Arts and Humanities in Higher Education

http://ahh.sagepub.com Student Perceptions of Internationalization of the Curriculum: An Australian case study

Matthew Absalom and Katharine Vadura Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 2006; 5; 317 DOI: 10.1177/1474022206067628 The online version of this article can be found at: http://ahh.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/5/3/317

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A&H
Student Perceptions of Internationalization of the Curriculum
An Australian case study
mat t h e w a b s a l o m
University of Melbourne,Australia

k at h a r i n e va d u ra
University of South Australia
a b s t rac t
One of the recent imperatives in higher education worldwide has been internationalization of the curriculum. The object of this article is to explore student perceptions of internationalization across diverse course offerings within one school of the University of South Australia (UniSA). UniSA is notable in the Australian context as a university which from very early in its development enshrined internationalization among its seven graduate qualities. In this preliminary study, we explore the notions of internationalization of the curriculum as represented in the literature, describing the context for internationalization at UniSA before exploring student perceptions. Our data reveal that on the whole students appear to have a deep and integrated sense of internationalization of the curriculum which at times clashes with a less developed conceptualization dened by their course of study. From our study we are able to begin to dene certain principles which foster internationalization of the curriculum and draw some challenging conclusions about its future in higher education.

keyword s

curriculum, graduate qualities, interculturality, internationalization, student perceptions

Arts & Humanities in Higher Education

Copyright 20 06 , sage publications , London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi ISSN 1474-0222 vol 5 ( 3 ) 317 334 doi: 10.1177/1474022206 067628

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introduction
Internationalization: Conceptions, denitions and approaches I n 1 9 9 7, j a n e k n i g h t noted that it is clear that internationalization means different things to different people, and as a result there is a great diversity of interpretations attributed to the concept . . . this diversity can also lead to confusion and a weakened sense of legitimacy as to its value and benets to higher education (Knight, 1997: 5). A useful survey of the meanings, rationales and implications of internationalization in tertiary institutions is provided by Yang (2002). Broadly speaking, we can identify three trends in conceptions of internationalization: a focus on process/pedagogy, a focus on content, and a focus on the societal aspects of internationalization. Knight is perhaps one of the most prominent proponents of internationalization as pedagogy. Around a decade ago, she proposed a working denition of internationalization as the process of integrating an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of the institution (Knight, 1994 cited in Knight, 1997: 8; emphases added). By 2003, this working denition had become the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, function or delivery of postsecondary education (Knight, 2003: 2; emphases added). This expanded working denition aimed at reecting the breadth of internationalization (for explicit description of the different aspects of this denition see Knight, 2003, 2004). Notably, it invokes the three interrelated notions of international (relationships between and among nations), intercultural (interaction between cultures within countries, communities and institutions the at home aspect of the process) and global (worldwide scope). This perspective attempts to characterize internationalization as both process and pedagogy. In a related, yet qualitatively different, vein Rizvi and Walsh (1998), quoting a report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), provide a content-focused denition relating specically to the notion of international curricula having an international orientation in content, aimed at preparing students for performing (professionally/socially) in an international and multicultural context, and designed for domestic students as well as foreign students (OECD, 1994 cited in Rizvi and Walsh, 1998: 2; emphasis added). A third group of scholars emphasizes the social/societal character of internationalization and sees it as a process akin to globalization and thus tied to a countrys economy. Arguably, a prime motivation for the recent upsurge in internationalization as an institutional imperative is income generation (Eisenchlas and Trevaskes, 2003: 400). The fact that business and communication systems are increasingly globalized provides an impetus for [318]
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Absalom & Vadura: Student Perceptions of Internationalization the internationalization of universities (see Haigh, 2002, for discussion). According to Rizvi and Walsh (1998: 2), there is no doubt that emergent social, economic and cultural conditions have enabled tremendous growth in processes and possibilities of international education. Bates similarly emphasizes the social in his excellent discussion of the notion of global curricula, in which he outlines three chief considerations an internationalized curriculum must take into account. First, the curriculum is innately hegemonic and must seek as a matter of social justice to integrate the subjugated knowledges of people at the margins of our awareness (Bates, 2005: 107). Second, internationalizing the curriculum involves crossing borders both within and across societies and cultures. Third, Bates contends that the pursuit of an internationalized curriculum depends on our commitment to freedom and inclusion which grows out of our recognition of the need to rescue both society and personality from the ravages of the global market (2005: 108). Bates puts forward a strong challenge to us all in his call for an ethical internationalized curriculum:
Only by crossing such boundaries into cultures and subjectivities beyond our experience; only by committing ourselves to the defence of society and personality; only by the redress of exclusion and disadvantage on a global scale can we truly imagine a global curriculum. (Bates, 2005: 8)

Schoormans (2000) denition of internationalization picks up similar strands in its identication of ve facets that characterize internationalization: (a) counterhegemonic, (b) ongoing, (c) comprehensive, (d) multifaceted, and (e) integrated. In some respects this typology complements Knights quadripartite classication of approaches to internationalization. In Knights model, approaches to internationalization are conceptualized in relation to: (i) activity-based approaches, (ii) competency, (iii) culture, and (iv) process. Finally, it is worth noting the point made by Welch and Denman (1997) that, while internationalization is often seen as a late 20th-century phenomenon of largely western university systems, it can actually be traced back to at least the Middle Ages, if not to 5th century Sophist Greek peripatetic teachers, and should therefore not be a new issue for educators or students. Internationalization at UniSA This article reports a study of students perceptions of internationalization of the curriculum within one school at the University of South Australia (UniSA). Leask (2001) characterizes UniSAs approach to internationalization as a process approach . . . which employs a range of organizational and program strategies. The Graduate Qualities framework at UniSA (for [319]
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Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 5 ( 3 ) detailed information see UniSA Graduate Qualities, 2005) supports this process explicitly through Graduate Quality 7, which states that a graduate of the University of South Australia demonstrates international perspectives as a professional and as a citizen (UniSA Graduate Qualities, 2005). According to Leask (2001), the graduate qualities came into effect at UniSA in 1996 (ve years after the Universitys inception on January 1, 1991) following a year of consultation with key stakeholders. The framework is output-focused and student-centred: it very much emphasizes what graduates will achieve in their course of study. In addition, the graduate qualities are used as a framework for curriculum development and evaluation in all undergraduate courses as well as for quality assurance and improvement processes (Leask, 2001). To facilitate the embedding of Graduate Quality 7 into the curriculum, a series of generic indicators have been developed which aim at outlining the general characteristics students who have achieved the quality will exhibit (see Table 1). Notably, these generic indicators describe not only knowledge and skills but also touch upon values and issues relating to intercultural awareness. In developing courses, teaching faculty at UniSA are required to weight each of the seven graduate qualities. Leask (2001) explains that
[a] subject which gives any weighting at all to Graduate Quality 7, must be able to demonstrate how it develops international perspectives in all students and thus it focuses attention on both Australian and International students . . . the focus of internationalization is moved from international students to all students.

This approach has clear parallels with the international curricula described in the OECD report discussed by Rizvi and Walsh (1998), as noted earlier.

t h e u nisa stu dy
At the time of the study, both authors were faculty members of the School of International Studies at UniSA. This school combines a diverse discipline mix, including International Relations, Languages (French, Italian and Japanese), Childrens Literature and Sociology. We decided to adopt a wholeschool approach and survey students from at least one subject in each of these disciplines. The subjects chosen, which were offered in Semester 2, 2003, are listed in Table 2. We have adopted a labelling system for quotations from students, which involves an abbreviation of the name of the subject plus the numerical number of the relevant response. Abbreviations are included in brackets after each subject name.

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ta b l e 1 Graduate Quality 7 generic indicators (from Leask, 2001) A graduate who demonstrates international perspectives as a professional and a citizen will. . . 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 display an ability to think globally and consider issues from a variety of perspectives demonstrate an awareness of their own culture and its perspectives and other cultures and their perspectives appreciate the relation between their eld of study locally and professional traditions elsewhere recognize intercultural issues relevant to their professional practice appreciate the importance of multicultural diversity to professional practice and citizenship appreciate the complex and interacting factors that contribute to notions of culture and cultural relationships value diversity of language and culture appreciate and demonstrate the capacity to apply international standards and practices within the discipline or professional area demonstrate awareness of the implications of local decisions and actions for international communities and of international decisions and actions for local communities.

ta b l e 2 Discipline

Disciplines and subjects represented in the UniSA study Subject Number of responses 3 2 3 1 1 6 6 2 4 Percentage of class 8% 5% 12% 3% 4% 13% 29% 7% 31%

Childrens Literature Sociology International Relations Languages

Literature and the Media (L&M) Ideas and Information in the Risk Society (Ideas) International Risk (IR) Italian 2B (It2B) Italian 3B (It3B) French 2B (Fre2B) French 3B (Fre3B) Japanese 2B ( Jap2B) Japanese 3B ( Jap3B)

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Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 5 ( 3 ) Research method data c o l l e c t i o n In order to explore students experiences of internationalization of the curriculum we designed a brief open-ended questionnaire using UniSAs online questionnaire tool TellUs2 (2001). The three questions included were identical for each subject: 1. Graduate Quality 7 states A graduate of the University of South Australia demonstrates international perspectives as a professional and as a citizen. For you, is developing an international perspective important? Why? 2. Please describe any experiences during [subject] which have helped you to develop Graduate Quality 7. 3. Do you have any suggestions which could assist students to develop Graduate Quality 7? These three questions provided us with a means of accessing students views of internationalization, the types of curriculum activity experienced and those that were successful. It is worth noting that UniSA students are asked at the end of each semester (as part of UniSAs course evaluation instrument, www.unisanet) to evaluate teaching with reference to the graduate qualities. In some respects, therefore, our question 1 does not seem as esoteric as it might on rst reading. Participants completed the questionnaire online and their responses were automatically archived for easy retrieval. s e l e c t i o n o f s u b j e c t s a n d pa r t i c i pa n t s We deliberately excluded rst-year subjects from those chosen to participate in the online questionnaire to avoid issues relating to the rst-year experience. After selecting at least one subject from each of the disciplines in the School, we secured the agreement of relevant faculty for the study.We distributed the invitation to participate to the entire class list and students were free to respond: that is, respondents self-selected for participation. The questionnaire was entirely anonymous. Response rates varied from 3 per cent to 31 per cent per subject. The major limitation of this small, initial study is clearly the size of the sample and the response rate to our questionnaire. Nevertheless, we feel that this is an important area of research, which has received little attention thus far in the relevant academic literature. data a na ly s i s As these data were qualitative, we adopted a thematic analysis approach. Ezzy notes:
Thematic analysis aims to identify themes within the data. Thematic analysis is more inductive than [other methods] because the categories into which the themes will be

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Absalom & Vadura: Student Perceptions of Internationalization

sorted are not decided prior to coding the data. These categories are induced from the data. While the general issues that are of interest are determined prior to the analysis, the specic nature of the categories and themes to be explored are not predetermined. This means that this form of research may take the researcher into issues and problems he or she has not anticipated. (Ezzy, 2002: 88)

Specically, each author examined the written responses and grouped them according to themes that emerged. This was done twice individually. Together, we then re-examined the data and our themes to arrive at a nal grouping. This allowed for the data to be grouped and differentiated, as categories [were] identied and various pieces of data [were] grouped together (Ezzy 2002: 90). Thematic analysis and discussion Here, we discuss the responses to questions 1 and 2. In both cases we outline the major common themes which emerged from the data. What the responses reveal is that students display a deep and integrated notion of internationalization which begins to disintegrate when we explore their experience of the curriculum. s t u d e n t s p e r c e p t i o n s o f i n t e r nat i o na l i z at i o n Our analysis of students responses to question 1 reveals a ne-grained multifaceted appreciation of what it is to possess an international perspective. We can understand this position by referring to the concepts of: Scope; Focus; Skills; Process; and Applications. Importantly, students see an international perspective as having an inherently transformative nature. Scope. Scope refers to the range of inuence of international perspectives on students experience of the curriculum; basically, whether international perspectives inform only experiences within the country of origin (i.e. here, Australia), only experiences outside the country (i.e. there, international perspectives, in other words, international activities), or present a more integrated view where the scope of internationalization is located within the individual and not tied to a notion of place (see Table 3). Many students seem to perceive internationalization in this latter integrated sense, although we can identify examples of the two extremes of the scope continuum (here versus there). Focus. International perspectives can be a feature of ones work environment and/or of ones broader experience of life. As the sample responses in Table 4 indicate, developing international perspectives was purely related to a vocational need for some students, while others could clearly see their application in a wider sphere of experience. [323]
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ta b l e 3 Students perceptions of the scope of international perspectives. (Quotations are reproduced as they were written.) Here . . . Im studying to be a teacher . . . Students also need to learn about the different international perspectives especially in a multicultural country such as Australia, which I can now teach having developed an international perspective myself ( Jap3B1) It allows me to understand the backgrounds that many of the people here in australia have also their religous and cultural beliefs (Fre2B4) There This quality is important because many of us will be working overseas in the future (L&M1) . . . maybe one day I will work for Japanese company ( Jap2B2) If a student does not travel and study overseas they should not be able to say theyve gained international prspectives for the simple reason that they havent! (Fre3B13) Here and there . . . we are increasingly a multicultural country and also international travel frequents in many lives (Ideas1) . . . No aspect of life is not totally void of some kind of international infulence. Products, technology and knowledge now crosses borders with ease and had linked all countries together (Fre3B3)

Skills and process. Students view internationalization as a process which integrates knowledge (the abstract) and skills (the concrete). As one student notes, it is important to prepare . . . for success in a global community and this can only be achieved through the inclusion of international perspectives embedded within the curriculum (L&M2). This illustrates the key relationship between knowledge and skills: the notion of preparation implies the acquisition of skills for success while the inclusion of international perspectives makes reference to the type of knowledge required to succeed in a global community. Many students describe explicitly the development of international perspectives as a process involving the development of skills. These skills relate to two processes: knowing and acting. Students comments reveal more specically the types of knowing and acting that they perceive to be relevant. It is clear from their responses that their view of internationalizing the curriculum is underpinned by an ethical stance along the lines outlined by Bates (2005). One student explicitly invokes the notion of the [324]
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ta b l e 4 Students perceptions of the focus of international perspectives. (Quotations are reproduced as they were written.) Work-related . . . international perspectives are important because of the area of vocation I wish to pursue upon graduation (Fre2B2) . . . the wider range of skills and perspectives I have the more I can bring to my career (L&M3) Not work-related It is important because we should be aware of situtations globally so we can therefore have our own individual international perspective (It2B1) We live in a global community, what happens arojund the world aeefects us (Ideas2) Work and life Developing an international perspective is important because it opens our eyes to the world. I am studying journalism because of my interest in international relations and feel that an international perspective is essential for journalists (IR3) I feel it will be relevant to my future employment . . . It is also important because as the world become increasingly globalised and the movement of people from many different cultures come together I feel it is important to become less ethnocentric. One way of achieving this is to learn about other cultures and to interact with them (Fre3B5)

hegemonic imposition of curriculum when s/he states that the role of developing and developed nations is shifting (Fre3B3). The terms in bold in Table 5 illustrate students perception of international perspectives as rmly rooted in a context of open mutual interaction. Applications and transformation. Students articulate the need for international perspectives both locally and internationally. One student comments even if people chose to stay in Australia, an international perspective might help foster senses of tolerance, savvy (the good kind!) and impredjudice (Fre2B1). Another explicitly states that Developing an international perspective is important as it encourages individuals to think creatively with a global perspective, in order to grow as a country (Fre3B6). The local effects of international engagement on both individual and society are clear in this students conceptualization. Both quotations clearly demonstrate the transformative nature of the internationalizing curriculum and its potential benets.

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ta b l e 5 Students perceptions of skills which ow from international perspectives. (Quotations are reproduced as they were written.) Knowing Mutual understanding can only be found throught knowledge and thus an international perspective (Fre3B3) . . . an understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures around the world ( Jap2B1) . . . an international perspective is important because it opens our eyes to the world (IR3) It is important to understand the world not only from your perspective but the perspective of others (Fre2B3) Acting . . . having an international perspective helps in the interaction between individuals and groups/teams (Fre3B5) Developing an international perspective is important as it encourages individuals to think creatively with a global perspective (Fre3B6) . . . they may have different ideas of how to act in the classroom, towards the teacher and towards other students ( Jap3B1) . . . an international perspective might help foster senses of tolerance (Fre2B1) . . . global perspective is pushing towards more cooperation and less intimidation and conict (Fre3B3)

A dynamic model of students perceptions of the importance of international perspectives From the foregoing analysis and discussion we have developed a dynamic model of students perceptions of the importance of international perspectives which attempts to illustrate the complex relationships between scope, focus, skills and process and applications (Figure 1). The Venn diagrams for focus and process represent the holistic views held by some students. Similarly, the scope continuum is overarching and illustrates the possibility that internationalization can happen both at home and elsewhere. Students perceptions of internationalization as represented in the curriculum As foreshadowed earlier, differences between students perceptions of the importance of international perspectives and the representation of such [326]
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Absalom & Vadura: Student Perceptions of Internationalization

figure 1 Dynamic model of students perceptions of the importance of international perspectives.
SCOPE

here

there

FO CUS

work

life

APPLICATIO NS SKILLS

local . . . international individual . . . mutual

PROCESS

knowledge

interaction

knowing understanding coping awareness

acting

transformation

perspectives through the curriculum are marked. Descriptions of the types of experience which helped the students to develop Graduate Quality 7 during their study of the subjects in question reveal a conceptualization of internationalization which is qualitatively different from students own perceptions. An analysis of students commentary nevertheless reveals some thematic similarities. The concepts of scope, focus, skills and process are again relevant, while the notion of applications and also the transformative quality of international perspectives do not feature. Scope. In the context of curriculum-based activities, the only scope for international perspectives is there. In this conceptualization internationalization relates exclusively to elsewhere, as the quotations in Table 6 reveal. Unlike what we saw before, there are very few references in the students responses to question 2 to the dynamic interplay of the local and the global. [327]
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ta b l e 6 There Students perceptions of the scope of curriculum-based experiences In this course we focused on many overseas theorists (Ideas2) The indepth study of companies operating in overseas countries enable me to gain an international perspective (IR3) . . . speaking to native speakers who are currently residing in Italy (It3B1) . . . offering us the chance to receive a 12 month scholarship to study in Japan ( Jap2B1) Through the course we learned about their education, expectations, heritage and even their humor (Fre3B3)

ta b l e 7 Students perceptions of the focus of curriculum experiences. (Quotations are reproduced as they were written.) Task-based focus The intercultural project was an excellent experience in terms of assisting with the development of graduate quality 7 (Fre3B1) We were required to interview a native Japanese speaker ( Jap3B1) For one assignment we had to interview a Franco-australian (Fre3B3)

Focus. When asked to describe experiences which have helped them develop an international perspective during their course, many students turn immediately to discussion of tasks. This is not wholly unexpected, but it is interesting to note that we lose the much broader focus students invoked when describing in abstract terms (as in Table 4) the importance of developing such a perspective. A small number of students, however, do demonstrate an integrating view which seems to depend strongly on the context of study:
As I have been completing French 3B whilst studying in France I have had the experience of interacting with many differing cultures, with French the most dominant. I have studied with students from Russia, Germany, England, China, Japan, Holland, Egypt, and many others including of course French. By completing the French 3B assignments I have been able to understand and appreciate different ways of accomplishing things and also different ways that life exists for others. (Fre3B5)

It would appear that the experience of interacting has allowed this student to overcome the limitations of a purely task-based approach to internationalizing curricula. [328]
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ta b l e 8 Knowing Students perceptions of skills which ow from curriculum-based experiences I developed an understanding . . . (L&M2) . . . it combined knowledge from international business and international studies (IR2) . . . we are continuously learning about what is going on in Italy (It2B1) Our lecturer was constantly telling us about the culture and customs of France (Fre2B1) . . . Listening to our French lecturer talk about life in France (Fre2B2) By completing the French 3B assignments I have been able to understand and appreciate different ways of accomplishing things and also different ways that life exists for others (Fre3B5) Acting . . . class discussions . . . (L&M1) We discussed many ideas and events that occur globally (Ideas1) Using the chat program c6 and speaking to native speakers who are currently residing in Italy (It3B1) . . . I have had the experience of interacting with many different cultures (Fre3B5) Knowing and acting Learning about Japanese culture so I can interact with Japanese people and not offend them.

Skills and process. Notably, in relation to experiences that assist the development of international perspectives, students outline the same types of skill as before relating to processes of acting and knowing (Table 8). In many cases, the development of appropriate knowledge comes from comparative approaches, as these students attest: we learnt about the cultural aspects of France, and how this differs from the Australian mentality (Fre3B6); we also learnt a lot about the culture of Japan and the way Japanese people do things similarly and differently from other countries (Australia) ( Jap3B1). Applications and transformation? From the students responses we can argue that their experience of internationalized curricula involves a fairly narrow focus on transmission of knowledge mainly about overseas contexts. The interdependence of life and work is broken down through a tight focus on the task. No mention is made of the local versus international dimensions we [329]
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f i g u r e 2 Dynamic model of students perceptions of curriculum experiences which promote international perspectives.
SCOPE

there

there

FO CUS

task

SKILLS

PROCESS

knowledge

interaction

Curriculum: lectur ing/ projects/culture/ communication Opportunities: discussion/ exchange

Gaining understanding Lear ning Combining knowledge Communication/interaction (language students) Perspectives

saw earlier. While in a few cases the students outline activities that have a collateral effect on their development as individuals, it is clear that the curriculum activities are directed mainly at the study context. The notion of international perspectives as a transformative force is lost, as is the ethical stance that students feel should underpin international perspectives. A dynamic model of curriculum experiences which promote an international perspective We have again designed a model, Figure 2, to represent the perceptions conveyed by the curriculum. Comparing it with Figure 1, we can say that in [330]
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Absalom & Vadura: Student Perceptions of Internationalization this model students perceptions of internationalization through the curriculum are not as complex, interrelated or multifaceted. As noted, the interplay between life and work is replaced by a task-based focus. What does stand out, however, is the similarity between the types of process which promote international perspectives. Principles for embedding international perspectives One aspect of internationalization as described by Knight (2003, 2004) is the intercultural dimension. Cultivating an intercultural approach to communication in students is not a clear-cut task, however. Shi-xu notes that current intercultural communication is itself part of the globalized competition, mass human migration, unending local conict and hostility, where social injustice and alienation are the order of the day. To continue then to bank exclusively on knowledge and skills about exotic language and cultures is to collude with the existing order (Shi-xu, 2001: 280). This position clearly recapitulates the experiences of students in our sample. The upshot of it is that because intercultural communication is a far more complex, and contested eld, pedagogy must adopt a radically different kind of discourse about it (Shi-xu, 2001: 280). In a similar vein, Marginson notes that [t]here is much talk about cultural exchange and the internationalizing of the curriculum, but few Australian students travel abroad, and though on some campuses more than a third of students are from families where English is not the main language spoken, there is little evidence of profound curriculum change (Marginson, 2002: 424). What both authors highlight is the need for a shift in pedagogy if internationalization is truly to become effective in the curriculum in Australian universities. A possible starting point for such a shift is to explore students reections on successful curriculum activities. It is no accident, in our view, that the analysis of both questions 1 and 2 of our questionnaire featured the processes of developing a body of useful knowledge (knowing) and applying the knowledge through interaction (acting). This knowing and acting must be supported by an ethical position that challenges the hegemony implicit in the development of curriculum. Furthermore, the knowing and acting of the curriculum must reach outside the narrow focus of the classroom and make itself relevant to life in a broader sense. In response to a call for ideas about how to help students develop international perspectives (question 3 in our questionnaire), students in our sample made the suggestions presented in Table 9, again relating to the two processes of knowing and acting.

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ta b l e 9 Students suggestions for activities that promote international perspectives. (Quotations are reproduced as they were written.) Knowing A comparison of the same item across different cultures, eg Harry Potter Australia and for example China (L&M2) The class could focus more on perceptions of certain shows/books in the U.S. verses Oz or other countries and the differences in what is considered for children (L&M3) It would be advantageous to have more subjects offered with a broader view (IR2) Acting More interaction with native speakers of Italian who are currently residing in Italy . . . also possibly having more interaction with the Italian community in adelaide (It3B1) Maybe a bit more contact with native French people (Fre2B1) Knowing and acting Indepth understanding of a culture can only be gained by participating in it (Fre3B3)

c o n c lu s i o n
From this preliminary study there is one startling conclusion to be drawn: students bring an integrating, complex view of internationalization to their study which clashes with the disintegrating, more simplistic view transmitted by the task-based orientation of the curriculum. That students need to point to comparative tasks, arguably fundamental, as a way of developing international perspectives underscores the degree to which pedagogical approaches to embedding international perspectives in the curriculum need to be reassessed. Simply adding international content is not enough. This is particularly the case with todays undergraduates who are attuned to a globally interdependent environment in ways that perhaps older faculty members are not. As one of our respondents so eloquently puts it:
To develop an international perspective one needs to interact with other cultures. But in this interaction one needs not only to complete assignments etc. but also simply to listen with an open mind. The hardest part about developing an international perspective is letting go of the belief that your way is the only way. This is difcult because all our lives we are taught to conform to certain rules. Rules from the home through to school and then the workplace. For someone to do or act differently is breaking those rules, in our minds. It takes all types of people to keep the world spinning and the more we understand of differing cultures the clearer things seem to be. (Fre3B5)

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ac k n ow l e d g e m e n t s
This study was supported by a University of South Australia DEASS teaching and learning grant in 2003/4. Special thanks must go to our two anonymous reviewers whose comments were incisive and enthusiastic. We cannot forget the tireless efforts of this journals editors either. The usual caveats, of course, apply.

re fe re nce s
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Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 5 ( 3 )

b i o g ra p h i ca l n o t e s
mat t h e w ab sa lo m lectures in Italian in the Department of French, Italian and Spanish Studies at The University of Melbourne. His research interests span Italian phonology, issues in the learning and teaching of languages in higher education and internationalization of the curriculum. Recent publications have discussed the phenomenon of Italian raddoppiamento sintattico and its relationship to phonological theory, and the use of email in the learning and teaching of languages in higher education. In 2004, he edited a Special Edition of Arts and Humanities in Higher Education dedicated to the place of languages in higher education. Address: Department of French, Italian and Spanish Studies, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia. [email: mabsalom@unimelb.edu.au] k at h a r i n e va d u ra is a lecturer in International Studies in the School of International Studies at the University of South Australia where she teaches in the undergraduate, honours and postgraduate programmes. Her regional area of specialization is Europe, with a particular interest in eastern Europe and the European Union. Her research interests include transnational identities and related dimensions of human rights and human security. Recent publications have been in the area of minorities in Europe and challenges to European identity. Address: School of International Studies, University of South Australia, St Bernards Road, Magill SA 5152. [email: katharine.vadura@unisa.edu.au]

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