Abstract
Since 2013, the Australian government has funded Australian students to undertake short periods of study abroad with an emphasis on Asia, including Indonesia. Universities, too, have been enhancing their study-abroad options as part of broader internationalization campaigns. In a short time, the number of Australian higher-education students undertaking study abroad as part of their undergraduate degrees has doubled, to one in five students. This significant investment follows from two beliefs: that Australia's relations with Asia are significantly impacted by people-to people relations; and that formal, experiential learning is a particularly effective pedagogical method. But is this investment warranted? Do periods of short-term study in Indonesia enrich students' understanding of the region, and of Australia's relations with Asia? And do current undergraduates, who have unprecedented access to mobility through travel and tourism, gain anything from a formal and guided people-to-people experience? This article explores these questions through an in-depth investigation of the intensive-mode undergraduate unit 'Australia and Asia' run by the Faculty of Arts at Monash University from 2014 to 2017. It suggests that, for many students, study tours facilitate a short-term period of emotional involvement and self-reflection, rather than forging enduring connections.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 225-251 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |
| Volume | 175 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 |
Keywords
- Asia literacy
- Australia
- education
- Indonesia
- New Colombo Plan
- soft power
- student mobility
Cite this
}
Enduring Connections? Soft Power and Pedagogy in Short-Term Study Tours to Indonesia. / Sobocinska, Agnieszka; Purdey, Jemma.
In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Vol. 175, No. 2-3, 2019, p. 225-251.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Enduring Connections? Soft Power and Pedagogy in Short-Term Study Tours to Indonesia
AU - Sobocinska, Agnieszka
AU - Purdey, Jemma
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Since 2013, the Australian government has funded Australian students to undertake short periods of study abroad with an emphasis on Asia, including Indonesia. Universities, too, have been enhancing their study-abroad options as part of broader internationalization campaigns. In a short time, the number of Australian higher-education students undertaking study abroad as part of their undergraduate degrees has doubled, to one in five students. This significant investment follows from two beliefs: that Australia's relations with Asia are significantly impacted by people-to people relations; and that formal, experiential learning is a particularly effective pedagogical method. But is this investment warranted? Do periods of short-term study in Indonesia enrich students' understanding of the region, and of Australia's relations with Asia? And do current undergraduates, who have unprecedented access to mobility through travel and tourism, gain anything from a formal and guided people-to-people experience? This article explores these questions through an in-depth investigation of the intensive-mode undergraduate unit 'Australia and Asia' run by the Faculty of Arts at Monash University from 2014 to 2017. It suggests that, for many students, study tours facilitate a short-term period of emotional involvement and self-reflection, rather than forging enduring connections.
AB - Since 2013, the Australian government has funded Australian students to undertake short periods of study abroad with an emphasis on Asia, including Indonesia. Universities, too, have been enhancing their study-abroad options as part of broader internationalization campaigns. In a short time, the number of Australian higher-education students undertaking study abroad as part of their undergraduate degrees has doubled, to one in five students. This significant investment follows from two beliefs: that Australia's relations with Asia are significantly impacted by people-to people relations; and that formal, experiential learning is a particularly effective pedagogical method. But is this investment warranted? Do periods of short-term study in Indonesia enrich students' understanding of the region, and of Australia's relations with Asia? And do current undergraduates, who have unprecedented access to mobility through travel and tourism, gain anything from a formal and guided people-to-people experience? This article explores these questions through an in-depth investigation of the intensive-mode undergraduate unit 'Australia and Asia' run by the Faculty of Arts at Monash University from 2014 to 2017. It suggests that, for many students, study tours facilitate a short-term period of emotional involvement and self-reflection, rather than forging enduring connections.
KW - Asia literacy
KW - Australia
KW - education
KW - Indonesia
KW - New Colombo Plan
KW - soft power
KW - student mobility
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85069434069&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/22134379-17502001
DO - 10.1163/22134379-17502001
M3 - Article
VL - 175
SP - 225
EP - 251
JO - Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde
JF - Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde
SN - 0006-2294
IS - 2-3
ER -