Overcoming Essentialism? Students’ Reflections on Learning Intercultural Communication Online

The fields of intercultural communication (IC) and education are in flux the paradigmatic shift is away from essentialist approaches on culture interculturality towards seeing IC as flexible, fluid, contradictory, political, ideological constructs. This study presents a virtual exchange project, joint introductory course between Finnish university French university. One objectives was to provide students with more critical, non-essentialist perspective interculturality. an analysis 32 students’ texts (learning logs) that processed qualitatively using content find answers questions (1) how make sense their experience learning through multilingual online interactions, (2) different reflected leaning logs. logs written by participants during six-week experience. findings indicate gained confidence interacting people diverse backgrounds multiple languages. How reacted critical varied greatly, many seeming juggle approaches. environment considered major source concern prior at beginning course, but progressed it did not represent barrier within documented experiences. Our aims help teachers better address needs learners. We also discuss challenges possibilities view creating safe motivating spaces for teaching about