Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Provides an opportunity to examine social, cultural, and political challenges involved in working or living abroad. Students reflect on the knowledge, skills, and values gained while abroad, with attention to career-related pathways and possibilities. Topics include the complexities of cross-cultural engagement and ethical aspects of experiential learning in international settings.

COURSE DETAILS:

International travel, education, and work experiences are among the most undeniably transformational opportunities students can take on during their studies. Yet, many students return from their placements abroad with the big task of singularly processing the impact of their applied learning, reintegrating into their lives at school with more questions, more ideas, and more thoughts about how their experience will influence their next moves as globally-conscious, culturally sensitive change makers.

This seminar is designed to bring students from various disciplines and points in their degrees together over the commonality of having gone abroad during their studies. It will provide students with an opportunity to examine the social, cultural, personal, and political challenges involved in working or living abroad. Students will reflect on the knowledge, skills, and values gained during their time abroad, with attention to career-related pathways and possibilities. The course also carries a critical edge: it explores a range of ethical problems and political challenges related to working, studying, and researching abroad. In particular, we will critically examine the meaning of 'global citizenship'; and, we will interrogate the subtle dynamics of power that are entailed in many experiential learning opportunities (e.g. in the relationship between international students and members of host communities). We will also reflect on the challenges of cross-cultural communication; and, we will critically examine the rapid rise of 'voluntourism' as a mode of experiential learning.  

The class will meet for two hours each week. The first half of the class will be comprised of discussion on the assigned reading for the week, which is meant to prompt critical reflection on particular aspects of working and studying abroad. In the second hour of class, students will present on an aspect of their experiences, which will be followed by discussion. This sharing will enable students to learn from each other’s diverse experiences abroad.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

After completing this seminar, students will have developed:
1. An ability to describe the knowledge, skills, and values they have acquired while abroad
2. An ability to identify and analyze ethical issues and problems related to working, studying, and researching abroad
3. An ability to explain to prospective employers, both verbally and in writing, the way international experiences have contributed to the acquisition of transferable skills

Grading

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

TBD/Soon to be updated.

REQUIRED READING: