Check out this new article: 

The Short-Term ‘Bridge Model’ Study Abroad Program: Peacebuilding in Latin America 

The conventional wisdom about conflict resolution international education assumes that students must choose between short term “island” study abroad programs that are accessible but have only superficial impact, and longer immersion programs, which gave greater impact but higher costs and barriers to participation.  This article argues that well-designed study abroad programs can combine the best of both models to achieve significant impact even in a short program.  It proposes a “bridge model” for reconceptualizing study abroad not as a discrete event with more or less impact on student learning, but as a key intervention that furthers a student’s overall development within an internationalized curriculum. The article examines the case of an international peacebuilding study abroad program in Ecuador. It measures alumni perceptions of impact, objective outcomes, and alumni network development, based on a survey of past participants from four years of the program, as well as qualitative interviews.  The key finding is that solid program design and structured cross-cultural interaction (particularly through the participation of local students throughout the program) produces the type of long-term effect and networks traditionally associated with immersion programs.  Greater post-program networking is also associated with greater perceived program impact.  

Originally published as: 

Jeff Pugh, “The Short-Term ‘Bridge Model’ Study Abroad Program: Peacebuilding in Latin America,” PS: Political Science & Politics 46, no. 4 (October 2013): 791-796.

Access the full article online: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=onlin...

For those in the Global South without access to university databases, check it out here: https://www.academia.edu/4653931/The_Short-Term_Bridge_Model_Study_...