with CONVICTIONS BILL HARTLEY ATHENA STUDY ABROAD - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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with CONVICTIONS BILL HARTLEY ATHENA STUDY ABROAD - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Feb 08, 2023 367 likes •677 views

CURB YOUR DOGMA? Advising International Education Students with CONVICTIONS BILL HARTLEY ATHENA STUDY ABROAD BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635 CURB YOUR DOGMA? Advising International Education Students because they ALL

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CURB YOUR DOGMA?

Advising International Education Students

with CONVICTIONS

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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CURB YOUR DOGMA?

Advising International Education Students

…because they ALL have convictions!

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Goals for today’s session…

  • 1. Get some important questions on the the

table…

  • 2. Ignite thinking and conversation
  • 3. Challenge you to assess where you stand.
  • 4. Encourage you to consider your approach

to advising in these areas.

  • 5. Engage in the ongoing Curb

Your Dogma conversation, if interested.

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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To begin:

International Education That Changes Lives!

Who they are What they will experience Who they will become

“Cultural Intelligence”

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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IDEALLY?...

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

Completed product: Intercultural Champion Perfect program: All the right influences Ideal student: TABULA RASA!

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Back to your students – who “are” they?

  • Is it what’s on the application…?
  • Is it what’s on the inside:
  • ASSUMPTIONS
  • PRE-CONCEPTIONS
  • PREJUDICES
  • BIASES
  • DETERMINATIONS
  • CONCLUSIONS

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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(parenthetically – the dogma of relativism…)

√ American, Secular Higher Education is profoundly secular – many think Tabula Rasa and relativism are virtues √ The world is profoundly religious, “dogmatic” √ As western “leaders” in globalization, we need to get our heads around this, not just ignore it.

i.e. Africa – from 10 million to 360 million Christians in the past century i.e. America – Jesus-worship still the biggest cultural activity in our country and culture

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Gym example…

  • Fitness trainer has a vision for me

as a healthy person

  • He runs a series of tests to see

WHERE I AM NOW

  • THEN he knows how to proceed

with a plan to get me from here to there How do we check our students cultural-intelligence body fat?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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It is my conviction that …

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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It is my conviction that …

  • 1. Who a student really is has EVERYTHING to do with

their international education experience.

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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It is my conviction that …

  • 1. Who a student really is has EVERYTHING to do with

their international education experience

  • 2. We have a hard time talking with students about

these deeper themes and issues. Why?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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It is my conviction that …

  • 1. Who a student really is has EVERYTHING to do with

their international education experience

  • 2. We have a hard time talking with students about

these deeper themes and issues

  • 3. Lack of awareness of a student’s convictions can lead

not only to missed opportunities, but possibly to some real dangers!

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Possible examples…

Sending/Receiving: an ISIS sympathizer? a communist? an over-the-top capitalist? a racial bigot? a militant feminist? a proselytizing religious person? a gay rights activist? a practicing hedonist? *

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Okay … Question 1:

  • What can we talk about with students we advise?
  • Their religious beliefs?
  • Their stands on social issues?
  • Their political bents?
  • Their levels of racism?

If “no” – why not? If “yes” – how?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Okay … Question 2:

  • Even if we knew what to talk about … do any of us

have the bandwidth to provide the kind of pre- counseling that is needed to maximize the international experience?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Question(s) 3:

  • Would you encourage your students to put

their convictions on the shelf for a semester? (e.g., “curb your dogma”)

  • Or would do you encourage them to “be

themselves” because that’s part of the intercultural exchange experience?

(Is there a double standard here with incoming vs. outgoing students?)

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Question 4:

Should we offer special programming for…

  • Gay students?
  • Minority students?
  • Religious students?
  • Political students?

If “no” – why not? If “yes” – why, and how?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Some Conclusions:

  • If we want our students to have an optimal, cultural-

intelligence-building experience, then having some level

  • f understanding of their convictions is essential to

crafting that experience. In short, “it IS our business.”

  • It is not politically incorrect to ask students about their

convictions, and speak about how those convictions could create issues in an international context.

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Some Conclusions:

  • As much as we realize the students have

convictions, we need to embrace our own biases and prejudices, and make sure we don’t “inflict” them on students when we advise them*.

* Unless those convictions are part and parcel of your institution’s vision

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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What are some ways we could broach these topics with our students appropriately, and effectively?

(take it away, professionals!)

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Some good ideas to date:

  • Generic advising materials: Reference pieces (pdf, online

“quiz”, articles) that encourages student reflection

without singling out their specific situation.

  • Reconsider what we’re doing: Realizing we can’t

microwave student interaction, and choose not to cut corners for numbers.

  • Sensitive Partners: Work with organizations that offer

legitimate counseling vs. enrollment management.

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Thanks for all you do for your students! Stay in touch – please leave a card, and drop by the Athena booth this week!

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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For discussion…

How would you feel in the following instances:

  • Your student converts to a new religion

…make that a dangerous* religious cult

  • Your student joins in public political demonstrations

…where people are getting imprisoned

  • Your student is being evangelized by a host family

…specifically, a militant Muslim host family

  • Your student is involved in gender rights rallies

…in an extremely patriarchal culture/country

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Hypothetical situation: A U.S. study abroad student goes to Turkey, crosses the border, and joins ISIS.

1.

Should we have caught this in any way before it happened?

2.

If yes … how?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Hypothetical situation: An international student comes to Chicago, joins a terrorist cell, and recruits new members to it.

1.

Should we have caught this in any way before it happened?

2.

If yes … how?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635

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Hypothetical situation: True story: A seemingly normal study abroad applicant is placed with a host family in France. We come to find he’s a skin-head, with Nazi tattoos, listens to Hitler tunes in his room, and brandishes a machete wherever he goes.

1.

Should we have caught this in any way before it happened?

2.

If yes … how?

BILL HARTLEY – ATHENA STUDY ABROAD – BILL.HARTLEY@ATHENAABROAD.COM - 480.388.2635