Intercultural Learning Badge
Goal:
This badge is designed to encourage students to become more interculturally minded. To complete this badge, select one exercise from each section (Pre-Flight, In-Flight, and Post-Flight).
Learning outcomes:
Students who earn this badge seek out more information about local contexts. They interact with people from other cultures and develop relationships built on mutual respect. This openness leads them to consider diverse viewpoints when interacting with cultural differences.
Pre-Flight Exercises
Introduction
Using stereotypes and limited perspective is common. However, as we get to know people from other walks of life, we may see that they do not fit the stereotypes. At that point we should adjust our way of thinking.
Tasks
1. Watch author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 4-minute talk on stereotypes called ‘The Danger of a Single Story’.
2. Next, answer the following questions (total length 300 words minimum)
- What “story” do you have about where you’re going? What is the main idea you have of your host culture?
- What is your source? The media? Previous travels? Stories you heard? Research you did? Courses you took? A book you read? A movie you saw?
- How does the media influence the “stories” that we hear?
- How can you go beyond these sources and get an authentic understanding of your destination? (an article, a website that will give you a different “story”)
3. Watch the video 'Stereotypes'.
4. Finally, name 3 stereotypes about your host country and reword them into generalizations.
Introduction
Nothing is the same abroad… and that’s the whole point of going abroad! This activity will help you gain cultural familiarity with your future host‐culture.
Tasks
Choose at least 3 topics below and research the local set-up in your host country. You can use some of the examples mentioned (total length for topics combined is 400 words minimum).
| Topic Category | Topic Examples |
|---|---|
| Education |
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| People |
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| Language |
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| Geography |
|
| Government |
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| Religion |
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| History |
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| Culture |
|
In-Flight Exercises
Introduction
Your time abroad is short. Time goes fast. No rewind. So do everything there with passion! Attend a cultural activity (for example: a sports game, festival, music or dance event, holiday celebration, religious ceremony, wedding). Or maybe you’ve found a cultural commitment (like a flamenco course, a sports club, a choir, a cooking class etc.) that requires more time. This is how you see the world! This is how you grow!
Tasks
Picture it: Take at least 5 pictures of the activity, with yourself in at least 2 of the pictures.
Caption it (500 words minimum): Was it what you expected? What surprised you? What was familiar to you? What was the most fun? What made you uncomfortable and how did you handle that? What does this activity mean to your host culture? Does this activity have any meaning in the States? What have you learned?
Introduction
Communication abroad isn’t just about speaking the language. Much of what it takes to be effective in a cultural context means you can detect subtle differences in how people behave and interact.
Tasks
Find a busy public place where you can observe people interacting (30 minutes). Write a summary (200 word minimum) to include the following:
- Describe the behaviors you observed (how people move about and interact, the gestures they use, in what manner they pass each other by, and personal space).
- Discuss the similarities and differences in behaviors compared to American culture.
- Describe one specific goal relating to intercultural communication skills you would like to achieve while abroad and why.
Post-Flight Exercises
Introduction
“Traveling…it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” As you return home full of new stories, experiences, and knowledge, you are in the perfect position to inspire the next generation of VT study abroad students.
Tasks
Choose one of the following to spread around your enthusiasm about study abroad:
- Contribute at least 5 posts to GEO social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and blog). Email your contributions to slawhorne@vt.edu.
- Volunteer (GEO events, Pre Flight, International Street Fair, Exchange Student Buddy Program). Contact slawhorne@vt.edu for more information.
Introduction
“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience”.
Tasks
Answer the following questions (400 words minimum):
- What do you wish you had known before you went?
- What was the biggest take-away from your host culture?
- What was the biggest shock (positive or negative)?
- Name 2 things you really like and dislike about your host culture. Explain.
- How have your views of the US changed as a result of your study abroad?
- Are there any customs from abroad that you incorporate in your everyday life here?
- What is your best advice to students traveling to your host country?