The liberal arts education is one that is increasingly being adopted in regions far removed from the USA, such as the United Arab Emirates. The importing of this American educational model is, however, associated with the inexorable influences of dominant cultural forms through the effects of globalisation. However, at the same time international teaching also requires that curricula are culturally empathic to the needs of students in ethnically diverse regions. This paper explores the author's development of teaching material designed to engage deep learning activities with students from the United Arab Emirates in relation to achieving culturally responsive teaching practice.