Do International Students Contribute to the Cultural Diversity of the City - Assignment Example

Do international contribute to the cultural diversity of the they choose to study in? Introduction The world has become a global village and all the boundaries cease to exist in the modern world. Those days are gone when people used to view their local environment for opportunities. The whole world is open to the man of today in-terms of opportunities in education, work, research etc. It is very common for the student living in the eastern countries to head to Western countries for their education and work. This whole trend has promoted the concept of accepting other cultures more than ever. Culture is merely defined with respect to an individual’s beliefs and values that have been passed onto him by his past generations (Hernandez et al. 1998). There exists a great deal of cultural diversity in universities and multinationals. It has a greater effect due to the multi-cultural students studying in universities since people tend to be more open about their cultures in an educational setup with their friends rather than their colleagues at workplaces. Overview Universities welcome students from different parts of the world and do not discriminate with respect to their culture or religious beliefs, as long as they qualify up to their set standards. International students can be considered as the ambassadors of their cultures, customs and values. It is natural for their colleagues to be influenced from their lifestyles and vice versa (Helms 2003). Cultural diversity affects everyone, in a conscious or unconscious manner. International students bring about cultural diversity, which is not only limited to culture. It involves many other things like ethnicity, religiously influenced lifestyles, customs and values (Ward 2001). International students bring all of these things not only to their institutions but the effects also tend to disseminate in their cities. Acceptance for Other Cultures The most important aspect that it brings about is the spirit of accepting different cultures among the students and thus the citizens of the society. Westwood and Barker (1990) carried out a survey and produced fruitful results related to the chosen topic of research. He carried out some experiments regarding peer programs in which international and local students participated. The participants were supposed to meet at least twice a month on different occasions like group study, family invitations, sport, social activities etc. The experiment was carried out to judge if interaction with the international students bore any affects on the locals or vice versa. The results supported these notions. The results from this experiment proved that not only such peer programs helped the international students adjust in the new environment but also removed the hesitance of interacting with the locals. Whereas, the local students also gave their positive feedback that the experience of interacting with the international students induced cultural awareness and sensitivity about the other cultures. The local students developed a taste of their cuisines after going on family dinners with the international students. Tolerance Towards Other Individual’s Opinion Cultural diversity in the society makes people more tolerant to other people’s opinions and attentive to their input irrespective of their origin and ethnicity. It reduces one’s arrogance that their way is the only way to do things. This kind of tolerance also helps the individual progress in his multi-cultural workplace (The Americas Intelligence Wire 2006). Increases Self-Esteem Allameh (1996) also conducted research on the respective topic and pointed out that such activities of accepting the international students and their cultures increased their own self-esteem and gave them a feeling of accomplishment of being able to help someone. Adapt Positive Aspects from Other Cultures The interaction of different cultures increases mutual knowledge about each other’s cultures (Banks n.d.). It gives the society an opportunity to remove their flaws and accept better things from other cultures and customs. For example, it is a common gesture in Asian cultures to wait for everyone and remain seated until everyone has finished their food. An international student might carry this custom in a Western country to be adapted by the locals there. Celebration of Different Cultures Culture and religion, both have a strong part to play in an individual’s lifestyle. The amalgamation of different cultures in a society also brings out the knowledge about celebrations in different religions like Christmas for Christians and Diwali for Indians (University of Bristol 2010). Universities go an extra mile in promoting their multi-cultural environments in the campuses and celebrate different cultures of the international students. An example of such an event can be of International Day celebrations at Trinity Western University in Canada (Trinity Western University 2007). This event showcased different cultures of their international students. 250 students took part in this event and they all belonged to different countries namely France, Germany, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Mexico, Chile, Romania, Rwanda, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates. The activities planned for this event included food stalls from different countries that gave the local citizens awareness about other cuisines. Other stalls included exhibition of different cultures native crafts so that the locals could appreciate their individuality. There have been many Indian students studying in US over the past years. Indian culture is now very famous in the US; international students have a big part to play in this promotion. Great influence and interest in Indian culture was apparent when Conrad Roesky and Michelle Alexander of South Louisiana, got married in an Indian style wedding (MIL/Hindu/IANS 2009). Promotes Global Friendships and Spirit of Humanity International students become friends with the local people and promote the spirit of humanity. They make the citizens of the society realize that they are all humans. It makes them feel humane towards the people from different cultures rather than having hostile attitudes. It induces the realization that all humans have the same basic needs of life and promotes the spirit of equality. Conclusion The concept of studying abroad is now common more than ever. They represent their cultures and portray their values with their actions. It results in the amalgamation of different cultures and ethnicities. It makes the culture of a society richer and more colorful since it becomes a combination of so many cultures. No society or culture can isolate themselves from the world therefore the modern world has shades of different cultures in their societies. References Allameh, J 1996, Interactive exchanges: American and international students at an IEP, Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Chicago, IL, March 26th-30th , 1996, viewed 19th May 2010 Banks, AJ n.d., Diversity Within Unity: Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning, in a Multicultural Society, viewed 19th May 2010, Helms, SM 2003, Adult and Community College Education, North Carolina State University, viewed 17th May 2010, Hernandez, M., Isaacs, M. R., Nesman, T., Burns, D 1998, Perspectives on culturally competent systems of care, Baltimore: Brookes MIL/Hindu/IANS 2009, American couple ties the knot Indian style, International Reporter, viewed 18th May 2010, http://internationalreporter.com/News-4833/american-couple-ties-the-knot-indian-style.html The Americas Intelligence Wire 2006, UCLA: UCLA international students enjoy local culture, viewed 17th May 2010, Trinity Western University 2007, TWU students celebrate cultural diversity at International Day, viewed 19th May 2010, University of Bristol 2010, Cultural diversity and learning and teaching, viewed 18th May 2010, Ward, C 2001, The impact of international students on domestic students and host institutions, Education Counts, viewed 17th May 2010, Westwood, M. J., Barker, M 1990, Academic achievement and social adaptation among international students: A comparison groups study of the peer-pairing program, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 14, 251-263. 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