The Best Classroom

Due to such factors as the rise of the Internet, the ease of global travel, and a dramatic
increase in international trade, the world is more interconnected than ever before. In the past,
people could enjoy a successful career without ever moving from their home region, but now
many people have jobs that involve some international interactions. Given these new conditions,
it is essential that all college and university students experience new cultures as part of their
education. To achieve this objective and to emphasize the importance of intercultural studies,
colleges and universities should require students to study abroad for at least one semester `of
their undergraduate education.

One of the primary reasons that studying abroad contributes so effectively to students’
education is that it requires them to live and learn in a new culture that is different from
their upbringing. In their analysis of the educational benefits of study-abroad programs, Brewer
and Cunningham (2009) conclude that the real learning is often triggered by a serious dilemma
that causes the individuals involved to question assumptions they may have held for their entire
lives (p.9). As Brewer and Cunningham demonstrate, students’ daily assumptions are challenged
by the experience of living abroad, from simple concerns, such as appropriate breakfast foods, to
more complex matters, such as how societies should be organized and other cultural conventions.
By experiencing a new culture firsthand, students will better appreciate the unique features of
both their host and their home countries, as well as better understand the repercussions of these
cultural differences.

Studying abroad also greatly facilitates learning a new language. While students
should prepare to study abroad by learning this language in a classroom, thereby establishing a
framework for future success, few experiences enhance language learning more than living in a
country where it is used. As Kauffmann, Martin, and Weaver (1992) state, “Foreign settings
offer many new sources for instruction, practice, and evaluation. Teaching methods that take
advantage of the local environments can certainly be expected to improve on classroom
methods” (p.36). For example, when learning a new language in a classroom, students might
practice ordering food at a restaurant or asking directions to a museum; when studying abroad,
however, they will have to put these skills to the test in real-world situations.
 Additionally, students benefit from studying their academic discipline from a new
perspective. At first, this argument may appear illogical: math is math, whether in Peru or
Poland, and the fundamental principles of chemistry do not change from Ghana to Germany.
Still, the ways in which disciplines are organized and taught may vary considerably from one
region to another, and so students will see their discipline in a new light if it is taught in even a
slightly different method or order. Learning to see the ways in which knowledge itself is
organized can be one of the greatest benefits of studying abroad.

Though studying abroad offers many advantages, some may argue that a semester
or a year abroad is nothing but a vacation. Yes, it is true that some students choose to treat
study abroad as a vacation rather than the rich academic experience that it can be. The bad
actions of a few students should not invalidate study abroad programs as a whole or cause
colleges to abandon their efforts in this regard. In fact, in a long-term study of 3,400 students,
Dwyer and Peters (2004) found that a large number said studying abroad had an impact on their
world view (96 percent), increased their self-confidence (96 percent), and gave them the skill
sets they needed for the career they chose (76 percent). Clearly, studying abroad is not just a
party. Students’ home institutions should offer preparatory workshops and orientation seminars
so that students will be ready for the requirements of the program and will better understand how
it connects with their current academic work. Studying abroad unites academic demands with the
thrill of discovering a new culture, and students will gain immeasurably more from their
experience if they are prepared prior to departure for what they will discover there.

Given the numerous benefits of studying abroad, colleges and universities should require
that their students take advantage of this opportunity, while also doing everything possible to
keep these experiences affordable through reduced tuition and subsidized fees. It is essential that
students learn to negotiate our increasingly interconnected world by exploring new cultures as
part of their education. In a world made smaller by technological advances, students who
graduate with the experience of living in a foreign country will also be better prepared to succeed
in their careers.
 References
Brewer, E., & Cunningham, K. (2009). Capturing study abroad’s transformative potential. In E.
Brewer & Cunningham (Eds.), Integrating study abroad into the curriculum: Theory and
practice across the disciplines (pp. 1-29). Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Dwyer, M., & Peters, C. (2004). The benefits of study abroad. Transitions Abroad, 27 (5), 56-57.
Kauffmann, N., Martin, J., & Weaver, H., with J. Weaver. (1992). Students abroad, strangers at
home: Education for a global society. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

Post-Reading Questions
1. How many paragraphs does this essay have?
6
2. What is the topic of the essay?
Studying abroad
3. Underline the writer’s thesis?

4. What reasons does the writer give for her viewpoint?

5. What is the counter argument (opposing argument) does the author use?