Universities face increasing challenges in fostering cultural understanding among students as shifts in campus life limit opportunities for informal intercultural engagement. Traditionally, students developed cultural literacy through unstructured interactions—during co-curricular activities, casual social encounters, and group projects. However, the rise and extension of internship programs have reduced these informal learning moments by occupying much of the time once available for such exchanges.
Undergraduates now often undertake multiple, longer internships across various sectors, including non-profits and public agencies, aiming to enhance their employability in a competitive graduate market. While these practical experiences offer real-world exposure, they have inadvertently displaced parts of campus life where cultural understanding historically emerged without formal instruction or assessment.
Recent data from Singapore highlight this trend. Trust between racial groups remains relatively high; in fact, the proportion of residents expressing distrust towards more than half of another racial group decreased from 42.7% in 2013 to 27.1% in 2024. Yet, this trust has not translated into deeper curiosity or openness. Interest in learning about other racial customs stands at only 41.8%, and the tendency to form assumptions about behavior based on race has risen from 35.2% in 2018 to 43.5% in 2024. At the same time, 71.1% of respondents insisted that race does not affect their social interactions, underscoring a complex dynamic between belief and behavior.
This gap between coexistence and true intercultural understanding has prompted calls for more intentional approaches within higher education to promote cultural literacy. At Singapore Management University (SMU), for example, the curriculum and student activities incorporate structured and experiential learning opportunities designed to bridge this divide. All undergraduates complete at least 80 hours of community service and participate in overseas programs such as exchanges, study missions, or service projects. These “third spaces” foster cultural engagement beyond the classroom.
A notable initiative is the course "Choreographing the City-State: Dance and Multiculturalism in Singapore," which evolved from an SMU student production named Return Of Return rather than academic mandate. Open to all undergraduates regardless of dance experience, the course combines historical study, critical discussion, and practice-based workshops focusing on Malay, Chinese, and Indian dance traditions and their influence on Singapore’s identity and nationhood since the 1960s. Through embodied learning, students develop empathy, appreciation for diversity, and insight into how cultural expressions shape social and political realities.
Such programs emphasize distinctly human capabilities—empathy, emotional intelligence, imagination, and collaborative skills—that become increasingly valuable in a technologically advanced era where artificial intelligence can readily provide information but cannot replicate nuanced cultural understanding. The educational value lies not in mastering specific skills alone but in nurturing the capacity to approach difference without judgment and maintain the flexibility to learn continuously.
While creating intercultural “third spaces” cannot be mandated or fully orchestrated, universities remain critical environments for facilitating these experiences. By integrating intentional cultural learning into their curricula and student activities, institutions can help prepare graduates who are not only technically skilled but also capable of navigating and bridging the diverse perspectives encountered in global workplaces.