School of Liberal Arts
Courses: Ethnic Identity; Anthropology of Tourism
Curriculum Internationalization Effort:
From Audrey Ricke:
"Intercultural engagement is a core component of cultural anthropology. While students do not necessarily need to leave their city or classroom for such engagement, virtual exchange offers them an opportunity to put into action within a different context the various concepts and methods they are learning. As a form of curriculum internationalization, I developed 3 and 4 week-long virtual exchange projects in collaboration with university professors in the United Kingdom for my Ethnic Identity and Anthropology of Tourism courses.
For each class, students from both countries met jointly in live Zoom meetings to discuss a series of questions and continued the conversations via postings on the social networking platform, CourseNetworking. Each week’s discussions built on one another and helped students identify key differences and similarities across both nation-states related to specific topics, such as tourism development and identity construction and politics. For example, in the Ethnic Identity course, the virtual exchange and accompanying fieldwork and analysis assignments enabled students to more deeply carry out the course learning objectives of analyzing ethnic and national identity construction by co-developing with their UK partners knowledge about contemporary issues unfolding in each country that, when combined with library research and the application of course theories, led to a greater understanding of national identity negotiation and politics.
As students reach the course learning objectives with the help of the virtual exchange, they also meet several of IUPUI’s Dimensions of Global Learning, including engaging in productive and respectful intercultural communication, illustrating an understanding of another country’s cultural and geopolitical processes, and practicing reflection as it relates to their own beliefs and assumptions."
Benefit to the Students
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“Having the opportunity to talk with individuals from places other than our own helped me understand, respect, and relate to others by learning and connecting with the backgrounds and lives of the people I engaged with, even if we share the same language. Especially during times of great change and adaptivity, the need for a global connection was wonderful and wanted.”
Cory, Undergraduate StudentDuring the virtual exchange projects, students develop skills in leading discussions in intercultural contexts, which involves interviewing and active-listening, synthesizing different forms of data, and applying theory to analyze their data. Such communication and analysis skills are invaluable to students’ future success across disciplines, and the first-hand experiences in digital ethnography are especially important for many of our majors.
Benefit to the Faculty Member “Virtual exchanges and the resulting internationalization of the curriculum facilitate productive crossing of borders at many different levels, from disciplinary to cultural to pedagogical. Such crossing of borders helps foster holistic and intercultural perspectives that are key for finding solutions to global challenges.” - Dr. Audrey RickeCurriculum Internationalization at IUPUI
"Through the internationalization of my courses, I have been able to develop working relationships with scholars in the United Kingdom. These working relationships in turn have fostered pedagogical creativity in course activities and design."
