“Our cultural differences are good, as we understand them and learn to appreciate and integrate them, we can get closer to the culture of Christ,” were the thoughts of professor Kevin Castle, as he mused on the diversity that exists at BYU–Hawaii.
“We at BYU–Hawaii have a unique opportunity to go beyond cultural tolerance,” said Kevin Castle, professor of business management. “Tolerance is not the ultimate goal; the ultimate goal should be to gain an empathy for those from other cultures where the understanding is so profound that we can show genuine love.” This may seem a lofty goal, but Castle is working hard at making it a reality.
Professor Castle has developed and is teaching a course on intercultural relations called “Global Skills” that is now being offered with the inter-disciplinary studies curriculum. The goal of the course is to provide tools for students to effectively relate with others from different cultures. His knowledge on the subject comes from working and living in more than 20 countries and being active in each culture.
Often students find themselves in confrontations that are culturally based, and do not even realize that the root of the problem is a cultural difference. The class is meant to go beyond the ‘Lonely Planet Approach’, as Castle says – knowing the foods, language, etcetera, to actually understanding the cultural preferences; things like communication, power, structure, and time. “It is meant to give a reference of where you are in comparison to those around you, to adjust your way of doing things,” says Castle.
Moving beyond theoretical speculation, generalization and basic knowledge, students are required to put the skills learned in the class to work. In nearly every class period they are given opportunities to see the world from a different perspective. The students from a more indirect culture must role-play as direct, and visa versa.
Inspiration for the class came from a variety of sources. While working in Malaysia, Professor Castle was managing in a firm with a very diverse group. Among others, there were Indians, Chinese, Malays, and Filipinos. “Because they were all so different, I needed to adjust my managing techniques to each of them, and to use different communication styles,” said Castle, “I knew it had something to do with culture, but I struggled to put a framework around it, to know how to adjust to their styles.”
He later worked for Intel, which had a very set corporate culture that was easy for Americans to adjust to, but did not have the same success in other places. He began developing a training for their managers to work effectively when managing abroad. The Global Skills class is based on this training.
Students taking the Global Skills class are required to create a video project that focuses on one of the more than 70 countries represented at BYU–Hawaii. The videos are meant to instruct incoming students how to adjust to the culture of BYU–Hawaii, and instruct faculty and other students on the preferences of the particular culture. Beyond that, the groups that make the videos are very diverse, in Castle’s words: “The hope is that students would be put into a stressful situation with other cultures to give opportunities to practice what they are learning in the class.”
Castle firmly believes in the vision of President David O. McKay, that students will have the ability to go and become an influence for peace internationally. He posed the question: “What is a peacemaker? What are the skill sets necessary to make peace?” In Castle’s mind, simple tolerance or awareness is not enough to fulfill this divine mandate. And through courses like Global Skills, he hopes to help develop these peacemakers worldwide.