U.S. Social Justice Spaces and Global Justice: Integrating International Students for the Engagement of All

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the extent to which international students integrate when they encounter social justice discussions inside or outside a U.S. class environment. Focusing on diversity courses at a west coast university, the study investigates international students’ learning experiences as well as their contributions to these U.S. educational spaces when drawing from their perspectives and experiences from communities around the world. Because international students are both agents and objects of bias, the study hypothesizes that more integration leads to more engagement and better outcomes for both international and domestic participants. By interviewing and surveying students from varied national and social backgrounds, the study seeks to understand outcomes for a diverse group of both international and domestic students.  The study’s findings will advance policy, pedagogy, and practice conversations around internationalization, social justice education, and global citizenship education at institutions of higher education in the U.S.