Two weeks ago, I attended my first International House-sponsored event in the entirety of my college career. That night was a first for the I-House, too: It was the first Nepali Culture Night to occur on UT campus. I was pleased to see it fairly well attended, even though it was during midterm week, and the rice pudding for dessert was certainly well worth missing an hour and a half of study time. We were also treated to traditional Nepali dance and music. The event was a very informative introduction to a country that I knew next to nothing about, and I was thrilled to find such a valuable resource on campus for exposure to other cultures.
In fact, I enjoyed myself so much that I returned the following week for German Culture Night, the International House’s contribution to UT’s “Do Deutsch” week. This culture night had a similar format as the Nepali Culture Night — a traditional dinner of sausage, potatoes and apple cider, followed by a presentation from some German exchange students about their native country and some German music, both traditional and modern. The highlight for me, personally, was that the lead cellist for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Andy Bryenton, performed a beautiful Bach cello suite. As an interesting juxtaposition, following Bryenton’s performance of the 300-year-old classical piece, we watched a video montage of some of Germany’s biggest names in popular music today. I was struck by how similar their music sounded to popular music in America, a trend that seems especially remarkable when even German classical music from years ago is music played in America on a regular basis.
UT has a strong initiative to engage its students in international and intercultural learning opportunities, called “Ready for the World.” This program sponsors hundreds of events each year on campus, including the International House Culture Nights, foreign film festivals, the Life of the Mind program for incoming freshmen and even the Ready for the World Café at the UC every week where the students from the UT Culinary Institute serve cuisine from countries across the globe. The culmination of the Ready for the World program for many UT students results in study abroad programs or exchanges, and in return the University of Tennessee also hosts many international students. There is even a global studies major and minor for students whose scholarly interests fall under the category of international relations and globalization.
These events, programs and departments are all critical elements of the University of Tennessee’s dedication to fostering international and intercultural learning among its students, faculty and staff. Although participation in all of these programs and events is entirely voluntary, I would like to take a few moments to address the necessity for everyone, but especially undergraduates, to take advantage of these opportunities as soon as possible.
Regardless of your area of study or your interests and activities outside school, you will inevitably encounter people and cultures from different parts of the world in your lifetime. These people will be your business clients, your co-workers, your peers and your friends, and it is of the utmost importance that before engaging in interactions with these individuals, you take the time to learn about their cultures and your relationship to them. If you ever travel abroad to research, to do a mission trip or even to be a tourist, you will be at a great disadvantage if you are unfamiliar with the country you are entering. Although Nepal might seem like an unusual choice for a cultural event at UT, it is an important choice because exposure to non-Western cultures can drive home the fact that just because a culture is different from our own, it is no less valuable or legitimate — and it is crucial that we learn about our diverse world.
— Sarah Russell is a junior in history. She can be reached at srusse22@utk.edu.
