Revised General Education Program
2001 Appendix A - General Education Core Areas
Foreign Language/Cross-Cultural Compentence Core Area (FC)
Definition
Foreign Language/Cross-cultural Competence: courses that promote understanding of one's own cultural perspective in a multicultural world and develop the skills necessary to work, live, and interact with persons from different backgrounds, including developing bilingual skills, the comparative study of cultures, the study of cross-cultural communication, and/or study/internships abroad
The Foreign Language / Cross-cultural Competence requirement helps prepare students for life in an increasingly internationalized environment.
Courses satisfying the Cross Cultural Competence requirement will introduce students to significant comparisons between U.S. cultures and foreign cultures.
For the purposes of this requirement, the following definitions apply:
- Culture: the integrated patterns of thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of groups.
- Foreign: generally outside the United States, but inclusive of approved in-country learning experiences in the context of a language other than English.
- Competence: a set of congruent insights, understandings, behaviors, and attitudes that permit a person to function effectively.
The Foreign Language / Cross-cultural Competence requirement helps prepare students for life in an increasingly multicultural world.
Courses satisfying the Cross-cultural Competence requirement will introduce students to significant comparisons between and among cultures.
Guidelines
To qualify, a course will:
- address questions of international cultural differences on a theoretical level
- exemplify those differences with significant examples
- provide opportunities for demonstrating competence by putting those insights and knowledge into practice.
