January 26, 2012
Most colleges tends to advertise diversity — the more “colorful” (as in variety of worldviews) the school, the more attractive it is for prospective students. Why is diversity such a plus? Well firstly, most internationals prefer schools where there are a lot of other international students; socially, this means the school is accepting of other cultures, and the number of foreign students attest to the positive atmosphere. For domestic students, people hailing from abroad usually come with a very foreign and distinct world view. An entirely different perspective, sitting right next to you — someone with a different education, a different culture, a different religion, etc. — classmates who have eaten frogs and escargots before (!), who have fasted for a month for Ramadan, or who have seen the slums of India (and not just from the 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire). But is there always a healthy cultural “exchange?”
The curriculum at Hamilton College has a myriad of area-specific courses. A prime example would naturally be classes in our Art History, anthropology, and government departments: Arts of Asia, The World of Spanish Arts, People of China, Arts of India, European thoughts, etc. Also, classes such as economics — a little harder to come by, but still it’s there. Obviously, an international perspective is quintessential in our learning experience. Imagine the case where a professor refers to the current issue in the Middle East, or the (rather) incredible economic growth of China, would it be inappropriate to expect inputs from the students that came from that particular region? Is this a problem of over-generalization, that just because I’m from Singapore, I’m supposed to know about the history of China? What happen when the content of the class make the mistake of stereotyping the country in question: Are the students offended, are they meant to “defend” their home country? [name of the girl from CR] a graduate who used to be an international student at Hamilton, reflects back on her experience: Whenever the class touches on Costa Rica — which is very rare — I’d be very pleased, as my country is not one that is very on-the-radar. But there have been occasions when the textbook, or the professors describe Costa Rica as a third world country that needs continual funds and grant from foreign sources, I’d at times speak up and add my personal point of view of the country to try to depict Costa Rica in a more realistic and indepth way.
“This is true for most international students: the case presented in textbooks, while true, does not (and can not) provide an comprehensive look at the country, and such cursory glimpse may create a tilted — but lasting impression.
But does that mean we should be international-blind? Some international students are quite “Americanized.” I am guilty of this myself; I don’t have a very firm grasp of the culture, history and politics of my home country, instead gravitating towards the American’s, perhaps a little too much. Surely, we have written numerous personal essays about how being from a different culture have enabled us to see the world through a unique lense, which would contribute to the diversity of the campus. One fellow international student once related a story to me about an American classmate, surprised at how adapted he is to life in the US: “I only watch American movies at home,” he said, “I thought international students would bring something special to the table”. The expectation is rather justified: Who would imagine that people from halfway around the world would be so much like yourself? Ignoring the fact that there are fellow students coming from another country is not difficult, but should we do so? There are professors that refrain from asking a Chinese student about China, a Muslim student about Islam to avoid discomfort for the students, in an attempt to treat all students equally. But maybe that is the problem, that in reality, students are indeed different from each other and should be treated accordingly. And maybe we, the international students, should also try to bring out more of the uniqueness that characterizes this special community.