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Cross Cultural Engagement (CCE) Core Requirement

CCE Learning Objectives:
  1. to gain skills in cross-cultural communication
  2. to understand how the world might look from the standpoint of another community of interpretation and experience
  3. to learn how to discern and, where appropriate, adapt to the cultural expectations of the other
  4. to witness other cultural embodiments of faith, and thus to reflect on the substance and definition of one's own faith by comparison

What is a "Culturally Engaging" experience?

The requirement that the engagement be in a culture “significantly different from one’s own” requires justification. It is difficult to define what would be culture significantly different from the student’s own culture for students at Calvin College. Proposals for courses intended to meet the CCE requirement should outline the nature of culture differences that exist between the students in the class and the community of engagement. For all such courses, the dimensions of time, intensity, and cultural difference should be seen as related. That is, for experiences of short duration or limited intensity, the culture differences should be greater; for semester or year-long experiences, smaller differences may be able to accomplish the same purpose. For Caucasian, North American students, if the engagement is done in North America, it should be with a different racial or linguistic community (e.g., African American, Hispanic, or non-English speaking immigrant). In cases where significant cultural difference is not apparent, the proposal should explain how there are sufficient differences to enable the goals of the course to be met, and how the course will use these differences to meet the goals for the CCE requirement. 


Need CCE credit?

For Students
Learn more about the various CCE options offered to meet the CCE requirment.

Want to develop a CCE course?

For Faculty
Find out how to create a CCE course, or how to guide a student's CCE experience.


Contact the Director of CCE
Dr. Michelle Loyd-Paige