Case Study: Partnering Intercultural Communication Students with Campus Co-Cultural Student Groups to Develop Intercultural Competence, Allyship, and Curiosity

Rebecca Kuehl

doi:10.14434/josotl.v21i4.32673

Abstract

The question I analyze in this case study is how might one use civic engagement to foster campus/community relationships in this polarized era? I describe a teaching challenge in intercultural communication. Students have consistently reported that they arrive to this university from rural, majority-White communities where they have not experienced opportunities to communicate with culturally diverse groups. To address this challenge, I developed a semester-long assignment that provides a structured partnership between students in my Intercultural Communication course and campus co-cultural student groups. To assess this assignment’s benefit to the pedagogy surrounding polarization across cultural differences, I qualitatively analyzed themes in students’ reflection papers (N = 128 papers) from the last five sections of the course (2016–2020). Students addressed how these partnerships helped them develop (1) intercultural competence, (2) acceptance or appreciation through allyship, and (3) curiosity about other cultures. I conclude with implications, including how colleagues might use this assignment in other rural, land-grant public university settings.

Highlights

The question I analyze in this case study is how might one use civic engagement to foster campus/community relationships in this polarized era? I describe a teaching challenge in intercultural communication
The question I analyze in this case study is how might one use civic engagement to foster campus/community relationships in this polarized era? In what follows, I describe a teaching situation I face as a White, cisgender female professor in a predominantly White institution (PWI) that is a land-grant public university in the midwestern United States
I teach Intercultural Communication, where most students report that they arrive to this university from rural, majority White, conservative, and Christian communities where most have not interacted with culturally diverse communities

Summary

Intercultural Competence

The first theme was intercultural competence, which is defined as “the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to engage effectively in intercultural situations” (Sorrells, 2016, p. 260). One student wrote that “we need to have an understanding at how our communication might change based on who we are talking to.” This adaptation of communication based on knowledge of cultures is part of intercultural competence (Sorrells, 2016). One student wrote about using intercultural competence after college: “As I move on with my life past college, I will continue to meet and build relationships with individuals that do not have the same cultural beliefs, values, or norms as I do.” This awareness of others’ cultural differences and how that affects relationships and communication reflects intercultural competence (Sorrells, 2016). Students wrote about intercultural competence through discussing how these campus/community partnerships enabled them to create dialogue and communicate across differences, which directly addresses the teaching challenge of polarization across cultural differences. The final group project enabled students to practice communicating across differences and to enact intercultural competence in a structured campus/community partnership

Acceptance or Appreciation Through Allyship

Curiosity About Other Cultures

Implications for Polarizing Pedagogy