UNC’s study abroad programs are relatively extensive and also responsible for the 28 percent of undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences who decide to supplement their academic careers with an international expedition.
This board supports the study abroad programs and their various benefits to the student body.
But it would serve the school well if it developed a program specifically for critically examining the lasting effects of United States foreign policy on sovereign nations, especially those in the developing world, while students study abroad in those countries.
Such an initiative would likely be offered through a variety of departments and programs, such as the history, global studies and peace, war and defense departments, along with cultural studies programs.
These areas of study deal with issues surrounding international relations, a topic that can easily become a vacuum within a classroom environment.
This is especially true for subjects regarding U.S. foreign policy and makes it imperative that this program be enacted, as the hegemonic order anchored by the U.S. has led to its involvement in a variety of international conflicts as early as the 19th century.
Furthermore, being given the ability to learn about lesser-known relationships between foreign countries and the U.S. while studying abroad would allow students to learn the requisite course material, while also making their own judgments regarding the effects of American actions, as they immerse themselves in that foreign culture.
Admittedly, certain study abroad programs already in place — such as the Phillips Ambassadors project — would likely already afford students the opportunity to explore the dynamics and lasting effects of U.S. international relations on other nations.
However, the institutionalization of this project is necessary due to the importance of historically analyzing U.S. foreign policy events and their outcomes in order to better grapple with future international ordeals.
