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"We write to taste life twice,
in the moment and in retrospect"
Anais Nin

First seminar kicks off/Let the reading begin! (1/60)

3/23/2021

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Hi all, Adam here with the first "real" monthly blog post for this 5-year project of blogging my way through my Ph.D. in Internationalisation of Higher Education. If you're not sure what's going on, you can get up to speed by reading my introductory post.
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​My first seminar of the Ph.D. started this week with some great presentations and a newcomer session (which I obviously attended). In non-COVID times (read as "The Before Times"), these seminars took place on-site in Milan and Brescia (a smaller town about 30 minutes from Milan). Sadly, we're all confined to Zoom windows instead of being able to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of northern Italy. 

Alas....fingers crossed for the fall seminar, though!

This seems a good a times as any to give a bit more information about the Ph.D. program that I'll be working through over the next 5 years. Hosted by the The Centre for Higher Education Internationlisation (CHEI) at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, the Ph.D. is built specifically for working practitioners who need a less-than-full-time program. Completed remotely apart from the twice-yearly seminars, the program is a fantastic option for just about anyone globally, and indeed in the newcomer session, there were ten or so nationalities represented among about as many participants. Italy, Ecuador, The United States, Sweden, and more were represented. To be a part of such a diverse group of professionals all seeking to become real experts in internationalization was a definite excitement; the first of many that I expect as I make progress in the program. In a very real sense, it felt much like my time on-campus at SIT Graduate Institute; high expectations, intercultural learning, a dash of anxiety, and a heavy pour of knowing that by the end, we'll all be pulling each other across the finish line.
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What am I hoping to research for the next 5 years?

Most of the details are yet to be determined, and in fact, the first year of program is really dedicated to reading broadly and honing in on what the specific question or set of questions will be for the remainder of the Ph.D. At this stage of the process, most of us know generally what we want to look at, but not necessarily the fine details that we'll need to guide our research and populate a dissertation.

As I considered starting a Ph.D., I really debated with what broad topic to approach with my research. I've massively enjoyed reading and writing about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics, but I still struggle with my positionality in those spaces. My other primary interest in virtual exchange or COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), but early last year when I was having these mental debates, I had just been laid off due to COVID and didn't have any real experience in that area.

Then, I applied to UC Santa Cruz! They talked about COIL in my first interview! Then, after a month or so, they asked if I'd be interested in pivoting to work on COIL/virtual exchange! Be still, my beating heart. 
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So, my plan is to focus my research on virtual exchange. There are a few different directions in which I could take things, but I'm going to wait to decide on that after I spend some time with the existing literature. Speaking of the literature, here are the first two books that I'll be digging into over the next couple months:
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Both of these books are a part of Routledge's series on Internationalization of Higher Education, which is curated by the Series Editor, Elspeth Jones (who is also conveniently on the academic board at CHEI). This series really is at the forefront of internationalization research and knowledge, so it's a natural starting point. It takes me a few passes of these sort of books before I feel that I've really absorbed the material. Partially, it's because I'm an intentionally slow reader. Reading is a truly pleasurable activity for me, and so I tend to try and not rush through things. I also like to read a book through once before I start taking notes, pulling out key sections, and so on. That's a topic for another blog, but it's something that I have found to be immensely beneficial, especially when reading through academic texts.

In other news:

This week is the annual Michigan Association of International Educators (MAIE) conference, and we're virtual this time around, of course. The conference runs until Friday of this week, with sessions across all of our Knowledge Communities. It's totally free and open to everyone, so take a gander at the conference website and jump into a few sessions if you like. We've got great minds here in Michigan, so you're encouraged to avail yourselves of this excellent opportunity to hear them speak free of charge. 

This year's conference is also of special significance to me, as I'll be voted in as MAIE's Chair (unless something wildly unexpected happens between now and Thursday)! The MAIE team is a fantastic group of human beings, and it is a real privilege to work with them in supporting our colleagues across the state and region. I'm hopeful that next year's conference will be in-person again - two years after we gathered together in the days before our state's lockdown went into effect. The MAIE team and our colleagues were the last folks I saw before this whole remote thing started; it's an honor to be asked to serve as Chair.
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​Well, that about wraps it up for this month's post! There are a bunch of Ph.D. sessions in the coming months, and I'm eager to share my experiences as I truly start diving into the process of working out my Ph.D. research questions and fill my office with books and articles on the topic. If you're working in virtual exchange or if you have any resources that you'd like to share, let me know! You can contact me directly through my website or through the International Educators Discord Server. 

Shameless plug complete, I'll call this one done and done.

Talk to you all again soon!
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    Hi, my name is Adam, and I'm currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Internationalisation of Higher Education. This blog is where I share my progress, ideas, and much more. 

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