Intercultural Learning: A 2020 Perspective

The year 2020 has been challenging on many levels. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, tensions around racial injustice in the United States and across the world, and a tense political climate and hotly contested U.S. presidential election has affected every corner of international education.

Among the short-term effects of the pandemic have been the sudden uprooting of students who were studying abroad in February and March 2020, unexpected layoffs and furloughs of staff, and the cancellation of travel and revamping of conferences. While many international students have remained abroad, others faced numerous obstacles in returning to their home countries. Most are dealing with additional challenges in taking classes while living at home, far from the connections and networks they had developed at their host institutions. Collectively, these dramatic changes created economic and emotional difficulties for students, as well as for many who work to promote international education and global understanding.

The effects of these events pose numerous hurdles for the work of intercultural learning. Limited international travel prevented many students from studying abroad in person, thereby reducing interactions with host-country individuals. And yet, this time has created opportunities for learning across cultural gaps and developing empathy for others. It has been touching to witness examples of individuals spontaneously cheering for front-line workers, particularly doctors and nurses, and thanking them for their heroic efforts to care for those sick with COVID-19.

As we look toward the future, it is important to ask some questions: What changes that have taken place this