Starting Points
Why internationalise?
Curriculum Scope and Knowledge Geographies
Whose knowledge is visible?
Review whose knowledge, examples, theories and cultural contexts are represented in the curriculum.
Why this matters
Internationalisation is often associated with adding international case studies or literature. However, a curriculum may appear international while relying mainly on European or North American cases, theories and references. Students and staff may bring knowledge from different cultural, linguistic and professional contexts that is not always recognised. Reviewing curriculum scope can help identify gaps, avoid tokenism and support critical engagement with different cultural systems.
Key questions
- Which countries, regions and cultural systems appear most often?
- Which regions, languages or knowledge systems are missing?
- Are examples used critically or only as illustrations?
- Can students bring knowledge from their own contexts?
- How do we avoid asking students to represent a whole culture?
- What assumptions about culture, heritage, management or policy shape our teaching?
Notes & Resources
This section brings together resources, examples, references and practical ideas that may help you explore the topic further. Use what is relevant to your context, and adapt it as needed.
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Consider whose knowledge and perspectives the curriculum privileges
The Decolonising SOAS toolkit offers questions and suggestions for examining what curricula include and exclude, whose knowledge is treated as authoritative, and how colonial and racialised histories can shape knowledge production.
Learning and Teaching Toolkit for Programme and Module Convenors · Decolonising SOAS · 2018 -
Consider whose knowledge and perspectives the curriculum privileges
The Decolonising SOAS toolkit offers questions and suggestions for examining what curricula include and exclude, whose knowledge is treated as authoritative, and how colonial and racialised histories can shape knowledge production.
Learning and Teaching Toolkit for Programme and Module Convenors · Decolonising SOAS · 2018 -
Embed internationalisation in curriculum design
Drawing on peer learning between European universities, this report explores how internationalisation can be built into curricula and learning outcomes, extending international learning beyond mobility and language to reach the wider student community.
Internationalisation in learning and teaching: Thematic Peer Group Report · European University Association (EUA) · 2020 -
Explore practical approaches to intercultural curriculum design
A hands-on toolkit for teaching staff and programme teams, covering intercultural dialogue, global citizenship, curriculum and assessment, international collaboration and communication.
Internationalising the Curriculum Toolkit · Higher Education Academy / University of Brighton · 2016
View all resources (6) Show fewer resources
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Take a quick health check of curriculum inclusivity
A short reflective tool for reviewing whose perspectives appear in curriculum content and reading lists, alongside participation, teaching and assessment practices.
Inclusive Curriculum Healthcheck · UCL -
See how the EU is defining the European dimension of joint curricula
The criteria for the new Joint European Degree Label offer a current EU perspective on features of transnational programmes, including interdisciplinarity, multilingualism, inclusiveness, European values, learning beyond academia and environmental sustainability.
Joint European Degree Label · European Education Area · European Commission · 2026
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Contribute to the toolkit!
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