Intercultural Communication Institute

28 | Why It Works: Intercultural Theory for Practitioners

Interculturalists are often challenged about the credibility of their relatively young field. One good response is to show that it works, but it is better to also explain why it works. This workshop focuses on the theory behind the practice, with the goal of making the practice more coherent, and thus more credible and effective.

Designed for
Intercultural trainers and consultants, researchers and educators who need to explain their practice for marketing or academic purposes, and who believe that clients, students, and colleagues respond well to information based on a deep understanding of the topic.

Objectives
Participants will have the opportunity to:

See how intercultural relations differs from other approaches to culture, such as cross-cultural psychology, multicultural education, cultural anthropology, and cultural studies
Learn how cultural identity is different from personal identity, and how intercultural theory allows us to make cultural generalizations without stereotyping individuals
Review some major ideas current in the field, including mindfulness, embodiment, power and identity, cultural dimensions and orientations, and constructivist development of intercultural competence
Discover the Three Principles of intercultural relations and the Five Frameworks for analyzing intercultural encounters
Consider the complexities of intercultural adaptation, including the idea of “virtual third cultures”
Identify areas of “paradigmatic confusion”—where methods of research or training are inconsistent with the conceptual claims made for them

Learning Activities

Interactive presentation and discussion of core concepts in intercultural relations
Small group discussion of professional implications and applications
Generation of coherent approaches appropriate to participants’ venues

Faculty: Milton Bennett

Dr. Milton Bennett is the co-founder and a director of the Intercultural Communication Institute. He was an associate professor of communication at Portland State University, where he taught communication theory and studies of consciousness, intercultural theory, and (for the systems science Ph.D. program) the communication of complex ideas. Milton also has a background in physics, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and sociology, and a life-long interest in the philosophy of science. He edited a synthesis of classic intercultural theory, Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication; generated the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS); and outlined the theory of “embodied ethnocentrism” in the 3rd edition of the Handbook of Intercultural Training. Milton currently generates new theory and research through the Intercultural Development Research Institute, which operates in the U.S. and Europe.