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11/07/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/08/2024 10:05

International Education Week Brings the World to BU’s Doorstep

International Education Week Brings the World to BU's Doorstep

Panel discussions, film screenings, a magazine launch, and more mark weeklong celebration of global education

Boston University is observing International Education Week with a weeklong series of events from November 11 to 15. Image courtesy of Global Programs

Campus Life

International Education Week Brings the World to BU's Doorstep

Panel discussions, film screenings, a magazine launch, and more mark weeklong celebration of global education

November 7, 2024
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Boston University has long prided itself on being a global institution. The University boasts approximately 200 study abroad programs, students and faculty pursue research in more than 75 countries, and an estimated 10,000 current Terriers hail from other countries.

BU's global spirit will be celebrated during International Education Week (IEW), November 11 through 15. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, IEW celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange.

This is BU's 13th year taking part in the initiative, says Willis Wang, vice president and associate provost for Global Programs and deputy general counsel.

"There are several wonderful events planned this year to help foster community, share scholarship, and celebrate our global diversity," Wang says. "We hope the wide range of programming will offer something exciting for everyone."

This year's events (most are free) are open to all members of the BU community and include a book discussion with Han Kang, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, a discussion on elections in the United States and Europe, a First-Year Study Abroad Fair, and film screenings.

To best serve BU's global-minded community, some of the IEW programming will address current events. For example, a panel on equity in the world of sports arrives on the heels of the historic 2024 Paris Olympics, the first Olympic games to see an equal number of male and female athletes, notes Pamela Decoste, Global Programs assistant director of marketing and communications.

"We'll be looking at the inequalities that still exist, from both health and healthcare-related to economic and social, and how these issues hamstring female, nonbinary, and transgender athletes," she says.

The panel discussion will feature BU faculty as well as pro hockey player Kayleigh Fratkin (CGS'12, COM'14), and Meredith Perri, managing producer for MassLive Sports and will be held November 12 at the Center for Computing & Data Sciences. The in-person event can be livestreamed.

Also new this year is a Celebration of Multilingual Writing, from 10 am to 4 pm November 13 at the Howard Thurman Center. Event coordinator Abir Ward, a College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program lecturer, says it's a chance to showcase the rich diversity of languages and cultures that make up BU. "We have a lot of people from all over the University who are coming to participate, either by showcasing their work, reciting their work orally, or just being present there," Ward says.

The event will feature poster presentations, digital work, an open-mic corner, games, and an arts area. And with the impressive diversity of languages represented-Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Hungarian, and Ukrainian, to name a few-it's a chance to take a trip around the world without leaving campus. .

The celebration is also intended to draw attention to the concept of linguistic justice. "When we think of linguistic justice, it's about access to language, expression, and knowledge production," Ward says. "So we're constantly working on raising awareness about the importance of allowing people the freedom to express themselves in their own language, and to celebrate this linguistic background."

The week will also celebrate the publication of the second issue of a new magazine, Critical Forced Displacement, produced by lBU's Center on Forced Displacement(CFD), being held at Kilachand Hall on November 13. It will include live readings and a panel discussion.

CFD has collected material for the magazine-columns, op-eds, essays, and more on the topic of forced displacement-since the spring , says Baiden Wright (CAS'23), CFD events and communications specialist. "Even though it's all under the umbrella of forced displacement, you get super diverse pieces every round," she says of the magazine.

The week will have plenty of fun events aimed at fostering cross-cultural dialogue. Learn about international tongue twisters on November 12 or check out the display of international arts and crafts on November 13, both events at the Center for English Language & Orientation Programs.

IEW not only provides an opportunity to learn something new or watch a unique film, but is also a chance to meet new friends with different worldviews, Decoste says.

As Ward prepares for the week ahead, she says the goal is to increase appreciation for the University's multicultural and multilingual community.

"Boston University is not just a place where you come and take courses," she says. "You're joining a community, you're joining a family."

Find a full list of IEW events here.

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