I think that this class really helped me think about various subtleties in different cultures (and my own) that I had not considered. Additionally, I started reflecting on my own culture throughout the class and I had an ongoing process of thinking about my own culture and France’s as well specific behaviors, traditions, and ways of doing things that are associated with each culture. I think that I have improved my intercultural competence throughout the duration of this course. I have become more open-minded and started to think beyond the visible part of the cultural iceberg. I have also acquired the terms and language for more complicated concepts that I had not thought about before (like monochronic and polychronic or high context and low context societies) which has allowed me to think about these concepts in more concrete and in-depth ways.

I have gained more I can skills at various levels during the course. For example, I can now recognize some similarities and differences between my daily schedule and that of a peer in another culture, I can describe similarities and differences in artwork, I can have simple conversations about educational systems, I can explain how cultural factors influence art, I can explain why people place importance on long vacations in some cultures, and I can sometimes identify cultural stereotypes or exaggerated views of a culture.