Lunch seminar: The role of cultural empathy in teaching and learning

Over the past twenty years, I have been finding my way toward what I currently call “cultural empathy.” Cultural empathy brings together my academic curiosity as a cultural psychologist with my appreciation of empathic attunement as a therapist. It means asking questions and creating space to listen. In that sense, having cultural empathy does not mean being a blank slate: knowledge and theoretical frameworks matter when navigating the terrain of human experience. In this lunch dialogue, I would like to reflect on how cultural empathy has shaped my path as a researcher, teacher, and therapist, and explore together how cultural empathy can strengthen the international classroom as an inclusive and dynamic learning environment.

As part of our discussion, we will consider questions such as: Do we, as university educators, have a role in cultivating “soft” interpersonal skills like empathy—and how might these support the “hard” skills we emphasize? How do you balance teaching content with space for cultural and personal narratives to shape the learning process?  What could cultural empathy look like in everyday teaching (feedback, assessment, participation)?

Practicalities
Please bring your lunch and a cup. We will offer some sweets and drinks.

Dr. Michael Boiger is an assistant professor of social and cultural psychology in the Department of Psychology at the UvA and an emotion-focused/systemic therapist in private practice. His research focuses on the intersection of culture and emotion, exploring how the relational dynamics of emotion play out in different (inter)cultural contexts, such as intercultural relationships and intercultural therapeutic settings.

Sign up

If you are interested to join, please email Dr. Hülya Altinyelken (h.k.altinyelken@uva.nl). We look forward to meeting you at this lunch seminar!