Changing the teaching of communication in
higher education: Is inclusivity dead?

The term 'inclusivity' is used in educational contexts to reflect teaching and learning activities that 'include' different types of learners and 'include' the great variety of student backgrounds and needs. However, the term itself, even with the best intentions, reflects a standpoint of 'we' (the knowing, the generous, the sensitive, the democratic) including 'them' (the needy, the different, the misunderstood, the marginalised, the neglected). It is time we abandoned this terminology for something closer to real globalism (ie thinking globally) and internationalism, and spoke about the need for all tertiary institutions to internationalise their curriculum, to see diversity (of cultures, languages, perspectives) as normal and as something that must of necessity be incorporated into teaching and learning for the 21st century. To maintain that one is teaching an 'inclusive' curriculum smacks, even if unwittingly, of paternalism. To maintain, on the other hand, that one is teaching an 'internationalised' curriculum simply acknowledges the reality of the way things are and should be in the 21st century. This paper discusses these issues and presents the elements of what could be considered an internationalised curriculum for the future, with particular emphasis on communication.