Enrollment for free culture course nears end Published Feb. 24, 2012 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Registration ends Wednesday for the spring "Introduction to Culture" course, an online self-paced undergraduate course that helps enlisted Airmen improve their cross-cultural competence. The course explores subjects such as elements of culture, family, gender, religion, belief systems, sports and other cultural domains. It also helps Airmen operationalize this knowledge through cross-cultural communication, relations and conflict resolution. "ITC students should anticipate a similar amount of work to any other in-residence college-level course," said anthropologist Patricia Fogarty, the lead course developer. "Some students find ITC challenging, particularly those who expect it to be a computer-based training course. They also tell us it's engaging, interesting and relevant to their work." Several seats remain for this general education course, which fulfills three resident hours of either social science or program elective credit required for Community College of the Air Force degrees. Only enlisted active duty, Air Reservists or Air National Guardsmen who are eligible to pursue a degree in the Community College of the Air Force program may take the course. Although the course provides CCAF credits, that's not the main benefit, according to one Air Force noncommissioned officer. "I liked the in-depth analysis of each of the topics and the way it related specifically to the military and actual situations we might face in a deployed environment or overseas assignment," said Staff Sgt. Russell Delaney, a recent ITC graduate from the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. "It helped me to better understand how this information could be applied to a real-life scenario I might face in the future, both personally and professionally." ITC is one of two online courses AFCLC offers that result in college credit. The other course is Introduction to Cross-Cultural Communication. Registration for CCC course will begin April 5. These courses, including all instructional material, are provided at no cost, and delivered via the Air University's web-based Blackboard Learning Management System. Internet access is required. For the latest information on courses and other resources, see the AFCLC's public website at www.culture.af.mil, and click on the "Culture Education/QEP" tab, or follow the AFCLC on twitter at www.twitter.com/afclc. About Air Force Culture and Language Center The Air Force Culture and Language Center was founded at Air University in April 2006. In activating the center, the Air Force embraced the Air Force chief of staff's intention to improve Airmen's cross-cultural competence. In April 2007, the Air Force further demonstrated its commitment to culture learning by selecting cross-cultural competence as the centerpiece of Air University's re-accreditation efforts. In December 2007, the center took charge of culture and language training, as well as education, across the entire Air Force. In July 2011, the Air Force made AFCLC's Language Enabled Airman Program the primary servicewide solution to develop higher levels of language proficiency in the Air Force. The AFCLC's team of highly-qualified military and civilian experts provides the Air Force with a "one-stop shop" for language, region and cultural force development. The AFCLC is part of Air University's Spaatz Center at Maxwell. Courtesy of the AFCLC website