NEW CULTURAL COMPETENCY TRAINING
OFFERED BY UH HELPS ENCOURAGE SENSITIVITY
Cultural Expert, Author Carol Archer Will Teach
“A Step Beyond Diversity” Workshops This Fall
HOUSTON, Aug. 17, 2005 – A program designed to create and
develop cultural sensitivity in employees living and working abroad,
or those who come into regular contact with ethnic minorities in
the U.S., will be offered by the University of Houston.
UH’s Continuing Education (UHCE) will present “A Step
beyond Diversity: Workshops for Cultural Competency” this
fall.
The workshops will help develop participants’ communication
abilities and cultural understanding by focusing on cultural differences
in communication patterns and expectations. For instance, it’s
bad luck to give a clock to a Chinese person. Some Jews cannot operate
automobiles on the Sabbath which begins sundown on Friday. It’s
improper to use candles for some Muslims.
The multi-tiered program introduces specific strategies for dealing
with cultural differences, cultural communication, cultural adjustment
and management.
Carol Archer, who is the author of several books on culture, including
“Culture Bound: an Anthology,” is the instructor for
the courses. Archer is the creator of the Culture Bump Theory, which
states that society must understand its “culture bumps,”
or “cultural differences,” in order to form better relationships.
She has a doctorate in education with research focus on cultural
and urban studies.
The program consists of four, six-hour workshops. Two classes will
be held in Oct. 2005, a third will take place in January and a fourth
will be held in February 2006. The cost is $245 per module or $930
for all four modules, if registering before Sept. 21.
“Studying cultural patterns is akin to studying the wind,”
Archer says in her book “Living with Strangers in the USA.”
“We can never capture it; it remains forever invisible and
yet its impact is always a part of our life experience.”
A free demonstration will be offered Sept. 14 from 6-8 p.m. at
UH. Call Shirley Sheridan at 713-743-1190 or
e-mail her at ssheridan@uh.edu
for further information or to reserve a seat for the demonstration.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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