Upcoming workshops to help faculty internationalize their curricula

Western Washington University is engaged in multiple efforts to define and coordinate the university's commitment to internationalization. One key element of this commitment is the provision of support for the internationalization of courses taught at Western.

As part of this engagement at WWU, the Provost's Office and the Center for International Studies are supporting a series of three faculty workshops to be conducted in 2014-2015 academic year.

The fall workshop will focus on the many ways in which internationalizing the curriculum is being defined and disseminated within disciplines and in interdisciplinary studies in higher education in the U.S. and around the world. Particular focus will be given to how WWU faculty define internationalizing the curriculum.

This workshop will be partially facilitated by an expert in the field—Hilary Kahn, director of the Center for the Study of Global Change at Indiana University. This workshop will be conducted twice to accommodate faculty schedules:

• 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in Viking Union Room 462
• 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Viking Union Room 462

All faculty are welcome to attend one of these two sessions. RSVP at cis@wwu.edu for special accommodations or for more information.

Because the approach for the winter and spring workshops will be hands-on, participation will be limited. Western faculty (tenure-line and senior instructors) are invited to apply for these two follow-up workshops. Participants will be selected based upon the following criteria:

• A diverse representation of faculty members across different ranks and different colleges with different levels of experience with course internationalization.
• The relevance of the motivation statement to the workshop goals and a demonstrated commitment to implementation and dissemination of the workshops’ outcomes.

The application process will open at the end of October. Application deadline (for both workshops) is Monday, Dec. 1. Information regarding application for these workshops will be provided at the fall workshop.

Participating faculty will earn a modest stipend for their participation in the winter and spring workshops and will be required to report the results of their participation to their department colleagues.

The winter workshop will use a hands-on approach to assist faculty in internationalizing one of the courses that they plan to teach in 2015-2016, building on the fall workshop's definitions of internationalization. 

The spring workshop will use the syllabus created by participants in the winter workshop as a stepping stone for discussing how programs and disciplines can be further infused with international content, approaches, resources, and perspectives.

Note: Fifteen to twenty faculty will be selected to participate in these two workshops and will earn a $1,000 stipend to be paid in two installments. The first half will be paid on 10 Feb 2015. The second half will be paid on June 25, 2015. Faculty must attend both workshops and must complete assignments.  Failure to do so will result in the forfeiting of the second half of the stipend.