Intercultural Studies Program
Why pursue Intercultural Studies?
Canada today is more diverse than ever before, as globalization translates into greater workplace and domestic cultural diversity. Language, cultural reference points, history, and social norms differ widely among the many groups constituting the Canadian mosaic. That makes it even more necessary than ever for Canadians to develop knowledge of the world’s diverse cultures, and how they relate and interact.
Saint Mary’s Intercultural Studies program will allow you to develop both efficient practical strategies, and theoretical knowledge, for interacting successfully with colleagues, customers, clients, students, and acquaintances from different sociocultural backgrounds—regionally, nationally, and globally.
What can I do with a degree in Intercultural Studies?
Developing intercultural communication skills is becoming critical for professionals, employers and employees, business owners, educators, and social workers. Theories in Intercultural Studies have flourished in the past 20 years in a wide spectrum of professional and academic specializations, from health to social work, education and business.
Graduates with an Intercultural Studies major will be better equipped to work in changing, diverse, multilingual contemporary workplaces. Students who plan to pursue careers in environments that involve understanding between different cultural groups—especially where different linguistic backgrounds are at play—will find it especially valuable. Intercultural Studies will be an asset in many professions, including social work, counselling, teaching, education, administration, business, customer relations, international development, law, information management, museum studies, film studies, fine arts, and many more.
Hands-on learning
Students will be encouraged to do volunteering with our partner community organizations. In the fourth year of the program, students will have to take the course “Applied Intercultural Studies”. This course is designed to provide students with an experiential learning component where they will put in practice the knowledge and the know-how they have gained in the Intercultural Studies program.
Students will have different options to choose from: study-abroad programs, Community Service Learning (abroad or local), and special projects.
Sample courses offered
The Intercultural Studies program (ICST) is an interdisciplinary program structured around four core courses:
- 1st year: Intercultural Communication
- 2nd year: Located Voices and Decentered Subjectivities
- 3rd year: Cross-Cultural Psychology
- 4th year: Applied Intercultural Studies
Students are asked to take complementary courses from a list of accredited courses divided into four overarching themes:
- Intercultural Issues in Global Context
- Communities and Identities
- Historical Perspectives on Cultural Representations
- Language and Power
An Intercultural Studies degree complements studies throughout the Faculty of Arts and beyond.