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How to be Effectively Engaged in Higher Education


Clark, Jonathan A [SLS] 5/1/2013

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For many students attending college its simply a means to an end, a place to get a degree that will allow them to enter their career of choice with a diploma as a ticket of admittance. However college is also place where students can learn to become a more engaged and effective intercultural communicator, learn to be more culturally aware, and understand the value of civility in higher education. In order for a student to become a more engaged learner in higher education there has to be an element of motivation to initiate communication with others. According to Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama in the textbook Intercultural Communications in Contexts, 2013, p.471, they state: Perhaps the most important dimension of communication competence is motivation. If we arent motivated to communicate with others, it probably doesnt matter what other skills we possess Students cant expect to learn to be more engaged learners if they are not engaged themselves. While college provides many opportunities for a student to learn about communicating with people from different backgrounds the fact remains that students must be motivated to do so. There are several different reasons why students dont feel a need to be motivated and engaged in the college environment. Sometimes its simply a case of cultural indifference and a lack of incentive to learn more about the world around them. According Martin and Nakayama, 2013, pg 472, it can also be due to a students own background. ...members of large, powerful groups often think they dont need to know much about other cultures; there is simply no incentive. In order for students from these types of groups to become a more engaged learner is to either act or in some situations be acted upon.

In some cases a major event can affect a student from this type of group in such a way that they feel compelled to break out of their own cultural shell. This is a addressed by Martin and Nakayama, 2013, pg 472, ...the events of 9/11 motivated many U.S. Americans to become more aware of how U.S. worldviews and behavior, on both a personal and a political level, are intertwined with those in other cultures and countries. Students who chose to act or become acted upon will find that on a college campus there are many opportunities to become better communicator and become more culturally aware of others as well. Students at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) have the opportunity to learn how to be more culturally aware and sensitive to others because the college is one of the most culturally diverse schools in Utah. Preparing to enter the workplace requires more than just a diploma but an ability to be able to understand and communicate with others from different cultural backgrounds. The value of understanding where other people come from can pay great dividends when trying to communicate in the workplace. One example of the benefit of learning to be more culturally aware is illustrated by an example in the following web source (http://www.tcworld.info/tcworld/businessculture/article/invisible-difference-the-deep-culture-of-japanese-values/) One German engineer working at his companys Japanese manufacturing plant complained My Japanese colleagues dont know how to say no even when customer requests are unreasonable. I dont want to make promises I cant keep! We often hear the words showing respect or politeness to describe Japanese communication. The German engineer wondered But is it respectful to make promises you cant keep? The driving dynamic of this example is that in the Japanese culture being polite in all situations doesnt always mean that everything is going well. If the German engineer had been

more culturally aware of his co-workers background before he had started working at that company he would have been better prepared to deal with the issue he had to face at work. This is why there is great value for students to learn to be more culturally aware and take advantage of the opportunities around them that college can offer. The 4th Annual Diversity Dinner held earlier this year at SLCC is another example of the many different activities and events that a college can offer to help teach its students to be more culturally aware. The goal of the event, according to a SLCC Globe article (http://www.globeslcc.com/2013/03/14/respect-and-appreciation-is-main-course-at-4th-annualdiversity-dinner/) was to: ...provide an opportunity for participants to have a meaningful dialogue with people from different backgrounds. The article also included the following quote from event coordinator Doctor Abio Ayeliya, The point isnt to sit with your friends or family. The point is to meet new people from different backgrounds and have meaningful conversations with them. Becoming a more engaged learner in higher education as well as being more culturally aware will generally lead to a need to practice civility. When young students becomes enveloped in a cascading waterfall of diverse ideas and opinions for the first time the need for learning civility is essential. Learning how to deal with the flow of new and different ideas requires students to be able to understand things they may not accept with tolerance and respect. Taking the opportunity to learn civility while in college will help students not only in the workplace but in life as well. SLCC is a unique environment to learn about the importance of civility because of its diversity in its student base. There are many students at SLCC who are Muslim and practice the faith and many of its unique tradition. This can serve as an opportunity for non-Muslim students to learn about something they are unfamiliar with and learn to practice civility.

Taking the time to learn civility in college can pay dividends outside the campus in both the workplace and the world in general. An example of this is shown by Martin and Nakayama, 2013, pg 498, where they present a list of suggestions given to U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Do not walk in front of someone in prayer. Do not ask a Muslim if he is a Sunni or Shiite. Males may never ask a man about his wife, daughters, or sisters. Females can. This is an example of the importance of learning and practicing civility with people from different cultures. The suggestions given to U.S. soldiers were to help them show civility and respect to the people of Afghanistan and avoid any unnecessary cultural conflict. This also serves as an example of how students can show civility to fellow students on campus who may be Muslim by understanding the culture they come from. The attitude of this is America and we act American here, is not an example of practicing civility in a country that was founded and built by people from different cultures. Another example of the importance of learning and practicing civility while at college is in the proliferation of new ideas into fertile minds that need time to let those ideas grow and blossom. When students are introduced to new ideas that they havent fully considered or understood there is the risk of anger getting in the way of learning. Students need to be civil about ideas that they may not accept or understand. One way of doing this is by learning to build coalitions with people of different ideas and identities. Martin and Nakayama, 2013, pg 488, talk about the importance of building coalitions: Part of the process is the commitment to work through these emotional blows, rather than simply withdrawing to the safety of older identities. Work your way to a richer, more meaningful life by navigating between safety and stability, and change. SLCC also has great diversity aside from race in the fact there are many students from deeply conservative backgrounds as well as students that have more liberal backgrounds.

When students discuss hot button issues like gay marriage it becomes important for students to practice the advice of Martin and Nakayama in learning to not act on their initial emotional impulse. Part of learning civility is for students to venture out from the shell they grew up in and learn to navigate through new ideas and understand them. It is important for students to take advantage of the opportunities college offers them to become more engaged learners, more culturally aware and sensitive, and learn the value of civility. Students who can learn these valuable skills and traits while is school will be better prepared to deal with social complexities of work and life in general. Students will find that these skills will be just as valuable to them as the diplomas that will someday hang on their walls.

References
1 Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, Intercultural Communications in Contexts 6th ed, 2013, p.471 2 Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, Intercultural Communications in Contexts 6th ed, 2013, p. 472 (1st) 3 Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, Intercultural Communications in Contexts 6th ed, 2013, p.472 (2nd) 4 TC World, 2008, (http://www.tcworld.info/tcworld/business-culture/article/invisibledifference-the-deep-culture-of-japanese-values/

5 SLCC Globe, 2013, http://www.globeslcc.com/2013/03/14/respect-andappreciation-is-main-course-at-4th-annual-diversity-dinner/

6 Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, Intercultural Communications in Contexts 6th ed, 2013, p.498 7 Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, Intercultural Communications in Contexts 6th ed, 2013, p.488

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