Study Abroad 2020
Pathways for Peace: International Education's Role in Harmonizing International Relations

It’s no coincidence that the U.S. renewed its interest in international exchange following the world’s deadliest war. The idea that cultural understanding could pave the way for peace among nations made sense on paper. Did it really have the power to bring harmony to a divisive and broken world?

Today less than 2% of all U.S. undergraduates experience the power of international education*. Yet, it has never been more critical to ensure tomorrow’s workforce has the skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world and they understand that humanizing international relations is the path to a more peaceful global community.

As educators, we know study abroad reaches the hearts and minds of students at a time when they’re open to new perspectives and life-shaping experiences. If intercultural learning is international diplomacy at its best, how can we ensure all programs imbue students with this knowledge, so they carry it into their careers and communities and help harmonize international relations? Questions before us include:

• How can we create international experiences that have humanizing and peace keeping at their core?
• What kind of experiential learning and co-curricular activities best foster intercultural awareness and inclusion?
• What knowledge does study abroad need to impart that has meaningful and lasting impact on international relations?
• How can international experiences, across academic areas, make “global citizenship” an inherent takeaway?
• How can we humanize cross-cultural engagement and substantiate its economic, social, and educational benefits?
• How do innovative high school and gap-year programs create globally-engaged, college-ready students – and how should universities further mentor these future leaders?

Join us at the 2020 CIEE Annual Conference in Seoul, South Korea, November 3-5, 2020 to discuss the impact of international education in student’s lives and how it plays a crucial role in the harmonizing of international relations.

Stay Tuned

Registration opens – May 2020

*NAFSA Trends in U.S. Study Abroad 2016-2017