Learn Intercultural Skills, Enhance Duke’s Diversity

To Ciara Healy, Perkins Library acts as a perfect crossroads where students, faculty and staff from all over the world converge at Duke. 

Which is why she not only sees it as a special place, but an opportunity to grow personally and professionally. 

“As a public-facing librarian, it’s made me think more about my interactions with the community,” said Healy, a librarian for psychology and neuroscience in Perkins Library. “You never know who will call or walk up to the desk.”

So last summer, Healy joined about 20 other Duke community members for the Intercultural Skills Development Program, a free, seasonal class open to all students and employees looking to connect, support and engage with others from different backgrounds and countries. Organized by Duke’s International House, the 2016 summer session is now accepting applications for classes that run May 17 to 26.

“Given the changing national and international climate around ideas of diversity and inclusivity, the relevance of intercultural skills to our personal and professional growth will only intensify with time,” said Seun Bello Olamosu, associate director for intercultural development and outreach. “It’s important that we seek and cultivate the awareness, knowledge, and skills that will help us contribute positively to our changing world both at home and abroad.”

During four workshop sessions with the Intercultural Skills program, participants engage in a variety of experiential exercises, from examining the “cultural lens” of how they view the world to studying challenges faced by international students and scholars when they come to Duke. 

Healy found one lesson last summer of particular use, teaching her about body language and direct/indirect communication, which can be perceived differently for someone raised in America compared to other countries.

“I’m more patient now and work to emphasize that a conversation or relationship isn’t at risk if there’s conflict,” Healy said. “I might change my body language or act more reassuring because of how appearance of authority can be treated differently in other cultures.” 

Even after taking the Intercultural Skills program over three years ago, Justin Clapp still works to put into effect lessons he learned. As director of outreach and access with the Office of Financial Aid, Clapp focuses on working with first-generation college students, who may come from a variety of backgrounds. He noted that exercises from the program that made him rethink his biases when interacting with students from low-income or foreign families has made him better at his job.

“It we are here to serve students, you want to practice celebrating other people’s experiences and support them,” Clapp said. “Everyone who enters our doors deserves to feel welcome and celebrated.”