Academic literature on the topic 'Milton J Developmental model of intercultural sensitivity'

The issues of the ethnic diversity of the Malaysian way of life, have been explored in scholarship on Fernando’s selection of Malaysian Short Stories (2006), consisting of six fictional narratives on life in pre-independence Malaya namely “Nannan and A Certain Cry” by Cynthia Anthony, “Ratnamuni” by K.S. Maniam, “Pasang” by Pretam Kaur, “The Third Child” by K.S. Maniam, and “Birthday” by M. Shanmugalingam, through the lens of post-colonialism. The stories have been described as an exceptional compilation due to the fact that Fernando is able to assemble stories written by authors from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures other than their own but we argue in this paper that the short stories do not contain intercultural sensitivity as they depict more ethnocentric orientations. We define ethnocentric experiences here as interculturally-sensitive elements which trigger a series of complex emotions in avoiding cultural differences either by denying their existence, raising defences against them, or by minimising their importance. Using the understanding of ethnocentrism as conceptualised by Milton J. Bennet (2013) as part of his Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, we attempt to examine the type of ethnocentric experiences depicted by the authors through selected characters in two out of the six short stories. Our findings demonstrate that the three types of ethnocentric experiences, denial, defense and minimisation of cultural differences, are indeed found embedded in the unconscious minds of the authors through their portrayals of selected characters, which in turn provide a platform of cultural fertilisation in Malaysian pluralistic society.

The Intercultural Competency Certificate (CCI in Spanish) designed for the Universidad Popular Automa del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP University) is a theory based comprehensive plan to develop undergraduate students intercultural competence. This Certificate is based in the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) developed by Milton Bennett (1993) and will be assessed by the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) v.3 developed by Bennett & Hammer (Hammer, 2009; Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003). The main purpose of the Intercultural Competency Certificate is to develop students intercultural competence at least to the acceptance level of the DMIS continuum. To achieve this goal, the students will have to develop of necessary knowledge, skill and attitudes (Deardorff, 2006). This Certificate proposes to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills through certain activities as learning a new language, take international classes, reflect about intercultural differences, interact with people from other cultures, travel abroad and receive coaching by a professional who will guide them through tailor-make experiences according to the initial level of intercultural competence, measured by the IDI v.3 at the beginning of the Certification.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the intercultural competence (IC) level of college students, explore whether there is a statistically significant difference in the IC level between students with study abroad (SA) experience and those without SA experience, and examine their attitudes, ideas and experiences about SA programs and intercultural communication. Data collected from online questionnaires and Zoom interviews were examined through the lens of Hall’s the Iceberg Analogy of Culture and M. J. Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), which were also used as the conceptual framework in this study. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated the IC level of college students was high, reaching up to the acceptance stage or/and adaptation stage of Bennett’s DMIS. Quantitative study showed that the IC level of students who participated in SA programs was higher than those who didn’t.

In this paper ideas of literary anthropology that legitimize research of fiction work in socio-cultural anthropology are combined with the theories and methodologies of migration studies. Novels can be used as a source for understanding and interpreting certain phenomena from our socio-cultural reality and be an object of research. Therefore, this paper analyzes the novel Snowman (1996) by David Albahari from his so-called “Canadian Trilogy”. It is his first novel after his emigration to Canada from Serbia in 1994. This paper aims to draw attention to the possibilities and potentials of anthropological analysis of Serbian literature that originated in Canada as one of the possible strands of literary anthropology. Is a prerequisite for successful integration of the first generation of immigrants good competence in the foreign language, a prestigious and well-paid job, and higher education? The answer to this question can contribute to a better understanding of the fictional representation of migrants and be useful in anthropological studies of contemporary migrations. To test this hypothesis, we have juxtaposed the novel “Snowman” with Albahari’s collection of essays “Diaspora and other things” on the life of immigrants in Canada based on the author's personal experiences and experiences of his co-nationals in Canada, and working biography of the author. Furthermore, we test Robert Park’s concept of the “marginal man”. While researching American Jews, Park concluded that they are “men on the margin of the two cultures” and that “marginal men personality” is a “cultural hybrid”, developed as a reaction to life in new surroundings. Finally, in the analysis section Milton Bennett’s method “developmental model of intercultural sensitivity” is used. Bennett’s model consists of six stages: denial, defense, minimization (first stage) and acculturation, adaptation, integration (second stage) and can be applied for the purpose of interpreting immigrants’ experiences in a foreign society. The main character of the novel “Snowman” is a writer from a small European country which is at war. He got a job at a university in a faraway northern non-European country and speaks their language fluently. However, he is nostalgic and homesick, feels misunderstood among his new colleagues and his new life seems to him hopeless. Finally, overburdened with all these emotions, he succumbs to heavy snowfall. Previous research of working migrants suggests that incompetence in the language of the country of residence, a low paid and unskilled job and low level of education are the main factors for their low level of integration. On the other hand, using the example of the educated main character from the novel, this paper shows that adaptation, integration, and positive emotions, such are pleasure and happiness, do not have to correlate with the level of education, language competence, and prestigious employment in a foreign country. In other words, the protagonist of the “Snowman” did not want to develop intercultural sensitivity. Therefore, we propose that migration studies should research not only what migrants do and how they behave but how they feel in their new surroundings. In this respect, migration literature with biographical elements may serve as an important source for this kind of research.