Open AccessCan One Undergraduate Course Increase Cross-Cultural Competence?
Author(s) -
Lois Spitzer
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of educational issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2377-2263
DOI - 10.5296/jei.v1i1.7444
Subject(s) - cultural competence , curriculum , competence (human resources) , medical education , psychology , cross cultural , pedagogy , medicine , sociology , social psychology , anthropology
The majority of students who took this general education undergraduate course in developing cross-cultural understanding at a state college in the northeastern United States reported that their level of cross-cultural competence and global awareness increased by the end of the course. The primary course objective was to help students better understand their own cultural roots and become more globally aware of other cultural groups. This limited study revealed that this one undergraduate college course was successful in increasing cultural self-awareness, cross-cultural competence, and global awareness among the students who took the course. In addition, it points to the need for more courses to be added to college curricula and for more statistically significant studies to be conducted.