Inventing an Academic Translingual/Transcultural Safe Space for International Graduate Students: Our Personal Journey

Abstract

This article provides a description and reflection of the development of the foundational course for international graduate students in a public university in the Northeast USA. The course was developed in an attempt to provide support and guidance for practitioners and researchers who work closely with international graduate students through transcultural/translingual and whole-person approaches. Our proposed foundation course better prepares international graduate students for academic success in their first term. Recommendations for creating the first-term foundation course for international graduate students are posed at the end of this article.