De­vel­op­ing cul­tur­al sens­it­iv­ity

Course content

Today’s business graduates are likely to be employed in multicultural organisations in Denmark and/or abroad. The ability to work sensitively and effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds is therefore increasingly crucial. Cultural sensitivity involves awareness of one’s own cultural assumptions, respect for cultural differences, and the ability to respond appropriately to people from different cultural backgrounds, and it is an essential competence in international professional contexts, whether at home or abroad. A large part of cultural sensitivity involves being aware of how one's own cultural norms and biases may influence interactions and decision-making, and adapting one's behavior to communicate respectfully and effectively with individuals from diverse cultures.
  
“Developing Cultural Sensitivity” is designed to foster and train these abilities. The aim of the course is to encourage critical reflexivity concerning students’ own cultural identity and positionality, and about the ways in which they apprehend and negotiate difference. Students will be introduced to theories and concepts that will enable them to practice such critical reflection both in a familar context (where they regard themselves as 'insiders') and in an unfamiliar/foreign context (where they regard themselves as 'outsiders').  Different theoretical approaches to culture, identity and difference will be presented (e.g. social identity theory, communication accommodation theory, cross-cultural adaptation theory, inclusion/exclusion and belonging, acculturation, alterity, positionality, recognition, materiality and embodiment), as well as approaches to analysing and writing about one's own experiences in a scientific manner (autoethnographic approaches, sense-making).

These theories will be applied to students' experiences both in an 'insider' and  'outsider' context:

'Outsider' cultural context: We will take the point of departure for teaching in students’ own experiences of navigating unfamiliar cultural contexts where they regard themselves as 'outsiders' (for instance, an exchange semester abroad or another unfamiliar culture students have experienced in their lives (e.g. a holiday abroad, a new sports club, or a move from Jutland to Sjælland). Students' experiences will be discussed in the light of the cultural assumptions, positionality and identity issues that they raise.

'Insider' cultural context: With a point of departure in their own experiences, students will be introduced to the challenges, including cultural blind spots, involved in critically reflecting on their own cultural assumptions, identity and positionality in a familiar cultural context where they regard themselves as 'insiders', e.g. a Danish organisation or institution (such as CBS, a workplace, sports club or family context).

Students will therefore be expected to draw on the perspectives and concepts taught during the course in explaining and reflecting on their experiences both as cultural 'insiders' and 'outsiders'.