Food for thought: An exercise in third-culture building

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Teaching intercultural communication presents many challenges, particularly at predominantly white institutions (PWI). Individuals who hold majority identities may have difficulty seeing their own culture or race and, relatedly, the value of intercultural communication for their lives. Additionally, students who hold marginalized or minoritized identities can feel the burden of being cultural ambassadors in classroom discussions, creating an inequitable labor burden. Moreover, students of all identities may experience discomfort related to conversations about culture. This semester-long assignment seeks to address those challenges by contextualizing culture in a way that can be applied to all students, regardless of the identities they hold. The Food for Thought assignment is a third-culture-building exercise designed to teach students about culture and intercultural communication through a communal dining experience. Courses Any full-semester intercultural communication course of approximately 40 students, but can be adapted for any course with a cultural component (e.g. interpersonal communication or the basic/foundational course) by limiting dining to one or two class periods. Objectives The activity aims to help students learn about and foster community through third-culture building, to develop intercultural sensitivity and respect for cultural differences, to recognize and introspect on one’s own culture, and to connect lived experience to theory.