Leading Across Cultures: Internship Seminar

This online course constitutes the academic compendium for an internship placement that is coordinated and supervised by IES Abroad. It provides a global context for local internship placements at the participating centers by examining cross-cultural issues in the workplace, bringing together students from different centers in different locations with the aim of developing globally minded future leaders. The course introduces students to theoretical tools for identifying, examining, and effectively negotiating intercultural work environments. Local course-related trips and guest speakers help students to develop cultural intelligence about their host communities. Readings, lectures, and activities aim to sharpen students’ critical capacities for cross-cultural analysis and enable them to build competencies related to communication, relationship development, leadership, collaboration, and conflict management in intercultural environments. Both synchronous and asynchronous class discussions provide students with opportunities to share their first-hand experiences, while the course’s cross-center framework encourages them to situate and contextualize different perspectives and work realities. A networking panel, skill-building exercises, and student presentations will train students to hone and leverage the competencies they develop and to integrate and effectively communicate their internship experiences and career goals.