Introduction

NNU's cultural competency program is designed to increase the student's cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.  

As a result of participating in the Cultural Competency Program, an NNU student should become an informed, open-minded, and responsible person who is attentive to cultural diversity in a variety of settings.  They should seek to understand how their actions affect both local and global communities and address some of the world's most pressing and enduring issues collaboratively and equitably.

Each undergraduate student must meet the University's General Education Cultural Competency requirement while attending NNU. This is achieved through designated coursework or by participating in an international study program outlined in the Study Abroad Section of the NNU Undergraduate Catalog. Students who grew up in a multi-cultural/multi-lingual home or lived overseas for more than a year may request to have their life experience considered as fulfilling the Cultural Competency requirement. 

Outcomes of a Quality Experience

Section I:  Cultural Competency (CC) course outcomes (CC courses must meet five of the outcomes from either section I or II).

1. Focus on a cultural group other than one’s home culture.
2. Provide a significant knowledge base regarding a different culture or cultures and, in so doing, emphasize the importance of developing a comprehensive worldview.
3. Explain ethnocentrism and its role in the development of perceptions and reality.
4. Identify the alternative views of reality and perceptions of the cultural group(s) studied: beliefs, values, customs, language, non-verbal communication, etc.
5. Include the study of the accomplishments of the culture(s) being considered.
6. Strive to develop empathy toward the group or groups studied.
7. Develop an understanding of social and cultural change.

Section II: Cultural Competency Experience (CE) course outcomes (CE courses must meet three outcomes from section II and an additional two outcomes from either section).

1. Address the issues of cultures in conflict, whether it be between or within nations.
2. Experience resolution (or lack of resolution) of tension or accommodation to the values of a different culture.
3. Collaborate with individuals from a target culture within a specific discipline by applying domain-specific knowledge.
4. Apply domain-specific knowledge, and problem-solving for the benefit of individuals from another culture.