Culture Week

Culture Week

Nearly 60 countries will be represented during Wartburg College’s annual Culture Week, March 19-24. The theme for the week is #WeAreWartburg.

The celebration kicks off with Coffee and Teas from Around the World on Sunday, March 19, at 7 p.m., in Vogel Library. Free samples will be available.

Helen Leong, director of international student services, said Culture Week is important for the campus and community because of the opportunity it presents to reflect on the interconnectedness of our world.

“Our campus community reaches every corner of the globe, and this is our chance to celebrate that,” Leong said. “Culture Week leaves a lasting impact on those who participate, from the students representing their culture to the community members learning from that student; each one walks away having given a piece of themselves to the experience, and that sharing is what brings reconciliation and peace to our world.”

New this year, students will be invited to the faculty-in-residence apartment in Clinton Hall to learn how to prepare international dishes with Ashley McHose, who lives in the apartment and is an information literacy and user experience librarian at Vogel Library. Samples of the dishes also will be available.

A faculty panel on “The Importance of Effective Intercultural Understanding,” on Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m., in Whitehouse Business Center Room 214, will be open to the public. Bret Billet, professor of political science and co-coordinator of international relations; Joyce Boss, professor of English and co-director of multicultural and diversity studies; and Shaheen Munir, professor of psychology, will represent their research areas within the context of intercultural understanding to underline some factors that might obstruct finding common ground and explore strategies on how to overcome them.

Culture Week ends with the Culture Show on Friday, March 24, in Neumann Auditorium. The engaging collection of performances representing countries from around the world will begin at 8 p.m. A $5 donation is suggested.

“I’m excited to show my love for my home country and culture to Wartburg,” said Nina Adam, a freshman from Kenya, “Culture Week is an exciting time to share with my new community more about the unique culture I am from.”

All events are co-sponsored by Wartburg’s International Club and the International Student Services Office.