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Introduction

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Study Abroad Pedagogy, Dark Tourism, and Historical Reenactment

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Abstract

The introduction situates a series of study abroad programs and courses focused partially or wholly on the Whitechapel murders of 1888, which I taught annually to American students in London between 2011 and 2018, in the context of debates about overseas and experiential learning. It analyzes arguments for and against the efficacy of short-term overseas programs to realize the goals of global citizenship and historical empathy.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In Morrison (2018), I discuss the implications of spatial experience for research. See, especially, pp. 1–26, 228–233.

  2. 2.

    Experiential learning has a long history. However, David A. Kolb (1984) has provided the most influential account of learning by experience as a four-stage holistic model: actual experience (the doing of something rather than the reading about or study of it), reflective observation (of one’s own experience or the experience of others), abstract conceptualization (generating a theory of what one has observed), and active experimentation (putting into practice what one has learned). Although this model is not without its critics (see, e.g. Bergsteiner et al. 2010), it remains foundational.

  3. 3.

    As Jeffrey A. Cantor (1995) notes, hands-on experiences help to reinforce “learner mastery” (p. 80).

  4. 4.

    Adjuncts employed by the university in various host cities to teach its students during the regular academic year have also served as directors.

  5. 5.

    Indeed, Bell and Anscombe (2013) suggest that duration alone cannot be used to determine the efficacy of a short-term program. Instead, they point to elements such as the nature and intensity of the program, its careful design, instructor preparedness, and the facilitation of students’ reflection on the experience as determinative of success.

  6. 6.

    This was not always the case. In earlier eras, it was typically graduate students who—in search of essential archival resources or experiences that could not be replicated in their home country—studied abroad. Over the course of the twentieth century, the options for graduate students to study abroad narrowed considerably while the opportunities for undergraduates greatly expanded.

  7. 7.

    For the role of study abroad in American diplomacy, see Themudo et al. (2007).

  8. 8.

    On the importance of studying abroad for the purposes of acquiring a second language, see Brecht et al. (1993); DuFon and Churchill (2006); Freed (1995); and Magnan and Back (2007). On the role of foreign language acquisition in the creation of study abroad programs, see Hoffa (2007).

  9. 9.

    In 2013, Master’s and graduate professional students accounted for only 11 percent of the total number of students studying abroad (Farrugia and Bhandari 2013: p. 21). MBA students often study abroad during the summer between their first and second years (Dyer et al. 2009). In order to acquire a comparative legal perspective, students in law school may study abroad after their first year (Burkhart and Stein 2017: p. 217). International clinical rotations are frequently part of a medical student’s education (Drain et al. 2009: pp. 320–25). As I discuss in Chap. 1, the options for graduate students in humanistic disciplines are few.

  10. 10.

    These are also sometimes referred to as enclaves (Goodwin and Nacht 1988: pp. 42–44).

  11. 11.

    Financial reasons are certainly one consideration: short-term programs are generally less expensive than spending an academic semester or year abroad (Marklein 1999). Short-term programs also provide nontraditional undergraduate students and working adults with opportunities to study abroad that may not otherwise be available to them (Coryell 2013: p. 6). But many students find intimidating either the prospect of studying long term in a foreign country or finding a way to incorporate an extended immersive experience into their academic plans. In my experience as an academic advisor, those students pursuing double majors or participating in university athletic programs find it particularly difficult to study abroad for a semester or longer. On the flip side, some students will participate in multiple short-term programs or study abroad for both long and short periods (Spencer et al. 2005: p. 373).

  12. 12.

    An exception is Smith (2008), who has written an engaging account of her efforts designing and teaching a study abroad course as part of her department’s newly launched London program for English majors.

  13. 13.

    I maintain a strong connection between research and teaching. My study abroad courses focusing on East London are an outgrowth of my investigations into the area, particularly the work of Walter Besant. See Morrison (2012, 2015, forthcoming-a, forthcoming-b).

  14. 14.

    Mary Ann Nichols’s surname was occasionally spelled Nicholls in early accounts of her murder. She used the diminutive Polly while living in the East End. Annie Chapman was born Eliza Anne Smith. Originally from Sweden, Elizabeth Stride was given the name Elisabeth Gustafsdotter at birth. Mary Jane Kelly went by a variety of names, including Mary Ann.

  15. 15.

    As a tool of historical research, empathy can, at its best, achieve these results. See Blake (1998); Cairns (1989); Endacott and Brooks (2013); Foster and Yeager (1998); Low-Beer (1989); Yilmaz (2007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Foreign Languages, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China

    Kevin A. Morrison

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Morrison, K.A. (2019). Introduction. In: Study Abroad Pedagogy, Dark Tourism, and Historical Reenactment. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23006-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23006-7_1

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