Written by: Sana Nafaji

In 2019 I left for Nairobi, Kenya, where I completed my academic co-op placement for 8 months. Prior to leaving for co-op, I wrestled with a lot of challenges surrounding the ethics of my presence in the Global South at an organization. I questioned my value, the potential impact of my role, and really tried to equip myself with the best preparation, in terms of both skills and mindset, to be of most benefit to my host organization. These questions became more pertinent as I began living and working in Nairobi. In the end, I could not shrug off the desire to dive into the ethics of international placements, and by virtue, the ethics of my experiences and behaviours while on placement. “Ethics” is understood to be moral dilemmas surrounding and implicated within Global North- South student placements. There are many examples of such dilemmas; for instance, Global North students being treated as experts in the field, being asked for money by colleagues or local friends, being treated better than co-workers by a supervisor etc. While there tends to be some broad patterned situations, each circumstance is further complicated by various positionalities and contexts, which require deep self-reflexivity in order to un-pack and respond accordingly. This is, in essence, what my thesis is about.

To be more specific, my thesis examines the ways in which Canadian university students are prepared for long-term placements in the Global South. It asks: Are Canadian universities providing ethical preparation for students going on placements to the Global South? This research question is supported by the three sub-questions:

1. What types of training do Canadian universities mandate students complete before going abroad?
2. How do students navigate and reflect upon ethics during their placements?
3. How are universities supporting and facilitating reflection processes for students to supplement ethical preparations?

Before delving further, it is imperative I share that this thesis is underpinned by acknowledging that we are currently in a time of rapid internationalization, particularly in the higher-education industry, in which opportunities for international experience are becoming increasingly promoted and popularized. Understanding the complexities involved when someone from the Global North enters a Global South space requires critical reflection and acknowledgement of power and privilege. My study primarily used in-depth interviews with Canadian students (although it also included some interviews with university staff) who had long-term placements in the Global South to identify the training and preparation they were provided, the ethical dilemmas they encountered, and the ways they navigated these encounters. I employed an ethical internationalization lens to examine my data. Ethical internationalization is a conceptual framework which seeks to question, analyze and reflect upon internationalization movements and begin to re-think them, including how we can better position ourselves to act in solidarity with others and promote ethical engagement.

Ultimately, my research aimed to identify areas of opportunity and tools for universities and students alike, to better support reflexivity during their placements. Using my interviews with students, as well as supplementary information provided in reports and surveys with other relevant stakeholders (such as university staff and host organizations), I arrived at the following findings:

• It is clear that the speed at which internationalization has been taken up has not coincided with a more robust engagement with the ethics of student placements.
• There is a severe lack of ethical training and preparation for students. In an overwhelming majority of cases, safety abroad is the only mandatory requirement that students must complete prior to going abroad. Not only is training inconsistent between schools, it is also inconsistent within different programs at the same institution (ex. University of Toronto).
• Students express facing many ethical dilemmas and need support in unpacking these situations. Students feel overwhelmed when experiencing them, and don’t know what to do.
• Having a training around ethical global engagement makes a difference for students. In one case study I observed, students got ethical engagement training halfway through their Global South placement. Consequently, their reflections and thought processes shifted significantly and they were better equipped to practice self-reflexivity.

SO, what does that all mean? I took these key findings and drafted a set of recommendations for universities. I like to call this the bread and butter of my thesis – it’s really the most essential piece to takeaway while reading my research.

Firstly, universities should implement a well-rounded training curriculum. This includes dedicating time to sharing information and skills around ethical engagement, as well as ensuring students do research to understand the historical and cultural contexts of the regions they are going to. This is a bare-minimum preparatory piece which all universities can provide their students. It can introduce students to some of the fundamental histories and issues surrounding most Global North-South relationships. Secondly, universities should ensure that reflection components are structured across the entire timeframe of the student experience, from pre-departure to return. Something particularly interesting that I found in my research is that students most valued reflection and discussions with their peers. This was the most beneficial way for them to learn throughout this process. I emphasized this finding in my thesis to suggest that this be considered when designing and improving preparatory curriculum for students. In my opinion, these recommendations mark two of the most immediate and beneficial adjustments that universities can make to improve the process and benefits for all stakeholders involved in international experiences. Ultimately, as expectations for the higher education experience continue to change and grow, these findings remain pertinent to ensure solidarity-building and global development.

There is still much more learning, questioning and investigation that must be done under this research topic. In my experience, research is an incredibly personal endeavor, and one should embrace both their successes and short-comings throughout the process. Personally, a huge success was being able to conduct almost 20 in-depth interviews, where I was able to have incredible dialogue with different students. Especially given the duration I had to research, I was happy with this accomplishment. A limitation in this thesis was the lack of disaggregated data based on specific contexts such as student ethnicity, or placement location. I think further examining these details would have produced a more refined analysis. That said, writing and researching was an incredibly cathartic journey, and I would encourage others to engage in research that is both challenging and exciting for them. This is, after all, one of the best ways to practice constant learning and growth.

A professor shared this quote at a virtual graduation event, which resonated with me:

“Utopia is on the horizon. I move two steps closer; it moves two steps further away. I walk another ten steps and the horizon runs ten steps further away. As much as I may walk, I’ll never reach it. So what’s the point of utopia? The point is this: to keep walking.”― Eduardo Galeano

That sums up how research felt a lot of time: constantly in pursuit of a moving target; as soon as one piece is locked in, there’s another one to go chase down. Yet, it is in that hustle which all the most wonderful pieces of the journey lie. Just keep walking 🙂