INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
Intercultural Knowledge and Competence Value Rubric
Please access this link https://bit.ly/InterculturalCompRubric
The rubric identifies six key constructs of the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to a
person’s competence to effectively and accurately address cultural differences which will increase
levels of intercultural competence.The six intercultural constructs presented in the rubric are
summarized below:
1. Attitude of Openness. This is demonstrated when you are open to initiate and develop
interactions with culturally different others. You suspend judgment in valuing your
interactions with them.
2. Attitude of Curiosity. You ask complex questions about other cultures. You can articulate
answers to these questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives.
3. Knowledge of Cultural Self-awareness. You articulate insights into your own cultural
rules, assumptions, and biases. You are aware of how your experiences shape these rules,
assumptions, and biases.
4. Knowledge of Cultural Worldview Frameworks. You demonstrate your sophisticated
understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in
relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and
practices.
5. Skills of Non-verbal and Verbal communication. You can articulate a complex
understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication. You
skillfully negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences.
6. Skill of Empathy. You can interpret intercultural experience from the perspectives of
your own and more than one worldview. You demonstrate your ability to act in a
supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group.
Which of these six constructs do you believe is your strongest? Think of an experience
in which you demonstrated this attitude, skill or knowledge.
Let us examine in detail the six constructs presented:
1. Intercultural Attitude of Openness. https://bit.ly/InterculturalOpenness
Steps:
a. receptiveness to interacting with others who are culturally different from you
b. awareness of one’s judgements and willingness to change
c. initiating interaction and suspending judgements
d. developing more interaction
Try this! Identify a few persons who meet at least one of the criteria presented in the
video. Share what you felt and learned after conversing with the person.
2. Developing Curiosity. https://bit.ly/ICOpenness
a. stating a minimal interest in learning about the culture
b. asking questions that start from simple, deeper to more complex questions later
Try this! Review the Cultural Iceberg Theory presented in the first part of this lesson.
Evaluate the aspects of culture below and above the water line.
3. Developing Self-awareness. https://bit.ly/SelfawarenessIntro
a. minimal awareness of your personal cultural rules and biases
b. identification of your personal cultural rules and biases with a strong preference
of those from your cultural group
c. ability to articulate insights into your own biases
Try this! a. Watch the first half of this video 12-minute video https://bit.ly/2NWAqLJ.
In what ways does our cultural self-awareness drive our behaviors?
b. Reflect on your own cultural identity and identify which is most important
to you.
4. Developing Worldview Framework. https://bit.ly/CulturalWorldView
a. surface understanding of the elements important to other members of another
culture
b. partial understanding
c. adequate understanding
d. sophisticated understanding
Try this! a. Watch the first half of this 19-minute video. https://bit.ly/WorldViewVideo
b. Think of a country that you would like to visit in the future. Search information
about the country. Which phase in the cultural view framework applies to you?
5. Developing non-verbal communication. https://bit.ly/VerbalandNonverbal
Try this! a. Identify a culture with a different way of non-verbal cues compared to your
culture. Why do you think it is different?
b. Go to park that is commonly visited by people from different cultures. Observe
how these people interact and use their verbal and non-verbal cues.
6. Developing Cultural Empathy. https://bit.ly/38tpBu5
a. view the experiences of culturally different people using only your cultural lens
b. view the experience of a culturally different other, identify components of the
other cultural perspective but you still respond from your own cultural point of view
c. recognize a diversity of cultural perspectives, interact with culturally different
others and understand their culturally defined ways of making meaning or ways of
perceiving
d. interpret cross cultural experiences from more than one cultural perspective and
express support
Try this! Read this story and write a reaction to the situation presented. Identify the
character in the story whose behavior you least approve.
ROSEMARY is a young woman about 21 years old. For a long time she has been engaged to a
young man named HERNANDO and she is coming from a great distance to meet him for their
scheduled wedding. The problem she faces is that between her and her betrothed there lies a river.
No ordinary river, mind you, but a deep, wide river infested with hungry crocodiles.
ROSEMARY ponders how she can cross the river. She thinks of a man who has a boat, whose name
is SVEN. She approaches SVEN and asks him to take her across the river. SVEN replies, “Yes, I’ll
take you across the river if you’ll spend the night with me.”
Shocked at this offer, she turns to another acquaintance, LEE PAI, and tells him her story. LEE
PAI responds by saying, “Poor ROSEMARY, I understand your problem, but I don’t see how I
can help. It’s really your problem, not mine.”
ROSEMARY, in desperation, decided to return to SVEN, and spends the night with him. In the
morning, SVEN takes her across the river. She completes her journey and arrives in time.
Her reunion with HERNANDO is warm, but on the evening before they are to be married,
ROSEMARY feels compelled to tell HERNANDO how she succeeded in getting across the river.
HERNANDO responds by saying, “I can’t believe you would do such a thing. I wouldn’t marry
you if you were the last woman on earth” and he banishes her as a soiled woman.
Finally, at her wit’s end, ROSEMARY turns to our last character, SEIICHI. He listens to her story
and says, “What a terrible thing to happen. Rosemary, I don’t love you, but I will marry you.”
And that is all we know of the story …
(Source: Understanding Intercultural Communication (2012) by Stella Ting-Toomey, Leeva C. Chung and
Alex Flecky, New York, Oxford University Press in Catalan, 2020 [MOOC lecture].
Calahan, C. (2020). Intercultural competence [MOOC lecture]. Improve your Intercultural
competence. https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intercultural-competence/11/todo/70037
Source: Online Course on Intercultural Competence. Future
