Abstract

More and more universities are internationalizing their campuses with one of their intents articulated as diversifying the student body to produce graduates who will have mutual understanding and respect for different cultures and who can live and work in a global environment. This paper explores the notion that a diverse student body on a university campus does not necessarily translate into the building of a global community. Discussions focus on how the diversity of international students is construed as “different” and through discriminatory practices universities preclude these students from giving voice to their experiences thus limiting their intellectual contribution. Although internationalization speaks to providing universities the opportunity to forge links across cultures and broaden their knowledge on global trans-cultural education, many university classrooms remain predominantly mainstreamed. Suggestions are made for universities to engage in deliberate efforts to transform their teaching and learning, to embrace diversity, to see the classroom as a microcosm of the wider world and to situate the acceptance of diversity as integral to the achievement of academic excellence.