Creating Universities for a Multiethnic and Multicultural World: A Utopia?

Abstract

The main challenge facing internationalsation of higher education is retaining roots in a cultural setting while being open to new influences. Internationalsation affects every aspect of university life. An initial issue this raises is language. Universities must decide in which languages to teach and which languages will be offered, decisions that raise questions regarding graduation requirements. It would seem a logical step to require all students to study a foreign language. Introducing language requirements into the curriculum necessitates considerable and probably continual revision of study and degree programmes. However, to meet their challenges and realise their opportunities, universities will no longer be able to go it alone. Apart from staff and student mobility, distance education, and other forms of delivery, universities will need to work together. The next decade will therefore see much close cooperation in networks, both general and disciplinary. Further development of joint study and research programmes will also characterise the period.The search for funding, the competition for students and for academics, the restructuring of programmes to increase transparency and harmonisation, the language of tuition-the list is virtually unlimited-are among the challenges and opportunities that universities in the 21st century are having to face both nationally and internationally. Moreover, at the international level, there is the added complication of the potential clash between domestic and international students for places on attractive programmes. At the same time, universities are eager to increase their student numbers as a means of increasing their funding. This often results in the dilemma of quality versus numbers, not that these two are by any means mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, there are not infrequent examples of institutions that have been inclined to sacrifice quality for numbers. To some extent, many of these issues can be gathered under the general heading of tradition and renewal, with the older universities perhaps tending toward tradition and the newer ones looking for new at UNIV PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND on February 4, 2015 jsi.sagepub.com Downloaded from

Why do christian churches, and not universities, facilitate intercultural engagement for Chinese international students?

“…Within higher education sector, service providers emphasise service quality because of its strategic role in enhancing competitiveness, attracting new students and retaining existing students (Sultan & Wong, 2010). Apart from the professional knowledge that is required in major courses, the research suggested that the nurturing of international ability must be included in international education (Cooper, 2007;Yershova, DeJaeghere, & Mestenhauser, 2000), sa the Chinese students' needs to develop cross-cultural skills and competence. This paper does not imply that universities make no effort in regards to this aspect.…”

Ecos do tempo. A mobilidade de investigadores e estudantes brasileiros em Portugal

“…A mobilidade coloca uma questão fundamental, tal como proposta por Tedesco (1999), isto é, saber como articular, em contexto globalizado, as identidades nacionais com a abertura e o diálogo intercultural. Do ponto de vista da integração social, vários podem ser os factores a terem contribuído para transformar Portugal num destino atrativo para os brasileiros, mas, tal como vem sendo evidenciado noutros estudos (Cooper, 2007), a existência de uma língua comum e também a existência de caraterísticas culturais (que despertam a curiosidade ou reforçam a pertença) apresentam-se como facilitadoras http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/15174522-016003712 da integração social. Em relação ao grupo inquirido, tal como afirmámos, a língua e, muito notoriamente, a posse da história que liga os dois países formam o primeiro plano do código comunicativo de base, demonstrável no discurso e nas representações sobre a integração em Portugal.…”

The role of language in processes of internationalization: Considering linguistic heterogeneity and voices from within and out in two diverse contexts in Ontario

“…Because Emma has no discernable French accent in her English and she has an Anglophone name, her professor rejects the possibility that language interference may be impacting her understanding of the subject matter. However, Emma has only studied in French prior to attending an English medium university and, as Cooper (2007) notes, "it is very much through language that understanding is achieved" (p. 529).…”

“…Their experiences of being excluded from the new Francophone communities, of not being recognized as legitimate speakers of French or bilinguals, shed important light on the institutional practices and policies that immigrant, refugee and foreign students may experience when they choose to study at these institutions. Cooper (2007) argues that the challenges and opportunities in the internationalization of higher institutions lie in institutions increasing their flexibility and restructuring their study programmes not just to meet the "needs" of the students but also create attitudes and insights among them that will lead them to see the world from a multitude of perspectives (p. 525).…”

“…In light of Cooper's (2007) call that internationalization of universities be interpreted in such a way "that at both a theoretical, philosophical level and a concrete one, higher education institutions should ensure that their educational programmes and research are genuinely multicultural" [and that] "it is essential to raise linguistic awareness among students" [as] "it is very much through language that understanding is achieved"(pp. 523, 529), the results of Lamoureux's (2007) small scale critical reflexive ethnography 5 casts light on important questions around the role and treatment of language in our postsecondary institutions as they push for increased internationalization from within and out.…”