Global Studies and Short Term Student Travel

May 11, 2010 Michael Streich

Short-term foreign travel lasting two to four weeks can fulfill Global Studies objectives and develop globally minded students.

Studies abroad, lasting a semester or longer, have become common place for many university students. Global Studies departments facilitate such endeavors and assist students both in the preparation phase and reentry. American high schools, however, have not had similar successes in terms of sending students on “foreign exchange” experiences. The reasons are many. According to Karin Fischer, however, “The length of time students study overseas has no significant impact on whether they become globally engaged in later life…” (Chronicle of Higher Education, February 20, 2009)

Linking a Global Studies Curriculum with Foreign Travel

A high school French teacher planned a two-week summer trip for upper-level French students, placing them with families living in France. Although the students were taken to the historical and cultural sites during their stay in France, their two-week encounter with a French family left a lasting impression. People to People tours also places students with host families for part of their trips. Such one-on-one encounters leave lasting impressions.

Karin Fischer notes that researchers at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities concluded that short term immersion “can have lasting effects.” “Students who go overseas for a short period of time, four weeks or less, are just as likely as those who study abroad for several months or even a year to be globally engaged.”

In terms of university programs, short term summer experiences abroad are less expensive. Since financial aid covers studying abroad, shorter summer immersion programs may be more affordable. Regarding high school experiences, many front-line companies that cater to middle and high school foreign travelers can customize such experiences, much like the French trip planned by the French teacher noted above.

Moving Toward a Global Studies Curriculum

In North Carolina, the state Department of Public Instruction recently acted to replace high school “World Cultures” or “World History” with a Global Studies curriculum that focuses on relevant, contemporary global issues. Global inter-connectiveness, in such areas as economics, population migration, climate control, and poverty are emphasized. Although short term tours abroad may not include destinations like Darfur, the Congo, or Thailand, any travels – even to the more secure areas of Europe, are considered beneficial.

Tammy Lewis (Chronicle of Higher Education, June 3, 2005) writes that, “Both short term and long term study-abroad programs can meet some of the goals of the liberal arts in general.” Lewis cites a report of the Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad, which called for a working knowledge of one foreign language as well as “an understanding of at least one foreign area…” This becomes even more crucial as Asian countries, notably China and India, emerge as powerful economic competitors.

Global Studies beyond the Classroom

North Carolina A & T State University offers a Global Studies certificate upon graduation. Many of the students receiving such distinctions have spent time in countries like Costa Rica and Ghana. They graduate with a deep sense of wanting to change the world – to improve the lives of the people they met on their travels. This is a primary goal of linking Global Studies with the millions of struggling and less fortunate people encountered.

Although more difficult in high school, the goal is not impossible. This is particularly true of summer trips to Central and South America as well as some Asian countries.

This writer took a group of private school students to Fiji where they spent a day deep in the rain forest with an impoverished tribe. Boarding the boats returning the students to their four star hotel, one young man said, “We have to do something. We just can’t forget.” That response is the goal of linking the Global Studies classroom to the real world.

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