IMI Day 2

The IMI's 9th Annual Conference was a very enlightening experience, and the number one lesson I learned from attending the Conference was that the field of cross-cultural communication is best learned without books. It was difficult to choose a highlight from Day Two, but after some serious thinking, I would say that the "Mr Khan" simulation run by Mr. Khan and Professor Gary Weaver would be my choice.

Truly innovative, the Mr. Khan simulation allows for people to roleplay an interaction with a person from the "other" culture, and it is run by Mr. Khan so that it is a lesson in immersion, and cross-cultural friction. It was awesome watching the simulation run, and I would say that programs such as the "Mr. Khan" simulation, and indeed, the entire Inter-cultural Management Institute, are examples of the cutting-edge nature of academic life here at American University. Maybe I'm drinking some of that American red-white-and-blue Kool-Aid, but what distinguishes the School of International Service at American University from programs at other colleges is its emphasis upon the value of full-spectrum learning in the context of international studies; SIS forces you to look at the world from many more perspectives than national security, the "Clash of Civilizations", and the grinding ideological burden of being a contributor to the expansion of American power. The anthropological, communicative focus of many of the programs at AU, among them the IMI, makes me proud to be an Eagle. I would also like to thank the IMI for awarding me a scholarship to attend the Conference, it was a wonderful experience, and I will recommend it heavily to many, many people.