TNDY 408G - Cultural Competence

An abiding challenge of our multicultural reality is to develop cultural competence. Each of us as individuals must learn to live and work in multicultural settings. Our institutions—public, private, and nonprofit—need to learn how to deal with cultural diversity. And as individuals and institutions learn and innovate, we must assess what seems to work in one culture for its relevance to our own cultural setting. Fortunately, abundant research and practical experience can teach us how to do better. This course teaches how to: 1. Address culture misunderstandings in ourselves and in our institutions. 2. Evaluate and manage the benefits and costs of various kinds of cultural diversity. 3. Apply lessons from what works in one cultural setting to a different cultural setting. 4. Improve negotiations across cultures. 5. Understand the linkages between disadvantage and stigma—and what we’ve learned about dealing with stigma. 6. Reframe our individual identities as multicultural. This course should provide core skills for future professionals (public health, business, education, public policy, evaluation, international relations) as well as future professors.
Units: 4
Course Type: Seminar