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Article published In: Study Abroad to, from, and within Asia
Edited by John L. Plews and Jane Jackson
[Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education 2:2] 2017
► pp. 175–205

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The American gaze east

Discourses and destinations of US study abroad

 | University of New Mexico
 | University of Arizona
Published online: 30 December 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.16001.tre
Abstract
The 21st century has seen an emphasis in US media and policy documents on increasing the numbers of US students studying abroad and also the amount of US students studying ‘critical’ languages. This paper examines the intersection of these discourses, or the experiences of critical language learners abroad. We analyze this intersection by using critical discourse analysis to examine US media and policy documents and data from students studying Arabic in Egypt and Mandarin in China. This analysis reveals considerable discrepancies between rhetoric and experience in terms of language and intercultural learning. We argue that a critical examination of current discourses of study abroad (SA) reveals that they in fact recreate the colonial map, mask global inequalities, and create a new global elite. We conclude that language and intercultural learning abroad will remain a source of tension until SA students and programs critically engage with these discourses.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Study abroad
    • 1.2Critical languages
      • 1.2.1Critical languages abroad
  • 2.Method
  • 3.Non-traditional destinations for ‘serious’ learners
    • 3.1Media documents
    • 3.2Student narratives
    • 3.3Discrepancies between rhetoric and experience
  • 4.Discourses of peace and professional preparation
    • 4.1Media and policy documents
    • 4.2Student narratives
    • 4.3Discrepancies between rhetoric and experience
      • 4.3.1Avoiding representing America
      • 4.3.2Challenges to intercultural development
      • 4.3.3Challenges with language learning
  • 5.Discussion
  • Notes
  • References
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