Reflections on Nation: American Undergraduates and Education Abroad

Abstract

Study abroad is increasingly a key component of U.S. universities' efforts to both create and solidify their commitments to international education. This article specifically examines how American undergraduates negotiate their national identity in the context of studying abroad. Although universities often promote study abroad through paradigms that emphasize global awareness, national sentiments and identity are still fundamental elements of how Americans see and position themselves in the world, particularly in the post—September 11 context. Drawing on Craig Calhoun's scholarship on national identity, the author argues that students negotiate a middle path between what he terms a “thin” (cosmopolitan) and a “thick” (ethnocentric) sense of national identity. In conclusion, the author suggests that although global awareness is a broad and often nebulous pedagogical goal of study abroad, critical reflection on national identity is both obtainable and an important step toward global citizenship.