Intercultural competence is [the ability] “to see relationships between different cultures – both internal and external to a society – and to mediate, that is interpret each in terms of the other, either for themselves or for other people.” It also encompasses the ability to critically or analytically understand that one’s “own and other cultures’” perspective is culturally determined rather than natural. – Byram, M.

Featuring experts in Intercultural Competence from across the U.S. and internationally, the Intercultural Competence Conference (ICC) is for K-16 educators and students in fields related to Foreign Languages, Social Sciences/Studies and the Humanities, and for others involved in government, NGOs, and the private sector who are interested in seeing and interpreting relationships between cultures. This biennial event brings together researchers and practitioners across languages, levels, and settings to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices, and to foster meaningful professional dialog on issues related to the development and assessment of Intercultural Competence, especially in a foreign or second language. It is hosted by the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) at the University of Arizona.

The Ninth International Conference on the
Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence

Intercultural Learning, Global Citizenship and Peacebuilding

February 22-25, 2024

CFP – Extended Proposal Submission Deadline: August 4, 2023

Plenary Presentations
Larisa Kasumagić Kafedžić, University of Sarajevo
Rebecca Oxford, University of Maryland

In 2015, The United Nations (UN) adopted a 2030 agenda, which included peace at its core. Based on this blueprint, the UN member states agreed to…

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. 

Peacebuilding here is focused at the macrolevel of government actors and institutions, including educational organizations; however, work within language and culture education (e.g. Oxford et al, 2020) suggests that individuals, including those in conflict-ridden parts of the world, often cite inner and interpersonal dimensions of peace as central. What roles might intercultural learning play in fostering peace across and between these disparate levels? What might an intercultural education for peacebuilding that is cognizant of disparity and pain look like (see Bigelow, 2016; Porto & Zembylas, 2022)? What kinds of connections between intercultural peace and other dimensions including inner peace and ecological peace can our curricula and programs help students to explore (see Oxford, 2017)?

There is a registration fee for the Intercultural Competence Conference (ICC). The amount for 2024 will be announced in September, 2023, after proposals have been reviewed. For reference purposes: at the virtual ICC conference in 2022, the registration fee was $100, and at ICC 2020, the early bird in-person registration rate was $225. As in previous years, there will be a competition for registration scholarships for which full-time K12 teachers and graduate students can apply.

To see information and recorded presentations from the prior ICC conferences, view previous conferences in the menu bar above, and ICC playlists on our YouTube channel.