Annapolis, Maryland

The United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy

Founded in 1845

4,400 students 600 Faculty

25 Academic majors

Naval Academy Vision

To be the premier educational

institution for developing future

naval officers from across

the Nation to serve and

lead in an increasingly

interdependent and

volatile world.

International Programs Office

• Enhance international content of midshipman education

and training

• Develop and execute cohesive strategy in sync with Navy

and Marine Corps

• Focal point for all USNA international engagements

Selfless∙ Inspirational ∙ Proficient ∙ Innovative ∙ Articulate ∙ Adaptable ∙ Professional

“I think the greatest part of this trip was that I got to be an ambassador of

my country, something that I am every day but never really noticed until I

was put into another country in the same uniform. I feel that I am leaving

behind a great reputation and image of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval

Academy and officers alike.”

Semester Study Abroad

Selfless∙ Inspirational ∙ Proficient ∙ Innovative ∙ Articulate ∙ Adaptable ∙ Professional

“It is one thing to read and hear about other people's experiences

overseas, and completely different to be the one traveling

internationally. The first way the language immersion program

benefited me was by teaching me how to get around in a country in

which I am obviously a foreigner.”

Language Immersion Programs

Selfless∙ Inspirational ∙ Proficient ∙ Innovative ∙ Articulate ∙ Adaptable ∙ Professional

“The Midshipmen immersed themselves…. spent three

days with two different Maasai tribes, who have remained

true to their ancient traditions as nomadic cattle herders.

The first tribe greeted them with a traditional song and

dance, and then sired us around their camp showing us

their living quarters, communal areas, goats and cattle,

and even their fledging elementary school where the

young children were in the middle of an English lesson.”

“I was one of the seventeen countries represented on the

ship. To be an ambassador for both the United States

and the USNA was very humbling.”

Professional Engagements

• Language Assessment– Institutional tools

• Cross Cultural Competence Assessment– IDI– Weekly and After action reports– Portfolio

• Regional Understanding Assessment– Developing

Intentional and Deliberate

Culture General vs. Culture Specific

methods for learning about culture

The Culture-Specific Approach:

focus on trying to learn as much as possible about a particular culture

Culture General:

focus is on facilitating communication within culturally diverse groups without stereotyping or discriminating.

How does USNA teach culture general?

Experiential Learning

Institution-wide understanding of the culture concept integrated into

Classes

LREC programs: Language, Regional Expertise and Culture Immersion

Experiential Learning

• Culture and Leadership Summer Class:

Gradual Ethnographic Experiences

1. Your Campus (map exercise)

2. Cultural observations in regions of your community (the coffee shop, Whole Foods, the train station, downtown…)

3. Gallaudet University: Communication Exercise

4. Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation/Portfolio development

Study Abroad Portfolio Development

• Pre Departure Class

• Ethnographic Research on Cultural Topics class abroad

• Portfolio finalization and communication/post experience class

Pre Departure Class

• Emotional preparation

• Culture general preparation

• Culture specific preparation

Ethnographic Research

• Students choose a cultural topic

• Practice participant-observation research and interviews

• Collect data and artifacts related to subject matter

• Draw conclusions about the cultural significance of their topic

Portfolio Communication

• Finalization

• Presentation

Faculty Development

• Cross-Cultural Competence Workshops

- To prepare study abroad leaders

- To foster adaptability

Both at home

And abroad

The Study of Culture as Experiential

Development

• Remote cultures are “writ with a darker pen.”

• Immersive environments produce results• Proven relationship between authentic

leadership and extreme contexts

Study of Culture as Leadership

Development

• The "Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness"

(GLOBE) Research Program was conceived in 1991 by Robert J. House (1932-2011) of the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. In 2004, its first comprehensive volume on "Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies" was published.

• GLOBE was initiated to investigate one fundamental question: How is culture related to societal, organizational, and leader effectiveness?