-^-for posterity-^-

we’re spending a lot of time with vietnamese teachers and students working on something called icc. icc stands for intercultural communicative competence and it’s been a challenge for all involved.

the basic idea is simple but rarely used. when you teach a language in a foreign setting, you are imparting culture. through this process, one must be conscience of the cultural assumptions that are being taught. one of the best ways to help people understand these cultural assumptions is to put both sides of people in contact with one another. you’re basically facilitating a cultural dialogue which doesn’t normally happen.

the american students present on a variety of topics, at times with a vietnamese student presenting from the other side. these presentations are then the catalyst for questions and discussions and we try to get at the core issues that characterize the two cultures.

the process has been successful thus far and we’re hoping for more in-depth conversations involving more universities in american and around the world. hopefully, through the process of icc, we’ll be able to understand more about other cultures, our own culture and eventually develop a more global perspective.