We invite you to join the Mills International Center’s Learning Café: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Belonging, Teamwork, and Communication.
- Wednesdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
- Starting January 14, and every Wednesday through March 11
- Lunch provided
- A nine-session weekly small-group learning community
- Sign up by Monday, January 12
- Location: Rogue Room (140 EMU)
- Learning Café is open to UO students, staff, and the UO community
- We offer an optional Certificate of Completion
See the world through different eyes to gain insight and skill around cultural differences.
Cross-cultural differences are all around us, whether we realize it or not. We tend to misread each other, because our cultural perspectives heavily influence our interpretations of behaviors and interactions.
- A behavior that in US dominant culture is understood as a “best practice” may be read in another culture as immature and juvenile (or rude and arrogant in yet another).
- A behavior which in one culture is intended to show respect for a person in authority may be misread in dominant US cultural terms as “lacking initiative.” We may be unknowingly misreading the people we supervise or colleagues we engage with.
- If “yes” in dominant US cultural norms tends to mean “I agree with you,” in some of the US or the world’s many other cultural norms “yes" can mean “I don’t agree, but I heard what you said.” What strategies can we use to find out when someone agrees/disagrees?
How can we navigate this reality?
What are some strategies and behaviors that help us build spaces where all belong? What practices help us authentically and skillfully work together across differences? How can we avoid unintentionally being dismissive and disrespectful of others?
If these questions interest you, come join us in a small-group weekly learning community for students and staff. We’ll meet weekly on Wednesdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., for nine interactive in-person sessions. It’s free, food is provided, and there’s no homework.
We’ll lay a foundation of cross-cultural skill and knowledge that will support your own continued learning and humility. Each participant can gain awareness of their own cultural norms, gain perspectives on the norms of others, amplify their ability to shift perspectives and to handle discomfort skillfully, and practice bridging differences. Together, we’ll explore strategies to invite and thrive on difference.
Interactive activities, useful intercultural theories, personal stories, reflection, and dialogue will be the core of our work. To support this environment of inquiry, we use these Group Norms: having an open mind; respect for different cultures and backgrounds; respect for not knowing; respect for mistakes (including our own); and comfort with not having closure (in discussions, stories, and learning).
The learning environment is welcoming, inclusive, learner-centered, and dialogue-focused. It’s a learning journey that builds on itself, so we encourage our participants to attend (nearly) all sessions.
Questions? Contact Sara Clark at sclark6@uoregon.edu or at 541-346-0848.