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Teaching Professional Writing To American Students in a Study Abroad Program

University of Delaware, dandrews{at}udel.edu

Brent Henze

East Carolina University, henzeb{at}ecu.edu

Studying abroad enhances the intercultural competencies of American students, but that enhancement strategy may be seen as an obstacle to those in business and technical fields who follow a tight curriculum and work to cover expenses. To meet their needs, U.S. professional communication faculty are designing short courses that can be delivered abroad during between-term periods and that foster an understanding of the situations and genres of the field within a context of cultural dislocation. Based on the courses described in this article, the best approach is to settle students in one location rather than touring; keep student numbers low by an entrepreneurial approach to keeping costs low; encourage students to live as the locals do, in apartments rather than hotels; explicitly plan appropriate access to technology; use class time to provide structure and reflection, but allow free time for collateral learning; and make sure the course grows local roots.

Key Words: study abroad • short courses • intercultural competencies

This version was published on March 1, 2009

Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 72, No. 1, 5-20 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1080569908330382


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