Intercultural Training for doctoral students
The Global Office has been working with colleagues through our Global Universities for Societal Impact network (GUSI) to create a programme of training sessions devoted to Intercultural Training which will be delivered by experts at Bonn and Emory Universities in the first quarter of 2026.
The programme offers the opportunity for doctoral students from the GUSI network partners to come together to learn about Intercultural Training within an international cohort of peers from across the universities involved.
Offered over five interactive sessions from January to March 2026, the Intercultural Training programme will introduce topics including cultural self-awareness, understanding others, and intercultural competencies and will allow participants to build their knowledge and skills in the area, whilst strengthening their global academic network, creating peer connections, and gaining tools to navigate diverse professional environments.
Each university will select a small number of doctoral students to participate with a view to creating a cohort that can share experience and ideas, and reflect together from their own local and experiential contexts.
This programme aims at the following learning outcomes:
- Understand what defines culture, intercultural communication, and competence
- Reflect on personal cultural values and communication styles
- Recognise how intersectionality and cultural lenses shape perceptions
- Distinguish between cultural stereotypes and generalisations
- Identify sources of intercultural misunderstanding
- Practice empathy, flexibility, and open-mindedness in cross-cultural settings
Network colleagues offer the training programme as the latest in a range of activities that have operated over the past several years and which have been designed to allow better understanding of international models of doctoral study, academic environments around the world, and career possibilities. Future activities will be planned following the Intercultural Training session and made available to eligible cohorts, and it is hoped that such projects can help foster greater international research networks, peer links, and broader connectivity.
Applications are welcome from St Andrews doctoral students, preferably in their second or third year, by 26 November at 5pm via this MS Form. Decisions will be communicated to applicants in mid-December. For further information, please contact [email protected]