Dude, can you get along well with others?
Can you eat curry with an Indian, falafel with an Arab and smoked salmon with an European?
Learning to live in an intercultural society is becoming very important these days, according to Dr. Michael Winkelman, senior lecturer at Arizona State University's department of anthropology.
Winkelman addressed the ASU community in the first of a series of lectures organized by the the ASU Main Campus Environment Team (CET) at Murdock Hall Thursday morning.
While human beings started mixing with other cultures 4,000 years ago, many have yet to adapt to living in a mixed society.
When we believe that what we think is always right, we see the world from our own perspective, says Winkelman. He urged people to move beyond being ethnocentric.
Our views may not be right, he added. To make us more culturally aware, we need to understand our values and the values of others.
According to Winkelman, in order to adapt well with other cultures, we should learn to:
*Deal with stress and emotions.
*Be tolerant of cultural differences.
*Develop interpersonal relationships.
*Express empathy in an appropriate manner.
*Establish communication and social interaction skills.
If a person from a different culture doesn't look straight in your eyes when you talk, don't feel offended, Winkelman said. What Americans think of being rude may be welcome behavior in other societies.
For more information about CET's upcoming events, call (480) 965-4840.
Cultural awareness discussion hits Murdock Hall
Dr. Michael Winkelman of ASU spoke at Murdock Hall today.
