Shared Experiences: A performative approach to intercultural education

John Crutchfield

doi:10.33178/scenario.15.1.2

Authors

John Crutchfield The University of North Carolina at Asheville

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33178/scenario.15.1.2

Keywords:

Intercultural communicative competence, Intercultural education, language and culture

Abstract

During the academic year 2018 – 2019, the Department of Languages and Literatures at the University of North Carolina - Asheville (UNCA) launched a pilot curriculum in Intercultural Education for intermediate-level foreign language students in French, Spanish and German. It was decided early on to adopt a performative/experiential approach, and to accompany the project with an empirical study based on qualitative data. This article lays out the parameters and contexts of the project itself and summarizes the findings of the accompanying study, including an articulation of questions that remain for future exploration. The article closes with a broader reflection on the place of such work in foreign language study and in the modern university, as well as in the context of the present (as of this writing) corona-virus pandemic.

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