Short Story Who Am I - 1703 Words

Akili Quintero Who am I? Hello I am Akili Faith Quintero, I am 17 and a senior at Payette High School. At this time in my life I am everything. I am a lover and a fighter and a poet and an awkward teenager who is lost with a torn and wet map telling me where to go to be who I am meant to be. I live with my mom and stepdad (Wendy Lopez, Jerry Lopez) we have lived in Payette for as long as I can remember, however since we have lived here we have moved a lot. Right now we live on 40 North Avenue here in Payette. However, I have never lived in the same house for more than five years. I am a three season athlete; I play soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and softball in the spring. I belong to two clubs, I belong to DECA and the†¦show more content†¦Traveling is something that I have always wanted to do. In DECA I have been lucky enough to travel to New York, and Nashville, and California, and this year we are going to Atlanta Georgia. At first it takes me awhile to get used to not b eing home, but everywhere I go I fall in love with the people and the sights and the smells and the food. I know that I love to travel and I love to write but english and writing is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I plan on carrying out the rest of my education at LCSC getting my major in secondary education and my minor in creative writing. After school I think I’m going to get a job being a stewardess and travel around the world and not only do it for free but I would get paid for doing something that I love to do. Akili Quintero Before I was There Were I have a rather large family and a lot of people say that it’s confusing, but I find it simplistic. My mom (Wendy Lopez) and dad (Junior Quintero) got divorced when I was barely one. But, before they did they had my sister Quante’ who is 19 and a sophomore in college. She is going to college at LCSC she is getting her bachelor s degree in kinesiology and then she is going to U of I to finish out her doctorate. She’s my hero and my best friend, she always has been, er have been through absolutely everything together, she’s my rock. My mom remarried when I was wee to her middle school- high school sweetheart Gerald Lopez, they gaveShow MoreRelated‚Äà ²Am I Blue?‚Äà ´ ‚Äà ¬ a Significant Piece of Work or a Modern Controversy?837 Words   |  4 PagesThis essay is concerned with the short story ‘Am I Blue’ by Bruce Coville, and aim to identify and comment upon the themes presented in the sh ort story such as the issues of adolescence, tolerance, homosexuality and sexual identity in general. Since its release in 1994, Bruce Coville’s short story has been subject to both praise and approval as well as controversy and criticism. This essay focuses on these various aspects. The protagonistRead MoreSummary Of My Hands Were Trembling 960 Words   |  4 PagesMy hands were trembling. I just could not do it. My heart was palpitating as my blood ran throughout all of my veins. Thoughts were racing in and out of mind. I imagined the worst case scenario. I just could not press the confirm button. My essay was not good enough. Maybe I can tweak it some more to make it better. I need a good grade, and this will not get me there. Self doubt filled my body as I sat at the computer desk anxiously trying to upload my short story to turnitin.com. Many peopleRead MoreSummary Of My Hands Were Trembling 960 Words   |  4 PagesMy hands were trembling. I just could not do it. My heart was palpitating as my blood ran throughout all of my veins. Thoughts were racing in and out of mind. I imagined the worst case scenario. I just could not press the confirm button. My essay was not good enough. Maybe I can tweak it some more to make it better. I need a good grade, and this will not get me there. Self doubt filled my body as I sat at the computer desk anxiously trying to upload my short story to turnitin.com. Many peopleRead MoreWe Talk About Love By George Saunders And Lance Olsen1334 Words   |  6 Pagesbecome the writer I aspired to be post-undergrad, I knew I needed to change some of my static habits. One of these conventions was consuming the same type of literature year after year and not allowing myself enough time to write. So I began taking recommendations from peers I respected and read works from writers I had met. Raymond Carver, Junot Dà ­az, Colum McCann, Anne Lamott, Sherman Alexi, Dorothea Brande, George Saunders and Lance Olsen are a handful of the writers I discovered. AllRead MoreReunion - Fame or Family?1440 Words   |  6 Pagesanalyzing the short story This essay is going to be an analysis and interpretation of the short story ‘’Reunion’’ by John Cheever. It will begin with a summary of the short story. 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ButRead MoreThe Effectivness of Literary Techniques Used in Stephen Crane’s The Open Boat842 Words   |  3 PagesStephen Crane’s short story â€Å"The Open Boat† is developed through many techniques, but the most effective technique he used was his organization. The first chapter is an introduction of the setting, characters, and plot. The second chapter contains innocent details to familiarize the audience with the characters and the situation, while the third chapter begins to dig into the plot. The fourth chapter sets a problem for the characters and the fifth and sixth chapters are the rising action, buildingRead MoreA Comparison: A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain and Drown Essay856 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the short story collections in Robert Butler’s A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain and Junot Diaz’s Drown, the most prominent differences between these short stories were 1) poverty versus enough and 2) a healthy versus destructive home and family life and other surroundings. 1. Poverty vs. Enough Drown illustrates a narrator growing up in a very low income Spanish home with the bare minimums to survive, â€Å"We lived south of the Cementerio Nacional in a wood-frame house with three roomsRead MoreEssay about Reunion: Short Story and Father1199 Words   |  5 PagesHow we see each other The stories I am going to write about are â€Å"Reunion† by John Cheever from 1962 and â€Å"Living with strangers† by Siri Hustvedt from 2002 . These stories are short stories. The one I am going to focus on the most is â€Å"Reunion† by John Cheever. This is the short story which I am going to analyze, and I am going to draw parallels with â€Å"Living with strangers†. â€Å"Reunion† is about a son that is waiting for his father in Grand Central Station. His father comes to take him out for lunchRead MoreThe Joy Of Reading And Writing : Superman And Me916 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me† is a short story in which Sherman Alexie, the author, writes about the expectations of Indian children and how he defeated them. Alexie’s thesis is about how reading was his key to overcoming the expectation of failure and that helping influence young Indians to read and write can save them from their prescribed fate as well. Primarily expressive writing is used to convey this message but literary writing is also used as a secondary purpose. Narration

Powers of the Constitution Essay - 546 Words

Powers of the Constitution The national and state governments derive their respective powers from the Constitution in several ways. Some powers are explicitly stated while others are not. Understanding the various types of powers can be difficult and this essay is an attempt to clarify them. The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution states, The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. From this amendment we first learn of delegated and reserved powers. Delegated powers are those powers of the national government that are expressed or implied in the Constitution. Reserved powers, therefore, are those powers†¦show more content†¦It states, The Congress shall have power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any other department or officer thereof. The necessary and proper clause is tied closely to the supremacy clause of the Constitution. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, any thing in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. The principles of necessary and proper and the supremacy clause can be seen in the landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland. The Supreme Court ruled that the state of Maryland could not tax the United States national bank because the necessary and proper clause gave Congress a discretionary choice of means for implementing the granted powers. This also was the first case to establish the national government as supreme by not allowing the state of Maryland to regulate a national bank through taxation. Resulting powers a re derived by implication from the mass of delegated powers or from a group of them. Such powers include the taking of property by eminent domain for a purpose not specified in the Constitution, the power to carryShow MoreRelatedWhat Is The Power Of The Constitution1178 Words   |  5 PagesThe constitution, which was established in 1993, gives too many and strong powers to the Russian President. Sometimes, people compare Russias presidency with Charles de Gaulle in the French Fifth Republic Everyone knows about the authority and rights which Russian President has. He can issue decrees and directives that have the force of law without legislative review, but they should not contradict that document or other previous laws. The President has a power to make so many appointments of keyRead MoreThe Power Of The Athenian Constitution949 Words   |  4 Pagesowned property. The Athenian democracy followed a similar rule; to be on the Athenian senate, one had to be a male who owned prop erty and was not a slave. This trend has been seen throughout the western world in establishing democracies; the hegemonic power controls the laws of the state. But now, with technology, we are able to empower the disenfranchised and have a more equal representation. 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It known of as the law making body of the United States government withRead MoreThe And Power Of The Constitution And The Idea Of Federalism1104 Words   |  5 PagesSince the very beginnings of America, there has been debate as to the size and power of the constitution and the idea of Federalism. This debate is very much present in our modern day world and it presents challenges of its own. Some of these said challenges in the American federalist society include the breakdowns in communication, the extents, and limits of government vs state power and the shared powers of said parties. To begin we must address the issue of the communication breakdown in the UnitedRead MoreThe Australian Constitution And The Separation Of Power2193 Words   |  9 PagesAustralian Constitution is a rich amalgam of various classical political principles. The concepts of the Rule of Law and the doctrine of the Separation of Powers evident in Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws are both salient examples of political theses that are central to Australian Constitutional Law. The structure of the Constitution itself and decisions of the High Court of Australia unequivocally validate the entrenchment of the doctrine separation of powers in the Commonwealth Constitution . In particular

Business and Corporations Law Shipbuilder

Question: 1 Consider the following situations and indicate whether consideration is present and whether Jack has an enforceable agreement: (these all are different not same) a) Jane is going overseas and she offers to give her Lotus Super 7 sports car to Jack. The market value for this type of vehicle in good condition is around $25 000. Jack accepts. b) Jane offers to sell Jack her Lotus Super 7 sports car for $25 000. The market value for this type of vehicle in good condition is around $25 000. Jack accepts. c) Jane offers to sell Jack her Lotus Super 7 sports car for $2500. The market value for this type of vehicle in good condition is around $25 000. Jack accepts. 2 A shipbuilder had contracted to build a tanker for North Ocean Tankers. The contract was in US dollars and didnt contain any provisions for currency fluctuations. Approximately halfway through construction of the ship, the United States devalued its currency by 10 per cent. As the shipbuilder stood to make a loss on the contract, it demanded that an extra US$3 million be paid or it would stop work. The buyer reluctantly agreed under protest to pay, as he already had a charter for the tanker and it was essential that it be delivered on time. The buyer didnt commence action to recover the excess payment until some nine months after delivery. Will the buyer succeed in recovering the excess? Answer: 1 (a) Issue: In this case, a promise was made by Jane according to which, she was going to give her sports car to Jack. But in return, no consideration was going to be provided by Jack. Under these circumstances, the issue that needs to be decided is if the promise made by Jane can be enforced by Jack. Rule: The rules of common law related with the contract law provides for the need of certain elements that must be present if an agreement can be treated as legally enforceable (Beale, (ed) 2002). The result is that an author should be made by one party, it should be accepted by the other and in the same way consideration should also be present (Atiyah, 1990). If any of these elements is not present, the law does not consider the agreement as a valid contract and therefore, enforceable by the law. The result is that as is the case with other essential elements, if consideration is not present, the contract is not treated as valid. The general rule is that consideration should to support the promise made under the contract. It is also provided by the law that consideration should be something real. For this purpose, consideration should have some value under the law. Similarly, a past consideration is also not treated as valid (Re McArdle, 1951). In the same way, the effect of this re quirement is that an illusionary consideration is not treated as valid. Application: the facts of this case suggests that while Jane had made a promise to give her car to Jack but no promise has been made by Jack in return. Therefore, it is clear that no consideration has been provided by Jack in return of the promise made by Jane. Hence it can be said that consideration, which is an essential element for a valid contract, is not present. The law of contract clearly provides that all the essential elements in an agreement and only then agreement can be treated as legally enforceable. The conclusion is that this case, Jack does not have an enforceable agreement. (b) Issue: The facts that have been provided in this question suggests the need for deciding if an enforceable agreement has been created. For this purpose, it has to be seen if the elements that are necessary for creating a valid contract exist in this case or not. Rule: According to the contract law, certain elements are treated as being necessary for creating valid agreement. If these elements are present in an agreement, it becomes a valid contract. A valid contract is the term used for the agreement that can be enforced by the courts. Therefore, it has to be seen if the elements of offer and acceptance are present in the case or not (Beatson, Burrows and Cartwright, 2010). Among these elements, it is also required that consideration should be supplied by the parties in return of the promise received by them under the agreement (White v Bluett, 1853). The law provides that in a case where all these elements are present, a legally enforceable agreement is considered to have been created. Application: when the above-mentioned rules are applied to this case, it is clear that Jane had made an offer to give her sports car to Jack at the price of $25,000. Similarly, Jack had accepted the offer and he is ready to purchase the car at the above-mentioned price. Hence, it can be concluded that the necessary elements are present and a valid contract has been created. Conclusion: it can be concluded that in this question, Jack has an enforceable promise against Jane. (c) Issue: in view of the facts that have been mentioned in this question, the need arises to deal with the issue of adequacy of consideration and its impact on the validity of the contract. Therefore, it has to be considered in this case if the promise made by Jane is legally enforceable. According to this promise, Jane is going to give her sports car to Jack for $2500 while the market value of the car is nearly $25,000. The issue therefore arises if the inadequacy of consideration when in fact the legality of the contract. Rule: in this case, the common law rules dealing with the adequacy of consideration can provide an answer in this situation. Under the common law, the general rule provides that the inadequacy of the consideration does not have any impact on the validity of the contract. The law requires that there should be consideration present to support the promise made under the contract. It is also required that such consideration should be real. For this purpose, the consideration should have certain economic value. The result of this requirement is that things like natural love and affection are not treated by the law as valid considerations. However, it is not the intention of the law to going to the question that the consideration supplied by a party in return of the promise made by the other party is of the equal value. The only requirement is that sufficient consideration should be present even if they consideration is not adequate. Under the law, a real consideration is sufficient. For instance, in a famous case, Chappell Co Ltd v Nestle Co Ltd (1959), the court had stated that the empty wrappers of the milk chocolate of Nestl can be treated as a valid consideration even if these wrappers were to be thrown away the company later on. Hence in this case, the court had reaffirmed the rule that consideration should be sufficient and it is not necessary that it should also be adequate. Application: When the common law rules related with the adequacy of consideration, mentioned above are applied to the facts in this question, it becomes clear that even if the consideration supplied by Jack is not adequate as the market value of the car is nearly $25,000 but still it is a sufficient consideration as it has certain economic value. The courts do not go into the issue of adequacy of consideration. Conclusion: In this case, a legally enforceable contract has been formed. 2. Issue: The issue that is present in this question is related with the enforceability of the promise of paying additional money even when the other party is only performing his duty under pre-existing contract. The facts of this case are that a contract has been created between the shipbuilder and a buyer for building a tanker for the buyer. But the work was halfway through, the US government decided to devalue its currency by 10%. Moreover, there was no clause present in the contract which would deal with the fluctuations in the rate of currency. The result was that the shipbuilder started to face difficulties in completing the work. As the shipbuilder was set to suffer a loss due to the evaluation of the currency, the shipbuilder told the buyer that they will not continue with the work of making the tanker. On the other hand, the buyer had a charter for the tanker. These were the circumstances under which a promise was made by the buyer that an additional amount of $3 million will be paid to the ship builder if the shipbuilder continued the work and the tanker was delivered on time to the buyer. Therefore, it needs to be seen if the promise made by the buyer is legally enforceable under the rules of contract law. The reason is that in this case the shipbuilder is only performing his duty under the contract that it had already created with the buyer which required the completion of the tanker on time. Rule: The general rule of the contract law is that a promise can be enforced by the courts if such a promise is supported by the presence of a valid consideration (Atiyah, 2000). This rule has been provided by the court in Stilk v Myrick (1809). Therefore it will be desirable to briefly mention the facts of this case. This case was related with the need for consideration in order to create an agreement that can be enforced by the law. In this case, the master of the ship had promised to the other crew members of the ship that he will give the wages of the two of the crew members who had deserted the ship, to them. As these two members had deserted the ship and no replacement could be found, the master of the ship promised that the wages of these two members will be given to the other crew members if, apart from performing their own duties, they also perform the duties of these two members and to the ship to its home port. However when the ship reached its home port, London, the maste r of the ship refused to make the payment. Therefore, Stilk initiated proceedings for the recovery of this amount. In the decision given by the court, it was stated that the promise was not legally enforceable. The reason given by the court was that the crew members have not supply any consideration in return of the promise according to which, they were to be given the wages of the two deserters. The court stated that crew members had already entered into a contract which provided that they had to complete the voyage. Another significant case in which this rule was reiterated was that of the Pinnel's case, (1602). In its decision in this case, the court stated that consideration has not been supplied in return of the promise according to which the plaintiff had agreed to accept our payment as the full satisfaction of the debt and not to sue for the rest of the amount. But an exception was created by the court to the application of the general rule mentioned above. Therefore in Williams v Roffey (1990), Roffey had contracted with Williams for some carpentry work that was to be done in some flats. Roffey had entered into a contract with the housing Society for the renovation of these flats. In this way, Roffey had subcontracted with Williams regarding the carpentry work. The parties have decided a price of 20,000 for the carpentry work. But after doing some work, Williams started to face financial problems as the price decided by them was too low. Under these circumstances, Williams approached the defendant and the defendant also acknowledged that the price was too low. At the same time, the defendant was also interested in the completion of these flats on time. According to the contract that it had created with the housing society, the defendant would have to pay a penalty if the work of the renovation of these flats was not completed on time. These were the circumstances under which Roffey agreed to pay additional amount for the completion of work in each flat. However, they refuse to make this payment and claimed that consideration was not present in this case. Williams had only performed its duty under the pre-existing contract. But the opinion of the Court was different as it stated that Roffey Bros had achieved a practical benefit from the completion of the work and as a result, consideration is present and therefore the promise made by them of making additional payment is legally enforceable. This rule can also be applied to the facts of the present case. Application: In this case, as the shipbuilder was going to suffer a loss due to the devaluation of the US currency by the government, the buyer agreed to pay additional $3 million to the shipbuilder. Now the question arises if this promise is legal or if the amount can be recovered by the buyer from the shipbuilder. As in this case, the buyer had a charter for the tanker, it was very important that the tanker was delivered on time. In this way, a practical benefit has been achieved by the buyer into the timely delivery of the tanker. As a result, the promised to pay extra $3 million is legal. Hence the buyer cannot be allowed to recover this amount from the shipbuilder. Conclusion: The buyer will not be successful in recovering the additional $3 million from the shipbuilder. References Atiyah, P.S. 1990, Essays on Contract, Oxford University Press, New York Atiyah, P.S. 2000 An Introduction to the Law of Contract, Clarendon Beale, H., (ed) 2002 Cases, Materials and Text on Contract Law (Hart Beatson, J. Burrows A. and Cartwright, J. 2010 Anson's Law of Contract, 29th edn OUP Publishing, Oxford Case Law Chappell v Nestle [1960] AC 87 Pinnel's Case [1602] 5 Co. Rep. 117 Re McArdle (1951) Ch 669 Stilk v Myrick [1809] EWHC KB J58 White v Bluett (1853) 2 WR 75 Williams v Roffey Bros and Nicholls Contractors) Ltd (1990) 1 All ER 512

Intercultural Competence free essay sample

However, a difficulty confronting education professionals in fulfilling this responsibility is the bewildering array of conceptualisations of intercultural competence that are currently available. Over the past twenty years or so, there has been a proliferation of different models of intercultural competence across the social sciences, in disciplines as diverse as management, health care, counselling, social work, psychology and education. These various models have recently been reviewed by Spitzberg and Changnon (2009), who classify them into five types: (1) Compositional models, which identify the various components of intercultural competence without attempting to specify the relations between them – these models therefore simply contain lists of the relevant attitudes, skills, knowledge and behaviours which together make up intercultural competence. 2) Co-orientational models, which focus on how communication takes place within intercultural interactions, and how perceptions, meanings and intercultural understandings are constructed during the course of these interactions. (3) Developmental models, which describe the stages of development through which intercultural competence is acquired. We will write a custom essay sample on Intercultural Competence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (4) Adaptational models, which focus on how individuals adjust and adapt their attitudes, understandings and behaviours during encounters with cultural others. 5) Causal path models, which postulate specific causal relationships between the different components of intercultural competence. In their review, Spitzberg and Changnon observe that many of the terms used to describe intercultural competence in all five types of model (e. g. , adaptability, sensitivity, etc. ) have not yet been properly operationalised or validated in empirical research, and that many of the models may well have ethnocentric biases due to the fact that they have been developed within western European and North American societies and probably lack cross-cultural generalizability. Certainly, most of the models reviewed by Spitzberg and Changnon are underdetermined by the available evidence: they contain many speculative elements and, when they have been subjected to empirical examination, are typically tested in very restricted situations with limited numbers of participants drawn from only a small range of cultures or sometimes only a single culture. Compositional models make the fewest assumptions concerning the nature of intercultural competence, as they modestly attempt only to identify the various attitudes, skills, knowledge and behaviours which together make up intercultural competence, without speculating about the interconnections, casual pathways or developmental interdependencies between them. Interestingly, and despite the large number of models of intercultural competence, there is considerable consensus among researchers and intercultural professionals concerning the components that comprise intercultural competence. For example, Deardorff (2006), in a survey which collected data from scholars of intercultural competence and university international administrators, found that 80% or more of the respondents agreed about 22 of the core components of intercultural competence. Deardorff also found substantial agreement over the definition of the term intercultural competence. The definition which was endorsed the most strongly by the scholars was â€Å"the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes† (where the term effectively means that one is able to achieve one’s objectives in these interactions, and the term appropriately means that the interactions do not violate the cultural rules and norms which are valued by oneself and by one’s interlocutors). So what are the core components of intercultural competence? Drawing on the range of research that has been conducted in this field, and the numerous conceptual models that have been proposed, it is possible to argue that all of the following components form the core of intercultural competence: ? Attitudes: respect for other cultures; curiosity about other cultures; willingness to learn about other cultures; openness to people from other cultures; willingness to suspend judgement; willingness to tolerate ambiguity; and valuing cultural diversity. Skills: skills of listening to people from other cultures; skills of interacting with people from other cultures; skills of adapting to other cultural environments; linguistic, sociolinguistic and discourse skills, including skills in managing breakdowns in communication; skills in mediating intercultural exchanges; skills in discovering information about other cultures; skills of interpreting cultures and relating cultures to one another; empathy; multiperspectivity; cognitive flexibility; and skills in critically evaluating cultural perspectives, practices and products, including those of one’s own culture. Knowledge: cultural self-awareness; communicative awareness, especially of the different linguistic and communicative conventions within different cultures; culturespecific knowledge, especially knowledge of the perspectives, practices and products of particular cultural groups; and general cultural knowledge, especially knowledge of processes of cultural, societal and individual interaction. Behaviours: behaving and communicating effectively and appropriately during intercultural encounters; flexibility in cultural behaviour; flexibility in communicative behaviour; and having an action orientation, that is, a disposition for action in society in order to enhance the common good, especially through the reduction of prejudice, discrimination and conflict The relationship between these various attitudes, ski lls, knowledge and behaviours which together comprise intercultural competence has not yet been established. This is a matter for empirical investigation rather than a priori theorising, and there is a very large research agenda which needs to be addressed here. Questions which still need to be answered include: ? How does each of these components develop within the individual learner? ? What are the social, educational, cognitive and motivational factors which influence the acquisition of each component? ? Are there particular sequences in which the various components are acquired? ? Is the acquisition of some components a necessary prerequisite for the acquisition of other components? How are the different components cognitively and affectively inter-related? 3 ? To what extent does the development of intercultural competence vary depending on the specific cultural setting in which an individual lives, and the specific intercultural encounters which an individual experiences within that setting? That said, there is existing research evidence to support all of the following conclusions abo ut the development of intercultural competence: ? Intercultural competence can be enhanced through intercultural education and training (e. g. Klak Martin, 2003; Pascarella, Edison, Nora, Hagedorn Terenzini, 1996). ? Intercultural competence can also be enhanced through a range of intercultural experiences, for example by attending international schools, attending multi-ethnic institutions which have a non-discriminatory environment, or by having extensive contact with people from other countries (e. g. , Pascarella et al. 1996; Straffon, 2003; Zhai Scheer, 2004). ? Females, older individuals and minority individuals tend to have higher levels of intercultural competence than males, younger individuals and majority individuals, respectively (e. . , Pascarella et al. 1996; Zhai Scheer, 2004). ? Intercultural competence may be related to holding a more global, international perspective and lower levels of ethnocentrism (e. g. , Caligiuri, Jacobs Farr, 2000). ? Some individual and personality characteristics such as optimism, openness and extraversion may also be related to higher levels of intercultural competence (e. g. , Caligiuri et al. , 2000). ? Advanced proficiency in one or more foreign languages is also sometimes related to higher levels of intercultural competence (e. . , Olson Kroeger, 2001). Given the known impact of intercultural education on intercultural competence, and the Council of Europe’s call for teachers to take on a more central role in fostering the intercultural competence of learners, there is clearly a need for the development of educational tools and materials which can be used within educational settings to help teachers achieve this goal. The Council of Europe itself has already developed a number of toolkits and materials that ay be used towards this end, such as the Intercultural Learning T-Kit and the All Different All Equal Education Pack. These contain a large range of activities, methods and resources that can be u sed to enhance students’ intercultural competence. A further instrument that has recently been developed by the Council of Europe is the Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters (AIE), which is based on an explicit compositional model of intercultural competence derived from the work of Byram (1997) and the INCA project (2004). The AIE aims to foster the development of a number of components of intercultural competence (including respect for otherness, empathy, tolerance of ambiguity, behavioural flexibility, communicative awareness, skills of interpreting and relating, and critical cultural awareness) by supporting learners’ critical reflection on encounters with people from other cultures which they themselves have personally experienced. In addition, a companion tool, the Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters through Visual Media, is currently under development – this new tool is being designed to assist learners to reflect critically on specific images depicting people from other cultures which they have encountered in the media (for example, on television, in a film, on the Internet, etc. ). While all of these instruments make an important contribution to the range of materials that teachers can use for enhancing the intercultural competence of their students, there is a need for further materials to be developed, especially materials tailored specifically to the circumstances and requirements of the particular cultural settings in which students live. However, all such materials need to be formally evaluated for their effectiveness in actually bringing about change in learners. It is one thing to develop activities, methods and resources which both teachers and learners find satisfying to use within the classroom, but another to show that these actually bring about the desired developmental changes in learners. Thus, a further challenge for future research is the evaluation, using methodologically sound procedures, of the different materials which are available to teachers in the area of intercultural education. Given the significance of the intercultural approach for contemporary European societies, it is crucial that the choice of educational means is based on robust evidence concerning their effectiveness. Some Council of Europe resources for intercultural education Brander, P. , Cardenas, C. , de Vicente Abad, J. , Gomes, R. Taylor, M. (2004). All Different All Equal Education Pack Idea, Resources, Methods and Activities for Informal Intercultural Education with Young People and Adults (2nd edition). Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. Byram, M. , Barrett, M. , Ipgrave, J. , Jackson, R. Mendez Garcia, M. C. (2009). Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. Martinelli, S. Taylor, M. (Eds. ) (2000). Intercultural Learning T-Kit. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. References Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Caligiuri, P. M. , Jacobs, R. R. Farr, J. L. (2000). The Attitudinal and Behavioral Openness Scale: Scale development and construct validation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24, 27-46. Council of Europe (2008). White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue. Strasbourg, France: Committee of Ministers, Council of Europe. Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10, 241-266. INCA project (2004). http://www. incaproject. org/ Klak, T. Martin, P. 2003). Do university-sponsored international cultural events help students to appreciate ‘‘difference’’? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27, 445–465. Olson, C. L. Kroeger, K. R. (2001). Global competency and intercultural sensitivity. Journal of Studies in International Education, 5, 116-137. Pascarella, E. T. , Ediso n, M. , Nora, A. , Hagedorn, L. S. , Terenzini, P. T. (1996). Influences on students openness to diversity and challenge in the first year of college. The Journal of Higher Education, 67, 174-195. Spitzberg, B. H. Changnon, G. (2009). Conceptualizing intercultural competence. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed. ), The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 2-52). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Straffon, D. A. (2003). Assessing the intercultural sensitivity of high school students attending an international school. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27, 487-501. 5 Zhai, L. Scheer, S. D. (2004). Global perspectives and attitudes toward cultural diversity among summer agriculture students at the Ohio State University. Journal of Agricultural Education, 45, 39-51. About the contributor Martyn Barrett is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey, UK. He is a developmental and social psychologist but has a strong commitment to multidisciplinary research, and he is currently working with political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, policy analysts and educationists. He works on processes of national and ethnic enculturation, the development of prejudice and stereotyping, the identifications and cultural practices of ethnic minority and mixed-heritage individuals, the development of the intercultural competences which are required for successful intercultural dialogue, and the development of political cognition, attitudes and active citizenship. He is currently leading an FP7 project funded by the European Commission entitled Processes Influencing Democratic Ownership and Participation (PIDOP), which is running from 2009-2012. He is also working as an expert advisor to the Council of Europe. He is Academic Director of the multidisciplinary Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM) at the University of Surrey, and an Academician of the Social Sciences. Contact: m. [emailprotected] ac. uk URL: http://www. surrey. ac. uk/psychology/people/prof_martyn_barrett/