KNOXVILLE –- Family life and how it differs among cultures will be the focus of a discussion at Intercultural Intersections at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 20, in the Hodges Library Auditorium at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Intercultural Intersections, sponsored by the Ready for the World initiative, is a series of Sunday afternoon events designed to help UT students, faculty, staff and the public explore cultures meeting across national, ethnic, racial, religious, political and sexual boundaries.
Students in the Honors course “Life Happens: Experiences in Three Cultures” will lead a discussion and multimedia presentation on family life and how it differs by culture. The class will look at family structure, roles and relationships in Mexico, India, Africa and the United States.
“Life Happens” examined key characteristics of American culture and factors shaping them, then looked at three universal life events — the coming of age, marriage and growing old — as they are experienced in India, Africa and Mexico. Discussion explored differences and similarities, factors changing traditional cultures and cultural globalization.
The goal of “Ready for the World: The International and Intercultural Awareness Initiative” is to transform the campus into a culture of diversity that best prepares students for working and competing in the 21st century. The initiative involves increasing the diversity among students, faculty and staff; infusing the curriculum with international and intercultural content; expanding study-abroad and work-study opportunities; and encouraging students to take advantage of all of these opportunities.
For more information about Ready for the World, see http://www.utk.edu/readyfortheworld/.
—
Contact:
Amy Blakely, (865) 974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu