Open AccessLearning Abroad or Just Going Abroad? International Education In Opposite Sides of the Border
Author(s) -
Gerardo Blanco Ramírez
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2013.1484
Subject(s) - study abroad , citizenship , international education , global citizenship , globalization , global education , citizenship education , global citizenship education , autoethnography , sociology , political science , pedagogy , public relations , higher education , gender studies , law , politics
International education, particularly through study abroad experiences, has the potential of preparing students for a globally interconnected world. While challenging, it is necessary to translate aspirations of global citizenship into educational programs and assessing their effectiveness. A necessary step in such process consists in taking a close and critical look at the challenges and possibilities for the development of global citizenship through education abroad. In this paper, I follow a decolonizing autoethnographic approach to explore obstacles for the development of global citizenship through education abroad. If education abroad is to promote global citizenship and character development, I propose a more authentic engagement with the local culture s and a better understanding of globalization — before going abroad — is necessary.