Global Perspective

Knowledge, skills, and attitudes, in brief.

This book seeks to conceptualize intercultural communication competence from diverse perspectives, explore its re-conceptualization in globalization, and investigate its development in cultural contexts and interaction scenarios. A group of leading international scholars in different academic disciplines join to map out a comprehensive picture, providing an in-depth and up-to-date work on intercultural communication competence. The book adopts an interdisciplinary approach and enhances readers understanding on the concept of intercultural communication competence. It is a useful source for educators, researchers, students and professionals.

The Handbook brings together leading experts and scholars from a variety of fields (e.g., education, communication, psychology, social work, health care, conflict studies, etc.) and from around the world who do work in intercultural competence (defined as appropriate and effective communication, as well as behavior, in intercultural situations). Given the current and future focus on global workforce development, and on globalization in general, this Handbook examines the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed in our ever diverse world.

By addressing intercultural and multicultural education in a global context, this volume brings together dynamic discussions of intercultural and multicultural education. Not content with discussion of theory or practice at the expense of the other, this collection of essays weaves together a variety of epistemologies, ideologies, historical circumstances, pedagogies, policy approaches, curricula, and personal narratives. Contributors take readers to the countries, schools, and nongovernmental agencies where intercultural education and multicultural education, either collectively or singularly, are active concepts or practices in the daily educational undertaking and discourse of society. Readers are also informed about how intercultural education and/or multicultural education within a country came to be and will learn about the debates over intercultural education and/or multicultural education at both the government and local level.

This book explores the idea of ‘intercultural competence’. The essays in this volume approach the complexity of the concept from a number of different angles. These include theoretical models for defining the concept of ‘intercultural competence’, outlining paths for future research; application of the concept in the teaching and learning of foreign languages, cultures and literatures; exploration of institutional and sociocultural influences on mediating intercultural competence; and analysis of the concept’s impact on such diverse contexts as international business, religious constructs and notions of selfhood and identity.

The International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office provides institutional and fellowship grant funding to strengthen the capability and performance of American education in foreign languages and in area and international studies. Programs include those authorized under Title VI and Title VII of the Higher Education Act, and those authorized under the Fulbright-Hays Act.