Encountering Ethics and Politics through International Planning Field Studies

The possibilities of internationalised planning curricula are manifold. For students this includes scope to expand their horizons for planning careers and to develop reflective understandings of planning issues in their 'home' environment. For educators, it provides a fertile environment for exploring cross-cultural encounter, space to investigate varied planning traditions, and to situate examples used throughout the literature and in class-based settings. These possibilities are well-discussed in literature emanating from a range of disciplines, including planning. In planning, professional and academic discourse offers a way for students to communicate and conceptualise field studies within a common (universal) understanding of traditions of planning practice and public policy solutions. The ethical and political implications of working internationally can, however, be masked within this situation. Planning is inherently political, and contextual yet the explicit dilemmas of the political and economic setting can appear hidden within a short, project-focussed, planning field studies exercise. Using the example of three field/project visits in tsunami and conflict affected areas of Sri Lanka, this paper will explore issues in incorporating awareness of ethical dilemmas and political settings into the project.