General Rationale for Internationalization
As a result of discussions held at the workshop, it was agreed that internationalization should ultimately serve the cause of enriching scholarship in the areas of research and instruction. This enrichment arises from the cultural multiplicity of international experiences. These international experiences and encounters with outside cultures in the area of scholarship can only lead to the following: varied approaches to formulating questions posed in research, differentiation of problems and answers in dialogues created in the culture of science, and last but not least cultural competence and understanding in an economically and culturally globalized world. These benefits of internationalization have the potential to not only prove beneficial to Europe alone; their reach has the ability to extend down to the municipal level across the globe. The sociology of knowledge has long taught us that our thoughts and actions are (often subconsciously) affected by our social encounters, cultural encounters and self-image; therefore, a scholarly exchange of such encounters and experiences would abundantly benefit the perceptions of, and solutions to, pressing problems of all natures. The internationalization of research and instruction aims to advance intercultural competence because cultural misunderstandings, which are often at the roots of conflicts could be pared down, and because the variety of possible solutions to these conflicts can first be discussed through the comparison of different positions that go along with them. In order to be accepted and effectively implemented, even purely technical decisions or solutions for political or economical problems need to be constantly implemented in a manner respectful to local cultures. This is an additional reason why cultural competence and understanding is essential.
The internationalization of science and research ultimately assists scholars and scientists by allowing them to stay abreast of new developments and research results in their respective fields, thereby aiding them in the further development of their own research.