Learning Café Spring 2024: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Belonging, Teamwork, and Communication  

We invite you to join the Mills International Center’s  Learning Café: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Belonging, Teamwork, and Communication  Spring Term 2024: Fridays, 12:00-1:20pm, April 12-May 31, (lunch provided), location (in EMU) TBA  

See the world through different eyes to gain insight into cultural differences 

Cross-cultural differences are all around us, whether we realize it or not. Our cultural perspectives heavily influence our interpretations of behaviors and interactions, and we tend to misread each other. 

• A behavior that in US dominant culture is understood as a “best practice” may be read in another culture as immature and juvenile (or rude and arrogant in yet another).  
• A behavior which in one culture is intended to show respect for a person in authority may be misread in dominant US cultural terms as “lacking initiative.”   
• If “yes” in dominant US cultural norms tends to mean “I agree with you,” but in some other cultural norms tends to mean “I don’t agree, but I heard what you said,” how do we find out when someone agrees/disagrees?  How can we navigate this reality?  

What are some strategies and behaviors that help us build pluralistic spaces of belonging? What practices help us to authentically and skillfully work together across differences? How can we avoid unintentionally being dismissive and disrespectful of others?  

If these questions interest you, come join us in a small-group weekly learning community for students and staff. We’ll meet weekly, from April 12-May 31 (weeks 2-9) for 8 interactive in-person sessions. It’s free, food is provided, and there’s no homework.  

We’ll lay a foundation of cross-cultural skill and knowledge that will support your own continued learning and humility, amplify your ability to shift perspectives and to handle discomfort skillfully, and together explore and crowd-source strategies to invite and thrive on difference.  

Interactive activities, personal stories, reflection, and dialogue will be the core of our work. To support this environment of inquiry, we use these Group Norms: open mind; respect for different cultures and backgrounds; respect for not knowing; respect for mistakes, including our own; and comfort with not having closure (in discussions, stories, learning).  

As with all Mills Center Learning Cafés, the learning environment is welcoming, inclusive, learner-centered, and dialogue-focused. It’s a learning journey that builds on itself, so please do try to attend (nearly) all sessions.   

If you are interested, please RSVP here: https://oregon.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cVfKplgcQ1qBVcO  by Friday, April 5th, 2024 as spots are limited. Learning Café is open to all UO students, staff, and the UO community.

Questions? Contact Biju Ghimire (Intercultural Education Coordinator) at bghimire@uoregon.edu or at 541-346-0848.