The Covid-19 pandemic has put studying abroad on pause. But this pause is giving the entire industry a chance to reimagine and improve itself, so that as soon as travel is safe, students can be off again . . . more students, from more backgrounds, on more engaging and enlightening adventures than ever before.
Here are some good reads from around the globe that have caught our attention during the month of July.
Dr. Frieda Ekotto, Lorna Goodison Colegiate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, Francophone Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan, explores the interplay of race and fear . . . how fear of the dark becomes fear of dark-skinned people, which then creates an environment where Black Americans must live in fear. For Frieda, a long-term staff member at Concordia Language Villages, the twice-annual International Day event provides a taste of what a world without these fears could be.
Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither, Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Guilford College, discusses how language teaching has not been, but can and should be, at the forefront of anti-racism education. Dr. Hines-Gaither will offer a workshop on Anti-Racism in the World Language Classroom for Concordia Language Villages program staff on July 21.
For over 40 years, young adults from all over the world have brought their cultures, languages, stories, and personalities to Concordia Language Villages through the J-1 exchange visa program. Now this program is at risk of cancellation. Dr. Eric Eliason discusses why this program is so vital and what we can do together to #SaveJ1.
