Intercultural Engagement

​This 1-credit hour cultural engagement course enhances the study abroad experience by providing opportunities, guidance, and structure for learning outside the classroom. Specifically, it gives students opportunities to interact with the study abroad community and to reflect upon and process their experiences as they cross cultures. The course provides readings, interactive assignments and reflection prompts to help students make sense of their experiences, to push students into new experiences, and to encourage students to turn personal musings into intercultural learning.
The course is open to all TCU students studying abroad for a semester, regardless of location. The course provides open-ended ideas and prompts for students to not simply see differences but to understand the nature and value of differences.

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PROGRAM  FEATURES

Education Abroad Program Name	TCU Abroad
Level	Undergraduate
Number of Credits for Course	1
Number of Credits for Education Abroad Program	15
Does this course carry major/minor credit? Elective credit?	Core (general studies) / elective credit
Typical Enrollment	50 – 100
Language of Instruction	English
Duration	Semester
Time Spent On-Site	Semester
Last Taught	Spring 2016
How many times has this course been taught?	10
Curriculum Strong Points/Innovations	Site enhanced and student driven

 

Faculty Bio

​Tracy Rundstrom Williams
Affiliation: Texas Christian University

​Tracy Rundstrom Williams is the Associate Director of the Center for International Studies at TCU, where she works behind the scenes to keep many of the administrative and logistical pieces moving, as well as coordinates the summer faculty-led study abroad programs. She teaches courses on intercultural learning and global citizenship for study abroad students and directs the Certificate in International Studies. Tracy holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Arlington and her research on linguistic identity and intercultural learning has been published in various journals.

What are the specific objectives for this course?
The overall goal of the course is to give students a place to digest and dissect their experiences abroad and frame them in broader intercultural competencies. The specific learning outcomes for student are:
• To identify and validate cultural differences;
• To describe intercultural interactions in open-minded and non-judgmental ways;
• To practice and hone skills such as curiosity, empathy and intercultural communication skills;
• To consider how to apply lessons from abroad to future situations.

How does the course make use of modes of instruction, assessment, and learning at the study abroad site that may differ from home institution models?
The course takes advantage of several modes of instruction that different from traditional TCU models. There is face-to-face time prior to departure, at the start of the semester, and mid-way through the semester. Students work online to watch videos and submit written assignments. And of course, most importantly, the course relies on students getting out into the community of their host city.

Furthermore, the course is grounded in experiential learning theory, making it quite different from courses taught at TCU. My approach is to move away from the idea that I am the teacher, and let the study abroad locale and the hosts be the teachers. Rather, I am the facilitator, providing intellectual grounding through guided opportunities to interact with locals and reflect on cross-cultural experiences.

Finally, different from other on-site intercultural courses and instructors, I do not necessarily have the “answers.” I don’t know why the Italians do this or the Australians do that. I don’t know the history or social structures or religious influences of all of the places where my students are studying. Instead, I am teaching the students how to question and explore and discover for themselves.

How does the course enrich the classroom experience through use of location and/or unique resources?
The course assignments and reflections fully require students to leave the classroom and interact with locals. Because the same class is used in all our locations, the assignments are not location-specific, but this ultimately enriches the learning, because it relies on the student taking initiative, learning to explore, developing competencies that can be used in future intercultural interactions.

For example, one assignment asks students to go to a market and speak with a vendor about the product they sell. The student practices a variety of skills to learn more about the product itself and the product’s relationship to the host locale, but also to learn more about the vendor as an individual and as a member of the host culture. The student reports back on the knowledge they gained, the interactional style of the vendor, and their observations of locals in the market. This and the other assignments model for the students how to be curious, how to engage cross-culturally, and where to look for information.

How is the course integrated into the curriculum of the home institution?
The course is integrated into the home campus curriculum in a number of ways. First, it fulfills a core (general studies) requirement, Cultural Awareness. Second, it counts towards the Certificate in International Studies. Third, in conjunction with a 2 credit hour course taught on campus post-return, it fulfills the core requirement, Citizenship and Social Values.

Did you consult any resources on education abroad that were particularly helpful in designing this course? If so, please describe.
I found the AAC&U VALUE rubric for Intercultural Knowledge and Competency extremely helpful as I was developing units and outcomes for the course. I also consulted Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use by R. Michael Paige, Andrew D. Cohen, Barbara Kappler Mikk, Julie C. Chi, & James P. Lassegard, and the Global Scholar Online courses both for areas of overlap and for areas of where I felt my course could provide distinction and new outcomes.