Valuing International Student Presence with a Global Curriculum: A Cosmopolitan Approach

Against the backdrop of increasing political polarization and growing contention over ideological differences, U.S. colleges and universities are facing the daunting challenges of trying to prepare students for economic and personal engagement with a globalized world. Although many institutions admit students from other countries, they often overlook the opportunity to engage with the growing numbers of international students in their midst. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion of how international student presence could be incorporated and valued by adopting a cosmopolitan approach in U.S. higher education. Recognizing that a cosmopolitan approach presents many educational challenges, contemporary critiques of cosmopolitanism are considered. Despite deliberation with flaws in this approach, the authors contend that adopting cosmopolitan perspective in this lens can inspire a global curriculum and foster reflection on new influences to local priorities