This Moment is the Curriculum: Equity, Inclusion, and Collectivist Critical Curriculum Mapping for Study Abroad Programs in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Background: This article explores critical curriculum mapping in experiential education through immersive travel or Study Abroad Programs (SAPs). Purpose: The tetrad of authors theorizes then models the practice of criticality in curriculum mapping for SAPs. Methodology/Approach: Using Black feminist thought as a theoretical moor and dialogue and reflexive narrative as methods, authors present a curriculum mapping framework that is berthed to collective knowledge of how Black women in the African diaspora make meaning of lived experience to survive a perpetually precarious world. Findings/Conclusions: The framework exemplifies an epistemological alternative to dominant individualistic Euro/American approaches to curriculum mapping. Such approaches privilege predictability and linearity, contributing to the low participation of collectivist-oriented Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in SAPs. Implications: A collectivist critical orientation to curriculum mapping may, therefore, be useful for (a) epistemologically diversifying curricular responsiveness (with implications for teaching and learning in the unpredictable chaos of the current COVID-19 moment) and (b) addressing enduring issues of equity and inclusion in SAPs.

Returning to Normal?: Reimagining Study Abroad and Language Learning for a Sustainable and Equitable Future

“…While the U.S.-based SA student population has been diversifying over the past decade (from 22% of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in 2010/11 to 32% in 2020/2021), the majority are still non-Hispanic White (68% in 2020/2021) (IIE, 2022). Indeed, the prototypical SA participant is traditionally conceived of as White Anglo, English monolingual, able bodied, and from an upper socioeconomic background (Marijuan & Sanz, 2018;Ohito et al, 2021;Sanz, 2021). As a result, SA programming tends to be aimed at this student demographic, overlooking the needs and experiences of SA students (and potential students) from other backgrounds.…”

“…For instance, researchers have documented racism towards African American participants from both locals and U.S. peers during SA (Anya, 2017;Goldoni, 2017;Talburt & Stewart, 1999;Willis, 2015). These findings suggest that part of the reason for Black students' underrepresentation in SA (and world language study in general) is due to a lack of culturally-relevant curricula and microaggressions from locals, teachers, and U.S. peers (Anya, 2020;Ohito et al, 2021). The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement across the U.S. and the world in May 2020 coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, urging us to reflect on institutional assumptions about language teaching that may also contribute to on-going racial disparities (Anya, 2021).…”

The Virtual Geography of Afrodiasporic Womanist Love: Black Women Critical Educators Collectively Cultivating Solidarity and (En)countering Loneliness Online

“…“Stories, as we say, take place” (Powell, 2012, p. 384). The place from which this story originates is where four of us—Esther, Susan, Jamila, and Keisha—band together to design a Study Abroad Program, perhaps because of cosmic alchemy or simply because of serendipity; therein lies the mystery (Ohito et al, 2021).…”

Authentic Collaboration and Active Commitment to Equity: An Evolving Case of Centering Marginalized Voices in Education Abroad

“…We intend to highlight ways in which our program bears legacies of colonialism, but nevertheless strives towards decolonialism, in keeping with the efforts of others who are focused on authentic community engaged global learning (e.g., Hartman et al, 2018;Moreno, 2021), as well as re-envisioning the dynamics of international educational program planning and participation (e.g. Christian et al, 2021;Hartman, 2015;Hartman et al, 2020;Ohito et al, 2021). We also document activity inspired by feminist and indigenous learning and knowledge production paradigms (e.g., Assié-Lumumba, 2017;Four Arrows, 2016;hooks, 2003), which offer guidance toward moving beyond an analysis ultimately centered around colonialism (even if de-or post-) to begin imagining and building different types of relationships and structures that value creative thinking, mutual respect, interconnectedness, and sustainability.…”