Zooming In: Post-Unit Thinking in Study Abroad Program Designs
摘要
This chapter introduces two kinds of post-unit thinking through the approach of “zooming in” to details. Focusing on the study abroad context, which tends to rely on unit thinking of the home and host societies of the study abroad students, this chapter introduces two class projects that highlight diversity, change, global connections, and relations of power in theses societies by zooming in to concrete items. The first project, the Study Abroad Design Project, asked students to design a study abroad program in Japan, bringing in historical, political, economic, and social issues in Japan and the US, the students’ home country, and positioning them with regard to global contexts in relation to other countries. The second project, the Study Abroad Poster Project, asked students to create study abroad posters, addressing diversity, change, global connections, and relations of power in visual, concise, and impactful ways. Connecting these designs to class readings, the students navigated gaining knowledge about Japan as well as theorizing politics of knowledge, in the meantime offering alternative views about Japan to be potentially used in study abroad programs.