potential of cross-cultural interaction

It is often difficult to teach intercultural concepts to students who have, or who think they have, few experiences to draw on. When Jane Elliott attempted to teach her White Iowa students about racial discriminatio,n she chose an attribute they already possessed, eye color. This small element that is a part of every human became the basis of a powerful lesson in discrimination. Many of our students at a small Midwestern liberal arts college have had little direct experience with what they consider "other" cultures. Because of their lack of experience, they often find it difficult to appreciate the importance of culture in their own lives and the lives of others. The exercise presented here uses a concept all students are to some degree familiar with, the family, to illustrate the problems and potential of intercultural interactions. This exercise has a number of possible applications and has been well received by participants in a variety of contexts. The importance of having students learn about other cultures is unquestioned in modern education. As Milton Bennett (1998) noted, while the question of how people can understand each other was traditionally the province of the diplomat, expatriate, or foreign traveler, today’s global village has made this concern part of everyday life. Educators have not neglected this area. Several good ideas have been presented on how to teach about culture (e.g., Robins, Lindsey, Lindsey, and Terell, 2002; Gloria, Rieckmann, and Rush, 2000). One potential problem is that the perception of students, Fall 200