Welcome back!

We’re looking forward to our first event of 2010-11 with Dr. Roger Baumgarte, who will talk about his research on close friendships across cultures.

When :: September 21, 2010 from 6-8pm

Where :: The Visa Services Conference Room in the Smith Warehouse, 114 So. Buchanan St., Bay 7 in Durham (Duke University). There is visitor parking on the South Side of the building. Enter through the door in Bay 7, and turn to your right. The conference room will be there on the right, before you enter into Bay 6.

Here’s a map to the Smith Warehouse.

Topic :: The Cultures of Close Friendships

Cultures differ rather dramatically in the assumptions they make about the nature of close friendship. This presentation will propose a model to summarize these differences, some of which are a clear extension of the individualism-collectivism dimension, but others which are not.

About the Speaker ::
Roger Baumgarte earned his doctorate in 1973 in experimental psychology from Bowling Green University in Ohio, specializing in cognition and memory. For 30 years, he taught psychology at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Mid career, he made an abrupt change in the focus of his professional research, from short-memory to cross-cultural psychology as a result of personal experiences he had with close friendships while on a year-long sabbatical teaching at the American University in Paris. Since that time, he has conducted studies focused on exploring cultural variations in the nature of close friendships. Other international experiences include teaching for a year in South Korea, serving as director of the International Center at Winthrop, consulting with the U.S. State Department for the selection of Eastern European students to study in the U.S., and offering over 200 cultural training workshops in the U.S. and abroad.

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Wow, can you believe it’s April already?

We hope you’ll join us on April 23 from 7-9pm at VIF International Education in Chapel Hill, ’cause we’ve got some fun things planned for you:

1. Food! We’re picking up a variety of savory and sweet treats from Chapel Hill’s Mediterranean Deli to celebrate another successful year of SIETAR-NC.

2. A film!

Mardi Gras: Made in China (DVD)
A Documentary by David Redmond
Synopsis: This examination of cultural and economic globalization follows the life-cycle of Mardi Gras beads from a small factory in Fuzhou, China, to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and to art galleries in New York City.

Note: As it interviews many people during Mardi Gras, there is nudity in the film.

3. A very quick update on the current status of the SIETAR-NC organization!

4.The 2010-11 event schedule! We’ll also tell you about the spring speaker event we’re planning with UNC-CIBER, and you’ll have an opportunity to renew your membership or become a new member of SIETAR-NC at the discounted Early-Bird rate.

To recap:

What :: Food, Film & Friends Night (our final event of 2009-10!)
When :: Friday, April 23 from 7-9pm
Where :: VIF International Education in Chapel Hill

Directions :: VIF International Education is at 201 Sage Road in Chapel Hill – just down the street from the Border’s bookstore you can see from 15-501. There is free parking in front of the building. Please enter through the main doors.

***Please RSVP for this event so we know how much delicious food to order: sietarnc [@] gmail [.] com

Yan-Koloba is a fun teamwork game with African roots.

At our March event we’ll play the game (suitable for all ages), discuss how to use the game in classroom or training situations (we can watch portions of the instructional DVD), and learn more about cultures of Africa. We’ll also have a live video chat with Dr. Emmanuel Ngomsi, the creator of Yan-Koloba!

Here’s a short video introducing Yan-Koloba and Dr. Emmanuel Ngomsi:

This is going to be a fun event – don’t miss it!

When :: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 from 6-8pm

What :: Yan-Koloba – A Teamwork Game Rooted in Africa

Where :: The Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF) in Chapel Hill, NC

Directions :: The Visiting International Faculty Program office is at 201 Sage Road in Chapel Hill – just down the street from the Border’s bookstore you can see from 15-501. There is free parking in front of the building. Please enter through the main doors.

Questions? Email us :: sietarnc [@] gmail [dot] com

Join your intercultural colleagues at the 2010 SIETAR-USA conference in Spokane, WA! Historic, yet modern and vibrant, Spokane’s past contrasts with cutting edge creativity, forming a city rich in heritage and innovation.

The theme of the 2010 conference is Living and Working in an Intercultural World.

Why should you attend the Tenth Annual SIETAR-USA conference? The SIETAR-USA membership goals provide the focus for the annual conference. As a participant you can benefit in the following ways:

Business Opportunities. Grow your career. “Get the word around” about what you do, perhaps even find a job (it’s amazing how often this happens at the conferences). This past April 2009 conference at Cary, N.C. included participants from across the U.S. and from England, France, India, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Iran, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Networking. Connect with intercultural professionals from around the USA and from around the world. Professional networking is in at the forefront of the SIETAR-USA conference with long coffee breaks, group lunches, and relaxed evening activities.

Professional Development. Expand your skills, knowledge and resources. Be part of the action and join in the on-going effort to explore future directions for intercultural relations in the three areas represented in SIETAR: education, training and research.

Giving Back. Grow the profession. Volunteer to serve the Society by joining committees associated with the conference, becoming a SIETAR- USA volunteer or mentoring aspiring colleagues.

The SIETAR-USA 2010 conference is being held in Spokane, WA from April 14-17, 2010.

Interested? Visit the conference website for more details and to take advantage of the early-bird registration rate.

If you’re on Facebook, why notbecome a fan of SIETAR-USA? It’s a great way to connect with other interculturalists, even if you don’t attend the conference!

See you in Spokane!

We’ve invited Dr. Michael Hoppe from the Center for Creative Leadership to speak about research he’s conducted on cross-cultural perspectives of leadership at our first event of 2010! We hope you’ll join us.

Here are the details:

When :: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 from 6-8pm

Where :: The Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF) in Chapel Hill, NC

Directions :: The Visiting International Faculty Program office is at 201 Sage Road in Chapel Hill – just down the street from the Border’s bookstore you can see from 15-501. There is free parking in front of the building. Please enter through the main doors.

Questions? Email us :: sietarnc [@] gmail [dot] com

Note :: Is there something from our Resource Library that you’ve had your eye on? If so, send us an email and we’ll bring it to the meeting. All SIETAR-NC members can check out materials from our extensive Resource Library.

About Michael Hoppe:

Michael is a Senior Faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. He trains custom program offerings to clients worldwide as well as the Center’s flagship program, the Leadership Development Program (LDP)® and other open-enrollment programs. As part of the Center’s Global Leadership Group, he researches and designs modules on effective cross-cultural leadership and other cross-cultural issues for use in the Center’s client-specific offerings. He lived and worked in Germany, Greece, Italy, and The Netherlands.

His publications have appeared in numerous journals and books. Recently, he contributed the chapter on cross-cultural leadership development to the Center’s Handbook of Leadership Development (2004) entitled “Cross-Cultural Issues in the Development of Leaders.” Also, as a Co-Country Investigator for GLOBE, a worldwide project on global leadership and behavior effectiveness, he wrote the book chapter on “Leadership in the U.S.A.: The Leader as Cultural Hero,” published in 2007.

Michael holds a M.S. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Munich, Germany, a M.S. in Educational Psychology and Statistics from the State University of New York at Albany, and a Ph.D. in Adult Education and Institutional Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Here’s a 1-minute video from our November event learning to make turkish red lentil soup at the Divan Center in Cary. 

Mrs. Oznur Hatip and Mrs. Nihal Cakmakci were wonderful cultural cooking guides. They took photos of our cooking class – take a look!

P.S. Our next event will be on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 6-8pm at the Visiting International Faculty Program. Our speaker will be Dr. Michael Hoppe from the Center for Creative Leadership. You won’t want to miss this event! More information to follow.

Until then, Happy Holidays!

Tags: 2009-10, Event, meeting, SIETAR-NC, SIETAR-NC Event

Learn how to make a delicious Turkish dish at our November SIETAR-NC event!

Here are the details:

What :: Turkish Cooking Class

When :: Saturday, November 14 @ 12:30pm

Where :: Divan Cultural Center, Cary, NC
1393 SE MAYNARD Rd.
Cary, NC 27511

Please RSVP by Friday, Nov. 13!

Note – The Divan Center charges a $10 materials fee per person for this class. SIETAR-NC is pleased to offer members a discounted rate of $8 per person.

Questions? Ready to RSVP? Email us :: sietarnc [@] gmail [dot] com

Tags: 2009-10, Community, Event, meeting, SIETAR-NC

CultureActive — based on the experience, work and writings of Richard Lewis — acts in two ways:

More information about our October event:

What :: CultureActive 

Who :: Dr. Tim Flood, Assistant Professor of Communication, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

When :: Tuesday, October 20, 6-8pm

Where :: The Board Room, 3rd floor of the Kenan Institute at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-CH

>>Maps and Directions

The Kenan Institute is the smaller building next to the Business School’s main McColl Building. Parking is free in the parking garage on Kenan Drive after 5pm.  Take either the breezeway from the deck’s 6th level or the stairs across from the deck’s 3rd-level exit up to the main plaza level–with the fountain on your right, the Kenan Institute is the building on your left, portico marked “Kenan Institute.”

Questions? Email us :: sietarnc [@] gmail [dot] com

Special thanks to UNC-CIBER  (Center for International Business, Education and Research) and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise for hosting and co-sponsoring this event!

Tags: 2009-10, Community, Event, SIETAR-NC, SIETAR-NC Event

Have you ever wondered what high school is like in India? What about China?

Join us for a viewing of 2 Million Minutes, a documentary by Robert A. Compton (watch the trailer)!

Here’s the information for our first SIETAR-NC event of 2009-10:

What :: 2 Million Minutes (movie, 54 minutes)

When :: Friday, September 11, 7 p.m.

Where :: The Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF) in Chapel Hill, NC

Directions :: The Visiting International Faculty Program office is on Sage Road, just down the street from the Border’s bookstore you can see from 15-501. There is free parking in front of the building. Please enter through the main doors.

Questions? Email us :: sietarnc [@] gmail [dot] com

About 2 Million Minutes -

Regardless of nationality, as soon as a student completes the 8th grade, the clock starts ticking. From that very moment the child has approximately -

…Two Million Minutes until high school graduation…Two Million Minutes to build their intellectual foundation…Two Million Minutes to prepare for college and ultimately career…Two Million Minutes to go from a teenager to an adult

How a student spends their Two Million Minutes – in class, at home studying, playing sports, working, sleeping, socializing or just goofing off — will affect their economic prospects for the rest of their lives.

How do most American high school students spend this time? What about students in the rest of the world? How do family, friends and society influence a student’s choices for time allocation? What implications do their choices have on their future and on a country’s economic future?

This film takes a deeper look at how the three superpowers of the 21st Century – China, India and the United States – are preparing their students for the future. As we follow two students – a boy and a girl – from each of these countries, we compose a global snapshot of education, from the viewpoint of kids preparing for their future. Read more…

Tags: 2009-10, Community, Event, meeting, movie, SIETAR-NC

Hey everyone! Just a quick note that the Advisory Board is hard at work preparing to kick off SIETAR’s 4th year. Very soon we’ll have our event schedule up for the entire 2009-10 year, and we’ll have our new membership form ready to download. Stay in touch!