Do ‘global citizens’ need the parochial cultural other? Discourse of immersion in study abroad and learning-by-doing

‘Going Glocal’: a qualitative and quantitative analysis of global citizenship education at a Dutch liberal arts and sciences college

“…The American Association for Colleges and Universities (2015), for instance, recommends that the program outcomes and the learning objectives of the institutions represented explicitly include objectives such as: 'civic knowledge and engagement-local and global', and 'intercultural knowledge or competence' (Association for Colleges and Universities 2015). Many universities merely define their role as that of stimulating diversity in the student body and encouraging student exchanges, as well as encouraging attention for global issues (Doer 2013). Even amongst the scholars and institutions that do seek to stimulate deeper, more transformative learning experiences, the type of learning to be stimulated remains hotly debated (Shultz et al 2011a).…”

Learner subjects in study abroad: discourse of immersion, hierarchy of experience and their subversion through situated learning

“…They contrast immersion to classroom learning, the latter often being viewed as having less experiential element in the study-abroad context: 'The bulk of learning abroad takes place outside the classroom' (Loflin, 2007, p. xi). They also contrast immersion to spending time with fellow American students, the latter being condemned: 'Students who spend most of their time socializing with other American students may miss out on terrific foreign cultural events' (Oxford, 2005, p. 114; for discussion, see Doerr, 2013b).…”

“…Furthermore, rather than being defined solely as internalization of knowledge, learning can also be conceived as increased participation in 'communities of practice' (Lave & Wenger, 1991), although the increase in participation is not always recognized. Nevertheless, pressure to show the outcome of learning in the current outcome-based educational environment causes conscious, reflective learning to be valued over unintended, inarticulate learning, thus valorizing reflective learner subjects (Doerr, 2013b). In this article, I argue that the act of reflection can be conducive to critical investigation of power relations, a topic that needs to be discussed more in study abroad.…”

“…This model suggests that study-abroad students learn about the life of the destination from local people or, by living like and interacting with local people, and become 'global citizens' with global competence. The discourse of immersion also highlights the learning-by-doing subject by differentiating study-abroad students from tourists, securing the legitimacy of study abroad in the field of education (Doerr, 2013b).…”

Encountering Others in Overseas Study Tours: An Examination of Educational Potentials

“…The participants and members of the host country are often socioeconomically unequal. Considering that they do not possess enough local knowledge, inappropriate behavior by tour participants and miscommunication between the participants and the members of the host country can have grave consequences [12], [13]. Like tourists, participants in study tours leave the host countries after some time.…”