Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship Certificate

Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship Certificate

Overview

The Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship certificate provides a pathway for students to engage in deep intercultural learning and develop intercultural competence through experiential learning, and will be available for all undergraduate students in Autumn 2022. To earn the certificate students will complete a specific set of courses as well as participate in global learning experiences, which provide real-world intercultural interactions and reflection opportunities.

Coursework and Experiential Learning

The selected courses combine theoretical understanding and purposeful reflection that aim to increase self-awareness on identity, values, beliefs and behaviors through the lens of race, gender and ethnicity. For experiential opportunities, students can choose between global learning experiences and full-immersion world language study with explicit intercultural learning. Global learning experiences include courses with education abroad or Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) components that provide meaningful and substantive intercultural interactions across differences. For language courses, students can take two courses in a world language or one 5-credit intensive course (e.g. Italian 5101). The courses, primarily offered in the College of Arts and Sciences that satisfy GE requirements, incorporate theories about and self-reflection on race, gender and ethnicity. Since students can overlap two courses with the GE, this certificate offers a way to partially organize their path to meet the GE requirement.

EM and transfer credit courses do not count toward certificates.

Curriculum Requirements

  • FRIT 3054: The 21st-Century Skill: Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship: In this course students will develop cultural self-awareness, intercultural empathy, and an understanding of the patterns of behavior and values of people from different cultural contexts - all skills necessary for working and succeeding in the 21st century. 
  • COMM 3668: Intercultural Communication: An examination of the role of intercultural communication in organizational contexts and the attendant effects on the creation and transmission of cultural consciousness, knowledge, tradition, and practices. 
  • One 2000-level or above course from the Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity category of the new GE program
  • One of the following:
    • A study abroad or COIL course that meets the criteria of the GE integrative course (4 credits). 
    • OR A 3-credit study abroad/COIL course + another 2000-level or above course from the Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity category of the new GE program
    • OR Two courses in a world language or a one-semester five-credit intensive course, such as Italian 5101.

Expected Learning Outcomes

  1. Increased cultural self-understanding: Students will be able to demonstrate their consciousness and understanding of their own cultural values and beliefs and how culture shapes perceptions, biases and behaviors. 
  2. Development of empathy: Students will be able to identify and explain their reactions to people whose cultures differ from their own, reflect upon those responses, and demonstrate the ability to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the perspectives of another cultural group. 
  3. Effective and appropriate communication in various intercultural contexts: Students will be able to recognize and negotiate cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and will be willing and able to adapt appropriately to those differences.

Sample schedule 1:

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4

Language 1101

Language 1102

Course from the Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity category of the new GE programFRIT 3054COMM3668

Sample schedule 2:

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4
Course from the Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity category of the new GE programStudy Abroad (GE)FRIT 3054 (GE)COMM3668

Certificate Description 

Intercultural competence is one of the essential learning outcomes for college graduates. Completion of the coursework and embedded experiences of this certificate will give students the tools to identify and actively manage the interpersonal challenges of the global and diverse workplace and gain a deeper understanding of the capabilities that they develop and the practical applications in the real world.

Courses to Be Taken

  • FRIT 3054: The 21st-Century Skill: Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship (GE Global Citizenship)
  • COMM 3668 - Intercultural Communication 
  • One 2000-level or above course from the Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity foundation category of the GE program 

Choose one of the following: 

  • A study abroad or COIL course that meets the criteria of the high impact (4+ credit) GE integrative education abroad experience. 
  • OR A 3-credit study abroad/COIL course + another 2000-level or above course from the Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity foundation category of the new GE program. 
  • OR Two courses in a world language (GE World Languages) or one a one-semester 5 credit intensive course (e.g. IT5101)

All the information on this page can also be located on the Office of International Affairs pamphlet for the Intercultural Competence for Global Citizenship Certificate.

Program Advisor

Janice M. Aski (aski.1@osu.edu)

Credit Hours Required

A minimum of 13 hours

Overlap with Courses in Degree

The certificate must be in a different subject than the major. Max 50% overlap with courses in a major, minor, other certificate, or GE. Grades required Minimum C- for a course to be counted on the certificate. Minimum 2.00 cumulative point-hour ratio required for the certificate. 

X193 credits not permitted. 

Approval Required 

The certificate program description sheet indicates if the certificate course work must be approved by a college/school advisor. 

Consult with Advisor 

  • For filing deadlines
  • For changes or exceptions to a certificate plan

Advisory Committee 

Janice Aski, Department of French and Italian 

Cindy Jiang, Office of International Affairs 

Susan Kline, School of Communication