International Center > International Education > Peace Corps Prep Program > Student Guide > Intercultural Competence

Intercultural Competence

Requirements: One Core Course + Two Electives Courses or Substantive Intercultural Experience (40 hours). Each intercultural experience lasting at least forty hours may substitute for one elective.

Engaging thoughtfully and fluidly across cultures begins with one’s own self-awareness. With this learning objective, you will deepen your cultural agility through a mix of three introspective courses in which you learn about others while reflecting on yourself in relation to others.

The goal is for you to build your capacity to shift perspective and behavior around relevant cultural differences. Example courses:

And choose two elective courses from the above list or those below:

Internationally Oriented Courses
Africa
  • GEOG 4396 Selected Topics in Geography*
  • HIST 4357 Topics in African and African-American History
  • IPEC 4307 Regional Topics in International Political Economy*
  • IPEC 4308 Political Economy of Africa
  • ISSS 4V86 Special Interdisciplinary Topics in the Social Sciences*
  • LIT 3382 Topics in Non-Western Literature*
  • PSCI 4315 Civil Conflict in Africa
  • PSCI 4396 Selected Topics in Government and Politics*
  • SOC 3336 Culture Regions*
Europe
  • GEOG 3382 Russia: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
  • GEOG 4396 Selected Topics in Geography*
  • HIST 3317 The Crusades
  • HIST 3318 The Medieval Europe
  • HIST 3319 Early Modern Europe
  • HIST 3320 Modern Europe
  • HIST 3324 Women in European Society
  • HIST 3331 European Social History
  • HIST 3333 European Social and Political Thought
  • HIST 3334 Nineteenth-Century European Culture and Society
  • HIST 3336 Twentieth-Century European Culture and Society
  • HIST 3337 Technology and Western Civilization
  • HIST 3344 History of Science in Europe
  • HIST 4330 The Holocaust
  • HIST 4332 After the Holocaust
  • HIST 4339 Berlin: History of a City
  • HIST 4344 Topics in European History
  • IPEC 4307 Regional Topics in International Political Economy*
  • ISSS 4V86 Special Interdisciplinary Topics in the Social Sciences*
  • LIT 3312 Studies in Prose Narrative (If Don Quixote in World Literature)
  • LIT 3318 British Romanticism
  • LIT 3319 Periods in English Literature
  • LIT 3320 Shakespeare
  • LIT 3321 Modern British Literature
  • LIT 3343 European Romanticism
  • LIT 3344 European Realism and Naturalism
  • LIT 3381 Topics in Western Literature
  • PSCI 4396 Selected Topics in Government and Politics*
  • SOC 3336 Culture Regions*
Latin America
  • GEOG 4396 Selected Topics in Geography*
  • HIST 3358 Latin American History
  • HIST 3379 United States Relations with Latin America
  • HIST 3391 Modern Mexico
  • HIST 3392 U.S. Mexico Borderlands
  • HIST 3398 Colonial Latin American History
  • HIST 3399 Modern Latin American History
  • HIST 4359 Topics in Latin American History (may be repeated as topics vary)
  • IPEC 4304 Political Economy of Latin America
  • IPEC 4307 Regional Topics in International Political Economy*
  • ISAH 4V88 Spec. I.S. Topics in A&H (If Mexican Politics)
  • ISSS 4V86 Special Interdisciplinary Topics in the Social Sciences*
  • ISIS 3390 Costa Rica Field Trip
  • LIT 3312 Studies in Prose Narrative (If Don Quixote in World Literature)
  • LIT 3385 Topics in Latin American Literature
  • PSCI 4331 Mexican Politics
  • PSCI 4332 Latin American Politics
  • SOC 3336 Culture Regions*
Middle East/Asia
  • GEOG 4396 Selected Topics in Geography*
  • HIST 3312 Early China
  • HIST 3313 Medieval China
  • HIST 3314 Traditional China
  • HIST 3315 Modern China
  • HIST 3316 Women in Traditional China
  • HIST 3351 The Ottoman Empire I
  • HIST 3352 The Ottoman Empire II
  • HIST 3355 Persians, Turks, and Mongols
  • HIST 3370 The American Experience in Vietnam
  • HIST 4358 Topics in Asian History
  • IPEC 4310 Environmental and Health Policy in East Asia
  • IPEC 4303 Political Economy of South and Southeast Asia
  • IPEC 4307 Regional Topics in International Political Economy*
  • ISIS 3335 United States and East Asia
  • ISSS 4V86 Special Interdisciplinary Topics in the Social Sciences*
  • LIT 3382 Topics in Non-Western Literature+
  • PSCI 4396 Selected Topics in Government and Politics*
  • PSCI 4312 Politics of East Asia
  • PSCI 4313 Politics of China
  • PSCI 4314 Political Economy of East Asia
  • SOC 3336 Culture Regions*

Or have a substantive intercultural experience (40 hours or more) through a mix of experiences such as:

Please check the number of hours dedicated to each activity so you may fulfill the 40 hours requirement. Deepen your cultural agility through a mix of course work and experiences.