David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

Intercultural Outreach

In the late 1970s, several BYU students interested in Asian studies put together a short presentation for elementary and secondary students throughout Utah. In 1987, the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies united similar campus programs, creating what is known today as Intercultural Outreach. Originally sharing cultural insights from Japan and China, Intercultural Outreach has broadened its focus to Africa/Middle East, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, Intercultural Interactions, and International Development. From the original eight presentations delivered during the first year, Intercultural Outreach has grown to over 1,200 presentations delivered last year.

Elementary students express excitement through participation

Intercultural Outreach (IAS 353R) is a three-credit course offered by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. Students must have lived in another country for three months or more to enroll. With the knowledge and experience gained from living abroad, students prepare a multimedia cultural presentation that they deliver to elementary and secondary students ages 5–18. Through their preparation and by presenting in the classroom, students gain further understanding and appreciation of their own and other cultures.

Intercultural Outreach fosters open cultural exchange within the education and business communities, promoting increased global understanding through its students, in three ways: 1) As cultural specialists of politics, geography, religion, and tradition, 2) As presenters of high-quality cultural presentations to classrooms along the Wasatch Front, 3) By developing and publishing their teaching units as CultureGuides, which are available for purchase online.

CultureGuides contain all the information, resources, media, and web addresses included in a student's classroom presentation. A Kennedy Center Publication, CultureGuides are designed to assist in answering the demand for current methods and research in teaching cultural awareness and understanding.

Intercultural Outreach has received many awards for its cultural service, including the "Recognition of Excellence Award," a national recognition from the United States Department of Education. Such success is the result of the enthusiasm and commitment exhibited by the students and employees that work with Intercultural Outreach. Above and beyond these awards, Intercultural Outreach offers teachers and facilitators assistance through consultation and workshops, as well as access to the Outreach Library containing current information, slides, visual aids, flags, maps, etc, available for checkout. With the world becoming increasingly connected, Intercultural Outreach is one step ahead in promoting global and cultural awareness.

IAS 353R Course Info

Course Registration

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The only prerequisite to participate in Intercultural Outreach is that you must have lived in another country for three months or more. You may register for Intercultural Outreach online under IAS 353R. The class is offered in fall or winter semesters. International Studies majors and minors earn upper division credit. However, all majors are encouraged to participate, and you should contact your appropriate advisor for possible course substitutions.

Outreach presenter demonstrates a
Mexican game

This is an amazing opportunity to turn your cultural experience, obtained on your mission, study abroad program, or extended travel, into academic credit. You will be given the opportunity to develop important skills, such as public speaking and curriculum development, as well as enhance your resume and/or graduate school application.

Course Handouts

Syllabus
CultureGuide Student Handbook for enrolled students
Presentation Handout
Presentation Evaluation Form—evaluations are an important detail of your presentations as they provide valuable feedback to the program and certify that your presentation has been given.

Presentations

Children study culture through hands-on experience.

As an Intercultural Outreach student, you will develop a multimedia presentation about a country in which you lived for a minimum of three months. You will show an understanding of key elements from the culture and demonstrate them using teaching techniques, visual aids (slides, artifacts, videos, maps) and a class handout (fact sheet). Your presentations won't be travelogues. Instead, your presentations will reflect a professional, in-depth, cross-cultural understanding of the country/culture.

Library

To help your research, the Intercultural Outreach office provides a library of documentation, as well as artifacts, flags, and maps to help prepare your presentations. Click here for Library Resources.

CultureGuide

The course requires that you prepare a CultureGuide that will be published for the use of educators in their classrooms. Click here for more information on CultureGuides. See CultureGuide samples: Guatemala and Japan

CultureGuides

CultureGuides are teaching units designed to assist teachers or facilitators in fostering open cultural exchange as well as promoting increased global understanding. There are two series consisting of four lesson plans targeted toward elementary or secondary grades:

Series One consists of four lesson topics—

Traditions—The Traditions lesson plan helps students develop an appreciation and understanding of traditions that are an essential part of the country’s cultural fabric—addressing the historical, as well as modern, evolution of eac tradition.
Folklore and Language—The Folklore and Language lesson plan explores written, oral, or artistic customs of a specific country or ethnic group. The examples may include an overview of the artistic tradition of storytelling in the country or focus on the historical development and unique aspects of the spoken and written language.
Food—The Food lesson plan illustrates how food reflects cultural values. Specific examples of cultural foods illustrate the main theme and recipes are often included so that teachers can make the food with their class.
Cross-cultural Contributions—The Cross-cultural Contributions lesson plan focuses on a unique and significant cultural contribution that has influenced other cultures.

Series Two consists of four lesson topics—

Geography and Climate—The Geography and Climate lesson plan demonstrates the connection between land or weather and a specific cultural element, such as how a country’s landscape has contributed to the development of transportation in that country.
History—The History lesson plan looks at a significant event, period, or individual in the history of the culture.
Politics and Economics—The Politics and Economics lesson plan explores modern or historical political/economic situations, by discussing occurrences surrounding the situation as well as the cultural impact.
Lifestyle—The Lifestyle lesson plan looks at daily life as a product of culture. It connects basic tasks and routines to the values of a specific culture.

See CultureGuide samples: Guatemala and Japan

CultureGuides may be purchased through the International Outreach office or the Kennedy Center main office, or the Kennedy Center Online Store.

CultureGuides Coming Soon!
Country	Series	Grade Level
Guatemala	2	elementary
Egypt	1	elementary
Russia	2	high school
New Zealand	1	high school

CultureGuides Available for Purchase
Country	Series	Grade Level
American Samoa	1	elementary
Austria	1	elementary
Austria	1	high school
Brazil	2	high school
Bulgaria	1	high school
Cambodia	1	high school
Chile	1	elementary
China	2	elementary
China	2	high school
Egypt	1	elementary
El Salvador	1	elementary
England	1	high school
Guatemala	1	elementary
Guatemala	1	secondary
Japan	1	elementary
Japan	1	secondary
Japan	2	secondary
Kenya	1	elementary
Latvia	1	elementary
Mexico	2	elementary
Mongolia	1	high school
Portugal	1	elementary
Russia	1	elementary
Russia	1	high school
Senegal	1	high school
South Korea	1	elementary
South Korea	1	secondary
Spain	1	elementary
Spain	1	secondary
Spain	2	elementary

Resources

Apart from the wide spectrum of books and videos in areas of politics, political theory, diplomacy, and foreign policy, the Intercultural Outreach Resource Library, situated in 273 HRCB, is a treasure for those interested in learning about other countries and cultures. All the materials are divided into several categories, namely: general, governmental, and cultural info; maps, pictures, and pamphlets of cities and regions; and finally, teaching units consisting of slides and other class presentation materials. Major informational materials have been acquired from embassies or directly from the country of origin by our previous and current students and faculty in order to ensure that all our materials are useful, reliable, and current.

Students, faculty, and members of the community alike are welcome to use the IO Resource Library. Our great flag collection has been and will continue to be used by students, teachers, and Church leaders for a variety of reasons. For example, IO supplied the flags for the Seventh Annual Family History Fair in Highland, Utah. This event involved residents and members of the three Highland Stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a means of sharing the latest tools for family research. President Larry M. Gibson, of the Highland Utah West Stake, reported, “The contribution of the Intercultural Outreach program in allowing our staff to borrow the flags of many nations, in a display of worldwide interest in family history, and the collection of descendants of emigrants from throughout the world in this land of Zion, was immensely appreciated. The simple presence of the flags pointedly brought the focus of the fair to the diversity of our heritage.”

For reports, papers, or events related to culture or heritage, feel free to utilize the library. Do yourself and your community a favor by uncovering the treasures buried in 273 HRCB. Reach out!

[Click here to see Intercultural Outreach's Resource Library location and visitor parking on BYU campus.]

Flags:

Africa/Middle East

Americas

Asia/Pacific

Europe

Videos:

Africa/Middle East

Americas

Asia/Pacific

Europe

Miscellaneous/General Reference

CDs:

Africa/Middle East

Americas

Asia/Pacific

Europe

Miscellaneous/General Reference

Events

Intercultural Outreach organizes and presents the Bi-Annual Cultural Showcase, featuring dances and cultural performances from around the world. The Bi-Annual Cultural Showcase is free of charge and is held in the WSC on BYU campus in November and March. Don’t miss it! E-mail us to request more information.

Education for Peace Workshop
BYU’s Centro Español de Recursos and David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies will host "Education for Peace," an innovative interdisciplinary professional development workshop for K-12 educators. The all-day workshop will be held at Sundance resort on Wednesday, 13 December 2006.

Second Annual Rocky Mountain European Scholars Consortium
Brigham Young University’s Center for the Study of Europe is pleased to announce the second session of an annual, multidisciplinary conference focusing on European topics. The conference provides a challenging forum for the examination and evaluation of the shifting shape and meaning of Europe. Scholars from various disciplines are invited to share their work and to interact with colleagues from throughout the Intermountain West. Last year’s inaugural conference involved 32 presentations and drew over 60 scholars from 19 institutions ranging from University of Northern Texas to Utah Valley State College and New Mexico State University to Idaho State University.

Training Workshops
Intercultural Outreach, in partnership with the Center for the Study of Europe, sponsors teacher training workshops aiming to provide educators with a deeper understanding of Europe, stimulating curriculum improvement and supplying new class materials.

Kennedy Center Lectures
Scholars from BYU and other universities present their research, and ambassadors and other dignitaries share their perspectives and insights on current events. Forums take place at noon on Wednesdays in 238 HRCB (unless otherwise noted).

BYU Language Fair
Brigham Young University organizes several language fairs for junior high and high school students, who are currently studying French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.

International Cinema
The International Cinema provides opportunities both to hear native speakers of foreign languages and to experience the art and culture of those countries by showcasing quality films from the canon of world cinema.

Past Events

Town Hall: Look Over Your Shoulder—the Europeans are Coming
In April, the Center for the Study of Europe hosted a “Town Hall” meeting with Washington Post author T.R. Reid (The United States of Europe) where more than 200 high school students from Mountain View, Provo, Orem, and Timpanogas High School learned firsthand about why Europe matters. David Carpenter, a Mountain View high school teacher confirmed the success of the event by saying, “Some [students] haven't stopped peppering me with questions about the issues Mr. Reid raised. I enjoyed his ideas and the manner in which he made them. I am really beginning to enjoy the journalistic style of introduction to major world affairs.”

First Annual Rocky Mountain European Scholars Consortium
The Rocky Mountain European Scholars Consortium, sponsored by BYU’s Center for the Study of Europe, was pleased to announce the inaugural session of an annual, multi-disciplinary conference focusing on European topics in 2004. The conference aimed to provide a challenging forum for the examination and evaluation of the shifting shape and meaning of Europe. Over thirty scholars from various disciplines from universities and colleges throughout the Rocky Mountain area shared their research.