Journal 2—2 pages apa format—no plagiarism
Intercultural competence is a key concept in many courses. This term describes an individual’s ability to understand and interact with people from different cultures in a respectful, effective manner. It is the combination of a solid communication skill and knowledge about cultural norms, values, beliefs, and other skills. This requires an open mind, flexibility and respect for other perspectives and experiences. This concept was explored through lectures, media discussions, readings and assignments.
A key concept in this course was social identity theory. This describes how people perceive themselves and their behaviors within their contexts. SIT suggests that identities can be socially constructed from cultural-derived groups like gender or race. It also suggests that it is possible to change how we behave based upon shifting social contexts. SIT is a concept that examines various aspects of the topic, such as how disadvantaged people are constructed and what this means for organizations’ diversity management. These concepts were discussed further during lectures, where we examined case studies of self-categorization by diverse employees at multinational corporations as well as stereotypes that students from minorities experience at universities in advanced countries. We also watched videos illustrating how stereotypical assumptions can be challenged when understanding another person’s perspective is prioritized over relying solely on one’s own experience to make judgments about them. These conversations were facilitated by class activities through structured debate exercises that allowed us to hear other perspectives before we made decisions about controversial topics. Writing assignments allowed us to review our learning and evaluate current events with tools from both SIT theory and intercultural competence framework.