The Intercultural Honors Experience is designed to help students build a solid intercultural foundation, introduce them to interdisciplinary learning and provide them with opportunities and incentives to study abroad.

The college chose the intercultural focus of this new program carefully. In the increasingly global economy and socio-political situation that our students will be entering upon graduation, they need exposure to people from different cultures and different ethnic groups. They need to experience settings in which diversity is the norm rather than the exception. They need exposure to ways of thinking that are different from their own. The best ways to meet these needs are intercultural and international study and living experiences. This program provides both.

The core element of the program is completed in the spring: students take a seminar which focuses on a topic or issue of global interest.  The 2011-12 seminar, “Educated Guesses: a Global Survey of the Ways We Teach and Learn” will examine the educational systems of several countries within three broad geographical areas: North America (Canada and the U.S.), Europe (the Scandinavian countries and the UK), and Asia (Japan and China). This is a four-hour course and satisfies either the Contemporary Issues (LA112) OR the Intercultural requirement.  As part of this course, students present a research paper at a symposium open to the public and are required to organize and complete co-curricular activities.

Previous seminars include “Marriage and Family: A Global, Cultural and Historical Perspective” (2010-11), Latin American Leaders (2009-10), “Exploring the Developing World: The Caribbean” (2008-09), “How the World Views America” (2007-08), "Investigating the Causes and Effects of Poverty in the U.S. and the World" (2006-07) and “Encounter, Conflict & Cultural Survival: The Indigenous Peoples of Latin America” (2005-06).

After completing the core elements of the program and receiving at least a B in the spring seminar, students will be eligible for scholarships that will allow them to study abroad for a semester. They will be able to choose from a variety of programs in Europe, North America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. All of the selected study-abroad programs have either a leadership or an international studies focus.

Students are invited to apply to this competitive program during the fall; participation will be limited to 20 students per year. While the program targets freshmen, up to five spots can be filled by sophomores and juniors. Applicants will be evaluated based on an interview, their academic achievement in high school (for freshmen) and at Franklin College, their community involvement, extra-curricular activities, a reference letter and an exam.