Diversity is not the Enemy: Promoting Encounters between University Students and Newcomers

In today’s globalized world with dynamic processes of political, social, and societal change (Mergner et al., 2019) the university should be a place encounter between people different (cultural) backgrounds. The learning arrangement presented here therefore initiates intercultural exchange aims to help students see diversity as an asset rather than challenge (Roos, 2019). To this end, project was initiated at TU Dortmund in Germany 2017. context environments future teachers were invited have encounters young newcomers through nearly completely self‐managed arrangement. prepared for focused courses dealing theoretical backgrounds didactic concepts. They would then prepare lessons newcomers. following questions important: What did expect regard newcomer from schools? How they lessons? think about later? learned? And what do these reflections mean inclusive teacher education universities? we could observe that approach supports students’ level sensitivity towards differences encourages train non‐judgmental framework (Bartz & Bartz, 2018). Based on selection qualitative empirical findings (ethnographic during six period two years 147 interviews including newcomers’ points view their Dortmund), article discusses opportunities create more innovative spaces practices cultures under restricted terms mass university.