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World Citizen Certificate Program

Eduardo R. Contreras, Ed.D., Assistant Provost for International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion

The World Citizen Program is a certificate program that allows students various pathways within their degree programs to demonstrate the intermediate level of the University’s Global and Intercultural Learning Outcomes. A World Citizen can work successfully with partners from other cultures locally and abroad and has a good understanding of how one’s own culture informs and influences one’s worldview, values, and beliefs. World Citizens achieve intermediate second-language proficiency and are able to use their second-language skills to accomplish everyday interactions.

Elements of the Program

I. Language Requirement

All World Citizens must demonstrate proficiency in at least one language other than English. This is defined as achieving the equivalent of Novice-High to Intermediate-Low in Chinese, French, German, Spanish, or for other languages at the equivalent level according to the Defense Language Institute. This may be demonstrated through the STAMP 4S exam (given on campus for French, Spanish, German, and Chinese) or through an alternative means that can be explained by the student in the portfolio.

II. Required Courses

Every World Citizen will be required to take:

  1. POL 205 World Politics — 3 credit hours
  2. One intercultural competence course — 3 credits:
  • SW/SOC 325 Cultural Diversity and Cultural Competence
  • CST 431 Intercultural Communication and Identity
  • CST 411 Communication Across Barriers
  • CST 432 Gender and International Development

Other intercultural competence courses may be added to this list upon petition to the CISGO Executive Committee.

Total credit hours of required courses: 6

III. Courses in students' degree programs (6 credit hours). Some or all of these courses may be taken abroad.

Students in the College of Arts & Sciences:

Two additional courses from the following (6 credits total):

Note: Professional school students with a second major in the College of Arts & Sciences may follow the CAS pathway or the pathway associated with their primary major.

Students in Pamplin School of Business:

Two additional courses from the following (6 credits total):

Students in School of Nursing:

Two additional courses/sections (6 credits total):

One NRS 4XX - specific course will be developed to meet the criteria for the program. The second course will be designated separate sections of NRS 440 Social Justice and Population Health. These courses will explore the differences in healthcare culture and delivery in other countries, and specifically evaluate the health outcomes of those in the target population.
Additionally, the following opportunity is available to upper division nursing students:

  • Participation in the capstone experience with Faith in Practice

Students in School of Education:

Two additional courses from the following (6 credits total):

Students in the Shiley School of Engineering

One or two of the following (3-6 credits total):

  • EGR 480 Global Engineering
  • EGR 380 Medical Instrument Repair in the Developing World
  • an engineering course and/or capstone with an international component approved by Shiley School of Engineering

If only one option chosen from above, choose one of the following:

  • participation in an engineering study abroad program
  • participation in the Engineering Grand Challenge Scholars Program on a project that has a global component
  • participation in an Engineering Co-Curricular Initiative activity that requires inter-cultural exposure
  • participation in an international engineering internship

IV. Intercultural and International Experiences

All World Citizens must have at least one significant international and/or intercultural experience meeting the requirements described below. In some cases, a student may have two or more international and/or intercultural experiences which taken together meet the international and/or intercultural experience requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to make their case in the portfolio that the learning outcomes have been met through these experiences.

  1. All World Citizens must participate in an intercultural and/or international experience that includes mentoring or guided cultural reflection, e.g., orientation, re-entry program, ongoing reflection program, and required participation in activities or mentorship with the host community or the local cultural community.
  2. Experiences must meet 2 of 4 of the following listed criteria for the World Citizen level of Immersion. Duration must be at least six weeks:
    1. Faculty or service/work supervisor maintains a relationship with the student while engaged in experiences, and contributes an assessment of the student’s intercultural experience
    2. Required language — able to communicate at a novice-high to intermediate-low level to fulfill day-to-day tasks in the host language while abroad or working locally within a community requiring intercultural competence and second-language proficiency.
    3. Course work — introductory course work in second language and/or in intercultural communication
    4. Experiential learning initiatives — extensive community service, volunteering, local club activities, language exchange, etc., while participating in the study/service/work abroad or intercultural study/service/work locally

Note: International students, whose native language is not English, may choose to demonstrate professional application of their native language and English language, plus 2 of 4 criteria listed above.

V. Portfolio and Portfolio Presentation

Each student will compile a portfolio of work that will document in an accompanying executive summary (about 1-2 pages) that they have achieved the learning outcomes of the program. Their World Citizen faculty mentor will assist them in putting together the experiences and documentation that will form the basis of their portfolio. The completed portfolio and summary will be evaluated by the CISGO Executive Committee. In addition, the student will present their portfolio in a public presentation open to the University of Portland community.