The Intercultural Studies and Languages (ICIC) Program of Mahidol University International College’s (MUIC) Humanities and Language (HLD) Division celebrated its very first Cultural Week, a three-day long event that featured guest speakers from two embassies and a  multinational corporation, calligraphy workshop and musical performance, research seminar, traditional games, poster exhibition, independent project showcase, food-tasting, film viewing and lecture, and a career talk. A total of 517 students, faculty and staff members attended the various events.

Cultural Week started off with a keynote speech on “Creating Global Citizens” by Ms. Likki-Lee Pitzen, First Secretary, Political and Cultural  Affairs Section of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany on Monday, June 19, 2023 at Charinyarasami Hall in Aditayathorn Building. This was followed in the afternoon by the EPE Research Seminar and Japanese Calligraphy Workshop. The first day was concluded with a food-tasting event entitled “Paella and the Spanish Food Culture” sponsored by the Embassy of Spain.

On the second day, June 20^th, the students had lots of fun when they attended the “World Traditional Games” at Charinyarasami Hall which introduced them to traditional games from six countries. This was followed by a lecture on the timely topic, “What is Chat GPT? Will it Change Your Future?” Afterwards, there was a musical performance by Mr. Supphachai Phinyathanab from the Oriental Knowledge and Language School entitled, “The Charm of Traditional Chinese Music.” At the Screening Room on the 5^th Floor, film enthusiasts attended the session entitled “When Cultures Meet: Culture Clash in Film.” Meanwhile, back in Charinyarasami Hall, senior ICIC students presented their independent projects in the “Independent Project Showcase.”

On the third and last day of the event, Mr. Wangchuk, Second Secretary of the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, gave a talk on the topic “Happiness is a Place,” joined in by Minister Karma Tshering, Minister of said embassy, at the Screening Room. In the same venue in the afternoon, numerous students flocked to listen to Mr. Hervé Deguine, Head of the Corporate Public Affairs for Asia-Pacific Zone with Non-governmental and Civil Society Organizations of Michelin, talk about “Pursuing International Careers.” There was also an exhibition of posters made by ICIC 251 students with the theme “Cultural Perspectives on Contemporary Southeast Asia.”

The three-day affair was indeed successful as borne out by the numerous attendees who gave positive feedback to the HLD executives, faculty and staff who had organized the momentous event. According to Asst. Prof. Dr. Analiza Lizl Perez-Amurao, HLD Chair, “HLD’s recently concluded Cultural Week marked a unique ICIC celebration, articulating the Program’s identity and brand being the only bachelor’s degree of its kind in Thailand. Having trailblazed an event that celebrated interculturalism, language, humanities, diversity, inclusivity, and cultural pluralism, among others, ICIC has helped successfully position MUIC as an academic community where everyone can be a truly global citizen.”