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 both more credible and more coherent.

Designed for
Intercultural trainers and consultants, researchers and educators who need to explain their practice for marketing or general credibility purposes, and/or who believe that theoretical coherence generates more effective practice.

See how intercultural relations is different from other approaches to culture, such as cross-cultural psychology, multicultural education, cultural anthropology, and cultural studies
Review some major ideas current in the field, including facework, power and identity, cultural dimensions and orientations, reconciliations, and constructivist development
Learn how the “mid-range analysis” of intercultural theory allows us to make cultural generalizations without stereotyping, and how it generates “cultural identity”
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 a theory of “embodied ethnocentrism” in the 3rd edition of the Handbook of Intercultural Training.