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Joan Elias Gore, Ph.D.

Dominant Beliefs in American Study Abroad

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PEOPLE WITH IMPACT INTERVIEW - Joan Elias Gore, Ph.D., Director of Travel Programs for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia, recently published a book titled Dominant Beliefs and Alternative Voices: Discourse, Belief, and Gender in American Study Abroad. In the following interview, Joan discusses the historical perception of American undergraduate study abroad and how those perceptions affect current international education trends.

Q: Can you give a brief summary of your book,Dominant Beliefs and Alternative Voices: Discourse, Belief, and Gender in American Study Abroad?
Joan Gore: Despite calls for campus internationalization, less than three percent of American undergraduates study abroad. This book examines the development of American undergraduate study abroad to the present day, investigating how powerful derogatory beliefs about international exchange have constrained its growth and examining the policies designed to increase participation in overseas education.

In the early twentieth century, Americans came to perceive U.S. higher education as superior to the European institutions they previously admired. Whereas American men once sought European educations to pursue the professions, they now stayed home. After World War I, study abroad became the domain of undergraduate women, often from private women’s colleges perceived to be bastions of wealth and purposeless liberal education. Their presence then and now contributes to the perception that study abroad is a Grand Tour, unconnected to the functional and career-oriented education prized in America.

Using the qualitative theory of Michel Foucault, this book contributes to a new understanding of why negative beliefs have so long defined study overseas; how and why study abroad has been pursued by those who support it; and the role overseas education abroad has played in the lives of women who are its primary participants. It also suggests new foundations upon which to build policy about foreign study in the twenty-first century.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?
Joan Gore: Having been in study abroad for an extended length of time, I began to notice trends in involvement, especially in terms of gender participation. Women have always represented the majority of study abroad participants, and have been integral in expanding the field compared to their male counterparts. The perceptions that characterize the history of study abroad are still very relevant and common today, so it is important that we understand the past to shape the future of international education.

Q: In a nutshell, what are some of the most prominent derogatory beliefs about international exchange that have constrained its growth??
Joan Gore: Historically, men have tended to shy away from international study as they thought of it as a female activity. In the early 1900s, the flapper was all the rage, and women were viewed as frivolous, not studious. In the eyes of men, women that went abroad were not serious students; rather, women that went overseas did so to look for a husband, to become more cultured, to partake in some good shopping, or for any other variety of frolicsome reasons. In actuality, the women that were participating in study abroad were actually extremely academically inclined, and most had the ultimate goal of a career, likely teaching (a field that was highly looked down upon as participation in the field is predominantly female also). These women were strong—they were the ones that stayed in Europe during the unrest of the first half of the 20th century, taking political and physical risks to pursue their education. Beginning at the onset of World War I, men tended to stay in American institutions because they were told that the quality of education was just as good, even in the areas of foreign language. While men continued to disregard international competency, women continued to act as the main proponents and driving force behind study abroad initiatives after WWII as Europe Africa and other continents began to open up, as well as post-9/11.

Q: To whom will the book be most compelling and why?
Joan Gore: My hope is that this book will be most compelling to policy makers. Research shows that study abroad participants are still predominantly women. In order to reach the goals set by the Lincoln Commission to raise participation in study abroad fivefold in the next ten years, we must address the historical trends in study abroad and shift the paradigm.

Q: What can proponents of study abroad do to alter the way foreign study is perceived moving forward??
Joan Gore: We need to be retrospective and look into the past to chart our course for the future. Women have evolved so much since the time of the flapper—women aren’t still considered frivolous; rather they represent some of our countries best and brightest minds. Yet their male counterparts still tend to shy away from participation based on historical perceptions and trends. I think a critical part of changing the way international study is perceived will relate to outreach to various organizations to present the reality of study abroad and the ways in which it can truly bolster an educational endeavor.

Joan Gore is a veteran of study abroad, having worked with some of the biggest and most successful enterprises, including AIFS, CIEE and Denmark’s Study Abroad (DIS). Prior to her work in study abroad, Dr. Gore held faculty, Assistant Dean, and Study Abroad Advisor positions in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. Joan most recently published a book titled Dominant Beliefs and Alternative Voices: Discourse, Belief, and Gender in American Study Abroad, and has contributed articles, book chapters and other written content to international education publications including Peterson's Study Abroad and NAFSA: Guide to Education Abroad.

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