Conference Main Page

University of Arizona

Organized by the
Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL)
and co-sponsored by the
Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES),
and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Program

October 10-11, 2008
Professional Development for K-16 Educators

Conference Scope:

A conference for K-16 educators and students in fields related to Foreign Languages, Social Sciences/Studies and Humanities, featuring experts in Intercultural Competence and Communication from across the U.S. as well as University of Arizona faculty. Day one of the conference concentrates on defining, developing and assessing Intercultural Competence. Day two focuses upon developing the theme in two geographic regions: Latin America and the Middle East, with sessions on Media; Art and Literature; Gender and Identities. The event culminates in discipline-based workshops in which participants begin to create curriculum materials using the information presented in the keynote and plenary talks.

Intercultural competence is [the ability] “to see relationships between different cultures - both internal and external to a society - and to mediate, that is interpret each in terms of the other, either for themselves or for other people.” It also encompasses the ability to critically or analytically understand that one’s “own and other cultures’” perspective is culturally determined rather than natural.
- Michael Byram, Professor, University of Durham, England

A simple definition [of intercultural competence], might be: the abilities to perform effectively and appropriately with members of another language-culture background on their terms.
- Alvino E. Fantini, Ph.D., School for International Training, Vermont

Intercultural competence might also be defined as knowledge of others; knowledge of self; skills to interpret and relate; skills to discover and/or to interact; valuing others’ values, beliefs, and behaviors; and relativizing one’s self.
- Darla Deardorff, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Association of International Education Administrators, Duke University, North Carolina

Although the term is increasingly used today, there is by no means consensus about what it is. So what is Intercultural Competence? How can we help students develop it? How do we assess it? These are the many questions that we will try to answer during this conference.

Conference Schedule:

See the Conference Schedule page for full schedule.

Conference Location:

Marriott University Park Hotel

University of Arizona campus

Registration Information:

Cost: $60 regular, $30 students. UA personnel receive a discounted rate of $50 for faculty, $20 for students. The registration cost includes materials, Friday's dinner, and Saturday's breakfast and lunch.

Credit: K-12 educators receive 14 hours Arizona Continuing Education.

Access Registration form here.

Lodging Information:

Please see the Lodging Information page for details.

Questions?

Please contact CERCLL at cercll@email.arizona.edu or (520) 626-8071.

Supported in part by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council

Our gratitude to our University of Arizona contributors: Colleges of Education, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Arizona State Museum, Center for English as a Second Language, Confucius Institute, International Affairs, Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange. Departments of Anthropology; East Asian Studies; English; German Studies; Language, Reading and Culture; Linguistics; Russian and Slavic Studies; Teaching and Teacher Education.