Integrating Study Abroad into the Curriculum ─ Theory and Practice Across the Disciplines

"Betsy Brewer and Kiran Cunningham's book is a welcome and unique addition to the literature on campus internationalization. The authors recognize that significant internationalization is less about counting how many students go abroad and how many programs are available than about student learning. Moreover, they and their co-authors fully understand that if student learning---and even transformation---is to occur, then the experience of education abroad must be deeply connected with and supported by the learning at home, and deeply valued by the faculty on the home campus. And this, as the authors indicate, will occur only if campuses are willing to invest in faculty learning in and about international contexts."---Martha C. Merrill, Associate Professor, Higher Education, and Coordinator, International Education Certificate, Kent State University

"This book provides both useful theoretical frameworks to apply in designing pre-and post-study abroad programs and in helping students be reflective about their learning. It also provides many descriptive examples of how these frameworks are applied in very different courses and disciplines. It situates study abroad in the wider context of student learning and development theory and campus internationalization and provides rich detail that will help readers adapt these approaches to their own courses and institutions."---Madeleine F. Green, Vice President for International Initiatives, American Council on Education

With the increased interest in study abroad from government, educators, employers and students, the question is: are programs engendering the desired intercultural competencies and intellectual development?

To achieve this goal, this book proposes two strategies: structuring study abroad to bridge the separation of academic learning from experiential and intercultural learning; and integrating study abroad with the undergraduate curriculum.

In proposing this integration, the editors take into account the need for institutional change, and they recognize faculty's concerns about maintaining the integrity of the curriculum, teaching in areas outside their expertise, and keeping up with ever-evolving institutional missions.

This book offers different theoretical perspectives on the integration of study abroad into the curriculum, as well as examples of practice from a variety of disciplines---from anthropology and religious studies, to literature, urban studies, biology, and public health---and within such contexts as distance learning, service learning, and the senior thesis.