LAI 435SEM—Intercultural Interactions in the Multicultural Classroom

This course is designed to help teachers better understand the impact of culture on education. We will explore cultural variations in communication processes, social interaction and interpersonal relationships with a special emphasis on language usage, empathy and managing conflicts. We will concentrate our efforts on how to work successfully with culturally diverse students, how to raise cultural awareness, increase intercultural sensitivity and develop competence in intercultural communication on the day-to-day basis. We will carefully examine how to build an intercultural community of learners in our classrooms, how to make our classrooms culturally inclusive; how to develop culturally compatible pedagogical strategies, and how to use cultural diversity as a powerful resource for the benefit of all students. This is an experiential, discussion-based, and workshop-oriented course. Emphasis is on creative thinking and sharing personal experiences.