Critical Connections: Forum on Cultural Studies in Asia and Beyond
16 March 2012, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SCHOLAR AND GUEST SPEAKER

Professor Kathleen SUNSHINE                              (Ramapo College of New Jersey)
email: <ksunshine@optonline.net>

"Asian Studies and The Global Classroom"

Preparing students for their lives in the 21st Century requires that their education be enriched by the incorporation of a global perspective across their curricula. Our students today are maturing in a rich, technologically connected world which exposes them to the complexities beyond the borders of their own world. They live in a world where their economy is directly influenced by those of other nations and their environment is impacted by global climate change. The influences upon them are not restricted, for example, to the issues and culture of Thailand; as we know, they are increasingly exposed to all other Asian nations as well as the West. It is our responsibility as educators to prepare our students to operate knowledgeably and thoughtfully in this new “globalism”. As the cultural lines between them and their neighbors blur, students need a disciplined and organized exposure to these cultures in order to prepare them more fully to grasp their differences and similarities. And we as faculty must also receive the development necessary for us to rise to this task.

We cannot wait until these students reach the university to open the doors of their education-   by then it is too late, since they have grown up in an environment far more sophisticated and open than we have.  Therefore, we need to begin our process of internationalization by educating teachers who are already in classrooms, as well as the potential teachers and other professionals who constitute the student bodies of our universities. The internationalization of curriculum therefore needs to include the offerings at elementary and secondary school levels as well as university and professional programs.  A global dimension should be infused into all academic offerings at elementary, middle, and high school levels.  Rigid disciplinary distinctions must become more blurred so that material can be approached thematically and historically, stylistically and geographically. Other media must be explored. Film, for example, offers vivid portraits of life that bring other cultures into the classroom with instant visceral impact. 

As the 21st Century progresses, the need for this increased exposure and understanding will continue to grow and students need to be prepared for the inevitable and dramatic shrinkage of the globe, the cross-fertilization of cultures and the intersection of the financial, environmental, commercial, social, artistic and political worlds. All of our lives are already the products of global influences; we must all be ready to understand them and learn to participate in their interactions.

Obviously the most desirable approach is direct experience in other cultures. This experience builds greater independence, flexibility, and self- confidence in student travelers; for the first time they see themselves as part of a world which exists simultaneously, and yet very differently, from their smaller worlds. International exchange at all levels, from elementary school through graduate school to professional associations must be made more universally available; the impact, as I have seen many times first hand, is instantaneous and irreversible. A student who leaves Thailand for Australia or Manila is fundamentally changed; once a “citizen of the world,” the student never sees anything through the same eyes.
But we are all painfully aware of the perpetual need for funding; such literal international experience doesn’t come cheaply. However, at this moment in the technological revolution, we are blessed with incredible alternatives which still allow the Thai student, for example, to “travel” to Indonesia or Malaysia, not to mention the US or Russia or Europe, without leaving home. Social networks, used effectively, offer accessible doorways to other worlds which can lead to amazing partnerships, of schools, individuals, and teachers, as well as professors and university students.  

Networking facilitates partnerships with schools around the world- from Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Rai, from Delhi to Hangzhou; linguistic and time differences are overcome, and faculty can team-teach with international colleagues with whom they  create courses and materials; their students, although residing in different countries, produce collaborative projects. These collaborations become rich opportunities to share curricular innovations more broadly global, multicultural and interdisciplinary than ever imagined. Students forge friendships regardless of location, visiting regularly via video-conferenced classrooms and Skype.

Needless to say, real international experience for everyone is the ultimate goal -  for faculty, students, professionals; true globalization comes from living globally. Mobility means direct social and intellectual cross-fertilization. We all hope, and money is scarce.  But until we all can be “beamed-up”, we already have amazing tools available- what we need are only the creativity and curiosity to explore their potential!