(Page 9 of 21) - Teaching Cultural Perspectives to Future Army Officers at West Point authored by Forest, James.

Culture both reflects and shapes human thought, action, and feelings. Because leaders

must understand people to influence behavior and to operate effectively in different
environments, the recognition of the fundamental elements of culture is a necessary attribute for
our graduates. Moreover, given that Army officers are likely to experience a greater variety of
cultural environments both at home and abroad during the 21st century, a broadened cultural
perspective becomes essential. Demographic projections suggest that the composition of
personnel in the Army will represent an increasingly greater proportion of ethnic minorities. At
the same time, the Army is likely to be involved in more frequent peacekeeping missions,
disaster relief efforts, and other stability and support operations that will require engagement
with other cultures to ensure mission success and protect our national interests.

From a cultural perspective, the current global environment creates a particularly

challenging dilemma for the professional officer. During a career, officers will be engaged in
diverse missions in many different regions of the world. These missions demand a sophisticated
understanding of the beliefs, values, and norms influencing the actions of allies, neutrals, and
enemies. Because graduates may serve anywhere in the world, they cannot possibly know
beforehand every culture or subculture that may become relevant to their professional
responsibilities. Yet, they can apply their understanding of cultures they know to the process of
learning about new cultures and subcultures they may encounter at home and abroad. By the
same token, Army officers must understand the people they lead, follow, support, and serve.
Insofar as they will work in an environment of joint and coalition operations, they will
necessarily lead people, organize resources, interact with people from other cultures, and
maintain a high state of readiness. To succeed, Army officers must understand the context of
their social world, what motivates human behavior, and how to influence such motivations.

Finally, a cognizance of cultures, both one’s own and other cultures, can enable each

graduate to become a more informed citizen of character. Persons willing and able to see the
world from others’ perspectives and not just from their own narrow view of social reality are
more successful at overcoming ethnocentrism and prejudice. Graduates who have been exposed
to different cultures are more likely to respect other people and appreciate similarities and
differences in the way others think, act, and appear.

How West Point Develops a Cadet’s Cultural Perspective
All successful curricular initiatives in higher education are based upon expectations of student
outcomes. Thus, the Cultural Perspective goal team developed a succinct goal statement
describing the institution’s expectations for what West Point cadets should be able to
demonstrate upon graduation. A single, succinct goal statement – “Graduates draw from an
appreciation of culture to understand in a global context human behavior, achievement, and
ideas” – frames our expectations of what cadets should achieve in this area. West Point graduates
who achieve this goal appreciate both the diversity in American culture and the challenges of
performing global duties in a multicultural environment. Their appreciation of American
pluralism prepares them to lead soldiers of diverse backgrounds and to adapt to changing
national security objectives. Their awareness of global multicultural issues enables them to meet
the demands of professional duties in an uncertain future that requires their service around the
world. A successful graduate will be able to draw upon an understanding of culture to assist in
the accomplishment of the tasks required of a leader of character. That is, leaders must be able to
apply cultural knowledge in order to successfully perform their assigned duties.

Four goal statements were developed by the Goal Team to further refine our expectations