On Teaching and Learning: Integrative Reflections on Intercultural Competence through Dialogue Education

Abstract

As graduates in higher education engage with multiple constituencies from around the world, having cultural competency skills is valuable. Intercultural competence enables people to initiate and sustain dialogues among their diverse colleagues and members of the globalized community. In this chapter, Barger examines the role of dialogue education in attaining intercultural competency in graduate courses. According to Vella, dialogue education values inquiry, integrity, and commitment to equity. People should treat others with respect and recognize their knowledge and experience within the community of learning. Dialogue education provides a safe and inclusive place for learners to voice their perspectives and opinions. This chapter utilizes a professor’s reflections with respect to teaching a graduate Intercultural Communication (IC) course in a private liberal-arts college. In the narrative, she discusses teaching and learning strategies to help adult learners understand the importance of intercultural competence and interactions in a multicultural and multilingual world. Barger also examines the integrative reflections of graduate students that took the IC course.

Citation

Barger, R.P. (2020), "On Teaching and Learning: Integrative Reflections on Intercultural Competence through Dialogue Education", Puckett, T. and Lind, N. (Ed.) Cultural Competence in Higher Education (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 28), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 229-242. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120200000028022