The Intercultural Leadership Seminar (ILS) is designed for international and U.S. students who want to learn how to be more effective in a global environment. ILS includes brief lectures, discussion, experiential activities, and small group work. While at ILS you will:
- Increase your awareness of the impact of culture on communication styles;
- Gain skills necessary for effective intercultural communication;
- Discover your own leadership potential; and
- Develop and enhance your intercultural competence.
ILS is part of the M-LEAD collaborative of leadership programs for students, and it is connected to M-Lead's Collective Impact Framework and competencies. Participating in ILS will help you to gain skills and knowledge of the following competencies: Adaptability, Authenticity, Building Relationships, Empathy, Feedback, Meaning-Making, Resilience, Self-Awareness, Vision.
Date and Time
ILS will be spaced out into three sessions for Fall 2022. These sessions topics, dates and times for each are:
- Session 1: Intercultural Competency (October 7; 3:00-5:00PM)
- Session 2: Intercultural Communication (November 11; 3:00-5:00PM)
- Session 3: Intercultural Leadership (December 2, 3:00-5:00PM)
ILS is hosted in-person, and the event location will be shared with accepted applicants.
Expectations
- Arrive on time and stay for duration of each session
- Actively engage with materials and other participants
- Respect other attendees viewpoints and experiences
Application
ILS is open to students of all academic levels. However, it is only available for students who are currently enrolled at the U-M Ann Arbor campus. Due to limited capacity, students who have already participated in the past may not attend again.
To participate, please complete the application by Wednesday, September 21 at 5pm. Students will be notified of their acceptance on a rolling basis, but the latest students will be notified of their acceptance is September 26.
Questions? Contact the International Center at icenter@umich.edu
Certificate of Completion
We will issue a Certificate of Completion if all of the following criteria has met:
- Attended all sessions (must be done in one semester)
- Stay for the entire duration of each session
- Write or record a short narrative explaining what you have learned from ILS and how you will use this in the future (500 words or 90 seconds).
Additional Quotes from the Former Participants:
"I really enjoyed interacting with other participants... It is rare to be in environment where people are open so quickly…I realized how often I stay in my comfort zone and how I must miss so many opportunities to interact with people and grow."
"I've been thinking a lot about my vision for life but was struggling to generate a statement and this was spot on. Thanks for this!"
"It provides us with an opportunity for introspection and actually works on aspects of our personality that we expect from others. The tips provided for the critical moment dialogue are very helpful and I personally believe that I could use them in several situations to great effect."
"I think this was obviously a very thoughtful seminar. Despite my familiarity and experience with the subject I still felt like it was valuable and provides me concentrated time to reflect within a useful framework. Thank you for your time offering this opportunity!"