In the University’s Backyard: The Complexities of Investigating “the Local” With Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 79
  In Roundtable Session: Negotiating Identity: Religion, Language, Race, and Place

Abstract

In this era of complex globalization, universities are re-envisioning traditional study abroad programs to include local contexts. In this paper, we examine a domestic study abroad program that immersed students in relevant on-campus coursework, and placed them with local community organizations and host families. In this qualitative study, we look closely at how students made sense of their participation and learning in the program as they negotiated language, culture, and identity, and consider how this negotiation was situated in larger political, historical, and sociocultural systems. We argue that in this multi-sited program, “the local” became a rich learning context for students to develop more complex understandings of globalization, immigration and transnationalism.

Authors

• Rosalie Rolon-Dow, University of Delaware

• Sarah Jewett, University of Maryland - Baltimore County