion and spirituality • 5. educational practices • 6. government and legal policies • 7. multiculturalism, ethnic diversity and/or conflict • 8. colonialism, war, or other human rights themes • 9. gender-related roles & privileges/oppressions • 10. intersections of social identities & statuses

7. Common themes from documents on internationalizing psychology • Nurture intercultural skills by facilitating knowledge of cultural practices, values, and psychologies as understood by individuals who live them. Support “frame-shifting” and “behavioral code shifting” skills (the ability to see issues and practices from multiple perspectives). • Promote knowledge of global and social justice issues, and foster appreciation for diverse, culturally-sensitive ways of addressing these concerns.

8. Take advantage of being a faculty member at a liberal arts college. • Campus-based interest groups & service roles • Campus programming for international students & other diverse student groups • Consortium committees and advisory boards • Short-term study & travel grants • Research and teaching exchange possibilities (e.g., institutional exchanges) • External awards (e.g., Fulbright awards, FaCE) • Language skill development

9. International scholarship • Develop collaborative relationships with colleagues from other countries. • Make sure that all parties benefit. • Participate in professional networks & organizations that foster international, global, transnational perspectives. • Define psychology broadly and inclusively.

10. Faculty members as life-long learners: Questions • What types of life & academic experiences, “critical incidents,” and serendipitous events have contributed to your interest in internationalizing psychology? • What support & professional networks have been useful to you as you pursue international scholarship & teaching? • What faculty development opportunities have been most helpful to you? • How do you build institutional/departmental support for international scholarship?

11. Options for internationalizing the teaching of psychology • 1. Integrate international/global perspectives in existing courses and expand from that foundation. • 2. Integrate a critical analysis of Western psychological perspectives in all courses. • 3. Teach campus-based and/ or off-campus courses that centralize content about another region of the world. • 4. Emphasize interdisciplinary scholarship, frameworks, and content. • 5. Teach about social justice/global issues

12. Psychology of Women/Gender:Evolution of a course • “Standard” course with international examples • Women’s Roles & Movements in Japan (Tokyo) • Psychology of Women & Gender in Cultural Context (Korea) • Gender, Culture, and Public Policy in Japan (cross-listed with Sociology, & linked to Colorado College course: Gender, Literature, and Culture in Japan) • Asian & Asian American Psychologies (substantial emphasis on gender issues) • Psychology, Social Justice, and Public Policy (emphasis on linking domestic and international issues)

13. Strategies • Exploring general dimensions relevant to cultural variations (e.g., communication, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance) • Identifying topics that lend themselves to respectful cultural comparison while maintaining an emphasis on culture-specific factors (e.g., body image , violence against women, feminist activism) • Pairing N. American & country-specific sources • Using interdisciplinary sources & perspectives

14. Strategies • Examining/critiquing Western concepts of feminism & sexism (e.g., ambivalent & benevolent sexism) • Using transnational examples that challenge Western views of “hot topics” (e.g., mental health & abortion) • Using field trips to diverse communities to illustrate cultural values, practices, and variations • Allowing students to share insights in the service of furthering intercultural understanding (while being mindful of the pitfalls of treating students as spokespersons or specimens of their cultures)

15. General tools: Some questions • 1. What courses have you created or revised with the intention of internationalizing/globalizing psychology? What are the challenges/benefits? • 2. What types of issues-oriented teaching lend themselves to a global/international perspective? • 3. What types of interdisciplinary teaching & scholarship have you explored? • 4. What teaching practices foster optimal learning about international/global issues?

16. Who and How Issues • How do we help our students move toward integrated understandings of culture?

17. WHO and HOW issues • 1. Consider the developmental needs of students. What types of experiences nudge students to “make the most” of their opportunities? • 2. Use creative, experiential teaching methods to enhance students’ “hands on” learning. • 3. Use guided self-reflection assignments. • 4. Foster student responsibility for their learning. • 5. Be attentive to the whole person (affective, cognitive, relational, and behavioral domains).

18. Intercultural Development Continuum, Hammel

19. Intercultural Competence Skills (Gudykunst, 2004) • Mindfulness: A “process” focus, awareness of one’s own communication & interactions with others • Tolerance for ambiguity: “sitting with” lack of clarity and/or uncertainty without becoming overly anxious • Cross-cultural empathy: The ability to participate in another person’s experience (“thinking it intellectually and feeling it emotionally”) • Cognitive flexibility: The ability to create new categories rather than “stuffing” information into existing categories, frame-shifting • Behavioral flexibility: The ability to adapt behavior to circumstances

21. Using experiential and creative teaching methods

23. Experiential Learning Model: DavidKolb

24. What assignments & experiences promote self-reflection?

25. Questions: The Who and How • What types of activities, roles, and assignments promote optimal development? The ability to engage in “frame shifting” and “behavioral shifting” skills? • If intercultural learning is a developmental process, what sequence of courses/experiences is likely to contribute to students’ development? • What can we do to minimize the likelihood that ethnocentric or monocultural attitudes are reinforced?

26. Some useful sources • Arnett, J. J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63, 602-614. • Gudykunst, W.B. (2004). Bridging differences: Effective intergroup interaction (4th ed.). Sage • Marsella, A.J. (1998). Toward a “global-community psychology:” Meeting the needs of a changing world. American Psychologist, 12, 1282-1291. • Wessells, M. G. (2009). Do no harm: Toward contextually appropriate psychosocial support in international emergencies. American Psychologist, 64, 842-854.