Internationalizing Curriculum: A New Kind of Education? Vaino-Mattila, 2009

Discussion Question #1: After reading Grabove’s article, what is your current conceptualization of “internationalization of the curriculum”?

Introduction to the Author Dr. Arjo Vainio-Mattila is currently the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Huron University in London, Ontario. Arja Vainio-Mattila took the long way to arrive at Huron University College. Born in Finland, educated in England, and having lived in Tanzania, Nepal, Sweden and Italy, Vainio-Mattila speaks four languages and knows a smattering of a few others. After stints on the west coast and at Brock University in St. Catharines, Vainio-Mattila came to Huron in 1998. "I knew nothing about Huron so I coloured my hair purple for the interview to see what they would say!" she says. "I wanted to make sure that I would really fit in here and I have. It's a very comfortable place to be." Vainio-Mattila has seen some of her students go on to international careers with NGOs and governments, and some to graduate studies in international development, film studies, and law. "They end up in careers that are defined by global experiences," she says. "The students are very engaged." Vainio-Mattila appreciates the way Huron's administration embraces new ideas. Such forward thinking allowed her to initiate a new course called Think Global, Act Local that connects students with local organizations working on global issues. She says the course reflects a fundamental Huron philosophy. "At Huron we have a saying: You get a small window into the big world. This isn't trite. At Huron you can get noticed.“ Tanzania Project The project is about figuring out how the University of Dar Es Salaam can open up in such a way that it will strengthen the capacity of the civil society organizations in Tanzania to participate in debates on poverty reduction. The idea is that the university produces a lot of knowledge and information - how can it be presented in such a format that civil society actors can access it and use it to make their arguments? The Tanzania project is also about how the university works to prepare people to work with this information in society. We are developing some pilot sites in rural areas to model how information can be transferred from the capital city and the university into areas of Tanzania with weak physical infrastructures. We are also developing a Masters degree in civil society studies at the university.

Relationship to Internationalization Vanio-Mattila (2009) gives a case example of what “internationalizing the curriculum” looks like at Huron University. Place: What is in a name?

Background on “internationalizing the curriculum” Huron University had a department referred to as the Centre for International Studies that was established in 2000.

Local Initiative at Huron University The “Think Global, Act Local” (TGAL) initiative was launched in the 2001/2002 academic year and enabled students to learn about international curriculum in the local context (London, Ontario).

Discussion Question #2 What has “internationalization of the curriculum” looked like at other institutions you have studied at outside of Canada? For instance, is it just at the surface level or were there initiatives in the local context that enabled students to learn about global issues directly?

How is internationalizing the curriculum viewed in higher education in Canada today?

Why is it important for internationalizing curriculum to become more connected to pedagogical debates?

Discussion Question #3 How has your conceptualization of “internationalization of curriculum” changed after this presentation? For example, what are the differences between the drivers for internationalization of the curriculum at Niagara College and at Huron University?