ICIS Newsletter - September 2020 (Plain Text Version)
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LEADERSHIP UPDATES LETTER FROM THE CO-CHAIR Amy Alice Chastain, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
ICIS Community, On many of our campuses and within our communities, student populations spend a great amount of time interacting with others who identify similarly in “home” culture and native language. This limited diversity extends beyond social groups to study groups and other academic peer interactions, as well. It is incumbent upon us, in the field of intercultural communication, to provide a foundation of openness that fosters empathy and understanding among groups of any background, even those who have never met, perhaps even in their own classrooms. This interaction and dialogue are critical to the success of our student populations regardless of the identities they hold. And now more than ever, providing the scaffolding for students to feel empowered to explore their own identities, their interculturality, and the intersections within which they move (Kim, 2015) sets the stage for ultimately crossing those boundaries to actively engage with others, intentionally listen to first-person accounts and experiences of diversity, and increase engagement with their world—wherever they find themselves now or in the future. Within this ideal reality, greater creativity and academic and professional success can be realized for all of us. It is incumbent upon interculturalists—all of us, whether we label ourselves as such or not—to facilitate this through our teaching as well as our learning. We must all reflect thoughtfully on our own positionality within our communities, our institutions, our field, our world and seek out and contribute tools to enrich this process for our professional learning communities within and beyond TESOL. How will we be defined by the growing pains we are currently experiencing in hopes of bringing equity to all—our colleagues, our students, our families, our friends, our neighbors? I encourage you to engage with us in this critical inquiry and dialogue. ICIS is hosting a number of webinars and coffee hour conversations in an effort to achieve greater community and collaboration around the issues we are collectively passionate about. Will you join us? Your voice is valued and needed here. You will also find another phenomenal way to actively join this dynamic professional exchange in the article introducing you to HubICL (pronounced /hʌ:bɪkl/). The ICIS leadership team is excited to explore the many ways we can broaden our depth and scope of knowledge and exchange through this “gift to the world” from Purdue’s Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research. Join us on the journey! Community is at the heart of ICIS and all that we do. You are an integral part of that community. Connect with us as you are able and comfortable: ICIS Recent Webinars
Amy Alice Chastain, Co-Chair 2020–21 Reference Kim, Y. (2015). Finding a “home” beyond culture: The emergence of intercultural personhood in the globalizing world. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 46, 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.018 |
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