Teaching at the Tension Points: The Ethical Challenges of International Experiential Learning

Abstract

This 40-minute presentation will discuss the ethical challenges of international experiential learning programs. It will draw on the authorsââ¬â¢ experiences developing the Indonesian Institute for Social Sciences and Human Rights, a program that brings U.S. and Indonesian students together to work in collaborative partnerships learning about ethnographic methods and their relationship to social justice work. Located in Jogjakarta, Java, Indonesia, the program asks students to consider the epistemologies and ethics of collaborative research methodologies. Moving beyond traditional study abroad practices that position Indonesian students and scholars as sources of local ââ¬Ådataââ¬Â to be extracted for the academic empowerment of their cosmopolitan visiting counterparts, this program opens a valuable space for students to not only question issues of culture and method, but to reflect upon their participation in global regimes of knowledge production. At the same time, by intentionally highlighting the fault lines that mark cultural, national and disciplinary boundaries, the program reliably generates high levels of personal anxiety and community conflict among students, demanding innovative pedagogical strategies for transforming tension into productive learning and dialogue. In this presentation, we will not arrive at a fixed set of ethics for international experiential learning, rather we will explore ethics as a space of ongoing inquiry and engagement. We anticipate that this presentation will be of interest to faculty, staff and students from a range of disciplines who are designing and engaging in international experiential learning programs.