This video is part of the InclusiveVT Insights series. After watching this video, you'll be able to define intercultural competence and recognize its cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components.

Self-Reflection

After watching the video, review this accompanying discussion guide. We invite you to use the questions and accompanying practice rubric to spark your own reflection.

Scenario:

I brought in candy for my students as a treat while we were reviewing for a test. After looking at the ingredients, one of my students put the candy back, looking disappointed. I asked him if he has an allergy and he said no. What am I missing?

There are multiple reasons behind student dietary restrictions, and one of them may be religious practice. For example, Jewish students who keep Kosher and Muslin students who eat halal will avoid gelatin found in some candy.

Students vary in their religious behavior and devotions. Some students choose to fulfill their religious obligations privately and may not be comfortable sharing them with their teachers and classmates. Whatever your students' religiosity may be, your willingness to acknowledge and respect the primacy of religious identities in the lives of some people is critical.

Familiarizing yourself with the ways that religious diversity manifests itself (e.g. diet, attire, socializing, devotional objects, holidays) can be a helpful way to support your students, even when you don't know the religious identities of the students in your class. Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown during the month of Ramadan. Jehovah Witnesses refrain from celebrating birthdays. Some Sikh men wear turbans and carry a kirpan (double-edged sword) as articles of faith. Buddhists tend to be vegetarian and Muslims and Jews don't eat pork. These are just a few examples of devotional practices that might matter when you are planning activities for your class.

Of course, religion is just one example of intercultural diversity. We recommend the resources from Teaching Tolerance to dive further into intercultural awareness, equity, and social justice.

Additional reading and resources:

Teaching Tolerance offers curriculum, classroom resources, and professional development for social justice and anti-bias education.

The Pluralism Project (Links to an external site.) maintains a comprehensive interfaith calendar with descriptions of seventeen belief systems. The overall site is one of the best resources available on religious diversity in the United States.

The Interfaith Youth Core (Links to an external site.)has case studies and other resources on its website.

Credits: Created by Julia Feerrar & Kayla B. McNabb and based on materials originally created by Dr. Michele C. Deramo, Assistant Provost of Diversity Education and Programs at Virginia Tech.