Firstly, I found Zemach-Bersin’s article and Hannah Parten’s related visit to be very thought-provoking about study abroad and the concept of global citizenship. I had not previously thought about study abroad as an industry and, consequently, the power of its the marketing tactics towards college students. After examining various study abroad pamphlets in Hannah’s activity, I could notice a big difference with language in the marketing of certain regions versus others. For example, programs in Central Asia used exotifying, somewhat problematic language like “exotic bazaars” and “untapped nature”, while programs advertising Scandinavia and other Western European nations did not. This reading and activity pushed me to think more critically about the phenomenon of study abroad as a staple of the American college experience, particularly as a capitalist endeavor.
The in-class group presentations were highly informational. I found it extremely disheartening that all three of the projects were about genocide or humanitarian crises, about which powerful countries are doing nothing.
