The Effects of Colonization on Political and Social Identity: A Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad
Introduction
As the world becomes more connected through advancements in technology and innovation, it is necessary for the shape of education and its institutions to be remolded and adapted to groom individuals to be productive global citizens. Through internationalization efforts such as traditional study-abroad programs that allow students to discover other cultures, upgrade students’ global skills and perspectives, and provide cross-cultural understanding (Altbach and Knight, 2007), higher education institutions are ensuring the preparedness of their students for their journey into the future.
This paper will focus on a common internationalization strategy: a faculty-led short-term study abroad program. This program classification may or may not be located at a host university, and last from one to ten weeks, with students studying alongside fellow home-university students (Vande Berg, 2006). Using a proposed faculty-led short-term study abroad program hosted in Manila, Philippines as its framework, this paper will explore the logistical components of constructing such a program at St. John’s University (SJU) according to the institution’s faculty handbook, and provide a reflection on the program development process.
Study Abroad Program Rationale and Student Learning Outcomes
The Philippines is a country that has been defined and shaped by its relationship with colonization, having been occupied by Spain, the United States, and Japan. Only in 1945 did the Philippines truly gain independence and declare itself as a self-governing republic. Spain began to colonize the Philippines in 1565 when an expedition was sent to establish a settlement in Cebu.
Throughout the 1600s, Spain invested heavily in the natives’ education and conversion to Christianity. Then in 1898, the United States decided to annex the Philippines after having aided Filipino revolutionaries in their quest for freedom from the Spaniards. For the next fifty years, the Philippines would remain under American rule. Japan also occupied the Philippines from 1941 to 1945 after the United States and Filipino forces surrendered to the Japanese at Bataan. During this time, thousands of prisoners died on their way to a Japanese prison camp in what is now called the Bataan Death March. When World War II ended in 1945, the Japanese occupation of the Philippines also ceased (Cullum, 2017).
After being colonized or occupied for nearly 400 years, the political and social thread of the Philippines has no doubt been influenced by the country’s former oppressors. Many cultural changes were introduced to the indigenous Filipinos, such as new foods, the addition of many Spanish words to their language, and most notably, the nation’s dominant practice of Catholicism, which heavily informs political, academic, and social norms.
Using the context of colonization and occupation experienced by the Philippines, the student learning outcomes of the study abroad program are guided by their evidenced learning in competencies and attitudes/values: (1) Disciplinary knowledge, which furthers understanding of one’s own discipline/specialization; (2) Global knowledge, which tackles the complexity of the world and the degrees of global interconnectedness of individuals and communities; (3) Local knowledge, which is an appreciation of local histories, cultures, and politics, and an ability to situate this knowledge in a comparative perspective; (4) Adaptability, flexibility, and resilience, enabling one to navigate unfamiliar social contexts. To assess learning outcomes, there are two papers due prior to departure, which are responses to required readings, and then a final paper due upon return to New York, which synthesizes a student’s chosen topic within the context of the course material, readings, and site visits.
Institutional Background
Founded in 1870, St. John’s University promotes itself as a Catholic, Vincentian, metropolitan, and global university located in Queens, New York. It is a private, co-ed university with a reported enrollment of approximately 21,000 students as of Fall 2017. The institution embraces the Judeo-Christian ideals of respect for the rights and dignity of every person and each individual’s responsibility to contribute to the world. St. Vincent de Paul’s zeal for service heavily influences the university’s mission by striving to provide excellent education for all people, especially those lacking economic, physical, or social advantages, as well as fusing community service programs into the classroom experience. The Office of Global Services (OGS) oversees the internationalization strategies of the university, and has published a faculty handbook that outlines five essential qualities of a study-abroad experience: (1) Academically rigorous; (2) Safe; (3) Dynamic service opportunities; (4) Affordable; and (5) Culturally rich.
Study Abroad Program Logistics
The program takes place in Metro Manila, Philippines for 14 days during the winter session from January 7th to 20th, 2018 with no more than 16 students. Because this is a pilot version of this program, it is important to keep the number of students to a number that brings in enough revenue to support the program, but that is also manageable for two traveling staff members. The title of the course is “The Effects of Colonization on Political and Social Identity,” and translates to a three-credit Sociology elective, with 48 contact hours (a combination of pre- and post-departure meetings, class time during the trip, and site visits/activities). It is co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, as well as the Institute for Asian Studies. The program is led by one faculty member, Dr. Anthony Bayani Rodriguez, and one doctoral student serving as a teaching assistant, Kristine Joy Bacani. In order to apply for the program, students must be either an undergraduate or graduate student within the St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As part of the application process, students must write a 500-word personal statement on what they wish to gain from participating in the study abroad experience. They are also to disclose whether or not they have a disability (either physical or learning) that requires accommodation. This information is used to make necessary program accommodation adjustments. There are two pre-departure meetings, the first of which is an orientation co-presented by a OGS staff member and Dr. Rodriguez. According to the faculty handbook, this orientation is to provide general information regarding international travel, expectations, health and safety, packing, etc. The resources used by OGS during this presentation are created in collaboration with the Embassy of the Philippines to ensure the authenticity of the information. Dr. Rodriguez will also provide an overview of the program’s academics by reviewing the syllabus and details of the course, including relevant excursions, book lists, and assignments. The second pre-departure meeting is a virtual discussion on required readings, and another opportunity for students to connect with fellow participants. Upon arrival in Manila, there is another orientation facilitated in-person by a staff member at a partner institution, the De La Salle University. Instead of repeating the pre-departure content, the onsite orientation is a more interactive and candid way to hear insight directly from a local. There are several organized site visits, along with a few hours of class time integrated into the schedule. Housing is at The Corporate Inn Hotel in double occupancy rooms by gender and living preferences, which are assessed after students complete a housing request form upon acceptance and payment of deposit. Should a student wish to opt out of a same-gender room assignment, a written request must be submitted to OGS for review and approval. Centrally located in the Ermita section of Manila, the hotel is within walking distance of the US Embassy, convenience stores and restaurants, and the Manila Doctors Hospital. Shuttle service by van is provided for group activities. Upon return to New York, there is a final post-program meeting which serves as an opportunity for students to reunite, process their experiences from the trip, and present their final paper topics and findings. The program cost per student is $1,751.28. This fee is not inclusive of non-group meals nor of international airfare to and from Manila. Tuition for the course remains the same as a three-credit course at SJU, which is $1,323.00 per credit.
Study Abroad Program Onsite Activities
In addition to required readings and assignments, the learning experience is enhanced by several organized activities in Manila. There is one free weekend during the trip, giving students the flexibility to create and plan their own activities on those days. Since the course focuses on the ways in which colonization has affected the political and social spheres of the Philippines, all activities have either a political or social connection, and count towards the number of contact hours.
Activities and visits that cover the political effects of colonization include: the Jose Rizal Monument at Luneta Park, Fort Santiago at Intramuros, the site of the Katipunero uprising in Balintawak, the Commission on Elections and/or the Philippine Senate, the Bataan Death March Memorial, the Malacañang (the Presidential palace), and the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.
Activities and visits that cover the social effects of colonization include: an opening dinner and cultural show, visits to the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church, tours and lectures at the University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University, a walking tour of Plaza Dilao (also known as Japantown), and the National Museum of the Philippines.
Adhering to SJU’s Vincentian values of service, the group is to visit a local ‘barangay’ (or municipality) and conduct a community service project, which might vary from cleaning buildings and interacting with school children, to facilitating a religious or community function. The community service component will not count towards contact hours.
Program Marketing Strategies
The SJU Faculty Handbook for Study-Abroad Programs lists several strategies for marketing faculty-led programs. These strategies include: crafting a dynamic program description for the school website and other publications, sharing photos of the destination, announcing the study abroad opportunity during class time, and encouraging academic advisors to promote to students.
Because this program is geared specifically to students within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is co-sponsored by the Institute for Asian Studies, special marketing attention will be given to these spaces through information sessions and events. In January, the Philippines experiences its dry season, which serves as an opportunity to position the trip as a way to escape the winter weather.
Analysis of Study Abroad Program
The SJU study-abroad experience is guided by five qualities: (1) Academically rigorous; (2) Safe; (3) Dynamic service opportunities; (4) Affordable; and (5) Culturally rich. To meet academic rigor, the curriculum incorporates several required scholarly readings on colonization and sociology, and are complemented by visits and tours that commemorate historical events and challenge political and social ideologies. While safety cannot always be guaranteed, Manila is a relatively safe destination and is not currently under an issued travel warning by the US Department of State. Transportation is provided for all group activities, and the hotel where students will stay is located in a central area with convenient access to public transportation and medical facilities. A community service opportunity is integrated into the itinerary, and the program is affordable in the local area, given the performance of the US Dollar in comparison to the Philippine Peso at an exchange rate of 1 USD = 50.30 PHP. The course topic and location certainly provide a culturally rich experience, weaving influences from Spain, the United States, Japan, and the Philippines.
Reflection on the Study Abroad Program Development Process
While the readings covered in class throughout the semester covered study abroad components from a high-level perspective, this final project challenged me to approach the development of a study abroad program with a more detailed lens. Location, curriculum, and challenges are three main areas of reflection.
When choosing a location, I knew the Philippines would be the perfect choice, as I have a personal connection to the country (being Filipino-American myself and having lived there for a few years as a child) and believe it to be a fascinating country that is greatly defined by the other cultures that have been projected onto it through colonization. After learning that most study abroad programs take place in Europe and there is a need to reposition non-traditional study abroad destinations (Wells, 2006), I felt that the Philippines was a viable option to explore. Moreover, it is a primarily English-speaking country, and I was already aware of sites to include in the itinerary.
My own recent experience of studying “Education and Advocacy” abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina informed my approach to the curriculum. It was important for me to create a curriculum that mirrored the curriculum I experienced in Argentina, which went beyond glorifying the natural beauty of the country, dared to portray the country as a complex sum of foreign influences, and challenged students to question imperialistic actions conducted by their own home country (the United States). I had learned about the importance of local-centric pre-departure orientations (Goldoni, 2013), and felt that these resources needed to incorporate the perspectives of the host country, which is why I included a partnership with the Philippine Embassy and De La Salle University.
This exercise allowed me to combine my interest in higher education with the event planning skills I had previously developed professionally through my previous career in corporate event marketing. However, there were some challenges that I faced, particularly around SJU’s service opportunity requirement within a study abroad program, understanding the nuances of the required budget sheet and ensuring the program cost per student remained under $2,000 to remain affordable, and creating an itinerary that had robust site visits with adequate contact hours. Choosing which institution to host the study abroad program is actually the last step I took in this process. Because SJU has a dynamic Sociology department that happens to have a professor of Filipino heritage that I could assign as the faculty program lead, I decided to revise the itinerary and integrate the service project, despite my personal opposition to the concept of community service being required or being executed without clearly outlined motivations for its implementation and strategic impact beyond a short amount of time.
Conclusion
There are various components to developing a study abroad program, ranging from the academic component of curriculum creation and the institutional responsibility of providing a comprehensive (Hudzik, 2011) and intentional internationalization experience, to the logistical process of making important arrangements like housing and transportation. The institution type also affects the direction of a study abroad program, as evidenced by SJU’s adherence to Vincentian values that incorporate community service into its ethos. The Philippines is currently not a popular nor traditional study abroad destination; however, the shaping of its rich history and culture influenced by nearly 400 years of colonization and foreign occupation make the Philippines a tremendous destination to be considered by higher education institutions seeking to expand internationalization efforts through faculty-led short-term study abroad programs.
References
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations
and realities. Journal of studies in international education, 11(3-4), 290-305.
Cullum, J. (2017, March 1). Colonization of the Philippines. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from
http://preparetoserve.com/blog/colonization-of-philippines/
Goldoni, F. (2013). Students' immersion experiences in study abroad. Foreign Language Annals,
46(3), 359-376.
Hudzik, J.K. (2011). Comprehensive internationalization: From concept to action.
St. John’s University. http://www.stjohns.edu/about
Vande Berg, M. (2006). A research-based approach to education abroad classification. In The
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Wells, R. (2006). Nontraditional Study Abroad Destinations: Analysis of a Trend. Frontiers: The
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APPENDIX:
THE EFFECTS OF COLONIZATION ON POLITICAL AND SOCIAL IDENTITY
A Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad Program in Manila, Philippines
Itinerary
DAY 1 (SUN, JAN 7)
Arrival in Manila (The Corporate Inn Hotel)
DAY 2 (MON, JAN 8)
Breakfast and Orientation at Hotel
Opening Dinner and Cultural Show (Barbara’s Heritage Restaurant)
DAY 3 (TUE, JAN 9)
Manila Cathedral & San Agustin Church
Class Time at Hotel
DAY 4 (WED, JAN 10)
Rizal Monument at Luneta Park
Fort Santiago at Intramuros (Group lunch provided)
DAY 5 (THU, JAN 11)
University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University
DAY 6 (FRI, JAN 12)
Katipunero Uprising at Balintawak
Class Time (Guest speaker)
DAY 7 & 8 (SAT, JAN 13 & SUN, JAN 14)
FREE DAYS
DAY 9 (MON, JAN 15)
Commission on Elections and/or Philippine Senate
Visit to Local Barangay for Community Service Project
DAY 10 (TUE, JAN 16)
Plaza Dilao/Japantown (Group lunch provided)
National Museum of the Philippines
DAY 11 (WED, JAN 17)
Bataan Memorial
DAY 12 (THU, JAN 18)
Malacañang Palace
DAY 13 (FRI, JAN 19)
Aguinaldo Shrine (Kawit, Cavite)
Class Time in Hotel
Closing Group Dinner
DAY 14 (SAT, JAN 20)
Departures