Session II: July 19-23, 2010

23. New Narratives in Intercultural Education and Training Milton Bennett The old narrative of intercultural education held that cultural knowledge equaled intercultural awareness, and that cross-cultural contact equaled intercultural experience.  The old narrative of intercultural training sought the “right” combination of knowledge, attitudes, and skills that would imbue participants with intercultural competence. The limitations of these views are now known, and new narratives are being constructed to guide more effective intercultural education and training. This course will explore the frontier beyond cultural relativism, where culture is a dynamic process, cross-cultural contact is a negotiation of meaning, and intercultural experience is what you make of it.

Designed for Objectives Learning Activities Milton Bennett Intercultural trainers and consultants, researchers and educators who have experienced the limitations of old narratives, or those who wish to begin their work with state-of-the-art concepts. Participants will have the opportunity to: Compare and contrast the three major paradigms of social science – Positivism, Relativism, and Constructivism – and assess their impact on intercultural education and training Critically examine the use and misuse of some of the main approaches to culture in our field – e.g. Kluckhohn, Stewart, Hofstede Consider the sometimes competing assumptions of cross-cultural psychology and intercultural communication and assess their effect on the conceptual coherence of our programs Review new research on intercultural education in study abroad, global corporations, domestic diversity programs, and traditional classrooms Share ideas and develop strategies for “shifting narratives” in intercultural education and training Plan some immediate and practical action to update educational curriculum and training design Interactive presentation and discussion Participant-generated case studies of old and new narrative programs Construction of practical strategies for making and leading change in intercultural training and education   Dr. Milton Bennett is the co-founder and a director of the Intercultural Communication Institute. He was an associate professor of communication at Portland State University, where for 15 years he taught communication theory and intercultural communication. Subsequently he became a trainer and consultant in domestic and global diversity for university faculty, corporate managers and executives, and other folks in the public and private sectors. He has edited and contributed to a synthesis of classic intercultural theory, Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication; generated the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) and co-developed a measurement of it, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI); and co-edited and contributed to the 3rd edition of the Handbook of Intercultural Training. Following his life-long interest in the philosophy of science, Milton currently generates new theory and research through the Intercultural Development Research Institute, which operates in the U.S. and Europe.