ERIC Number: EJ1060836
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1812-9129
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The "Outsider/Insider" Assignment: A Pedagogical Innovation for Teaching Cross-Cultural Understanding
Garcia, Angela Cora
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, v26 n3 p453-462 2014
In this paper, I describe an innovative assignment for teaching undergraduate students cross-cultural understanding. The Outsider/Insider assignment simultaneously teaches facts about cultural difference and skills for managing cross-cultural encounters. Briefly, the assignment is to write two short papers, one in which the student describes a situation in which he or she was the outsider, and the other a situation in which he or she observed a newcomer to a group where that person was an insider. The paper begins by reviewing previous research on cross-cultural interaction and its relevance for pedagogy, and describing the course, its goals, and the "Outsider/Insider" assignment. The effectiveness of the assignment is demonstrated through an analysis of excerpts from student papers. This analysis shows how the assignment can accomplish learning on a range of dimensions. The main themes that will be addressed are the following: (a) being seen as the outsider; (b) challenges related to outsider status; (c), the relevance of social class, poverty, and wealth on insider/outsider status; (d) strategies for coping in cross-cultural encounters; and (e) benefits to the student of being willing to cross boundaries. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the assignment facilitates student learning and its relevance for a range of undergraduate courses.
Descriptors: Instructional Innovation, Assignments, College Instruction, Cross Cultural Training, Undergraduate Students, Instructional Effectiveness, Social Distance, Social Class, Poverty, Coping, Cultural Differences, Intercultural Communication, Grounded Theory
International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. Web site: http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
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Language: English
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