"Abroad-er Education: Leaving the Country and Learning More" was this year's first lecture in the monthly Agape Latte series held in Hillside Cafe. On Tuesday night, professor Francis Kilcoyne of the theology department discussed the cultural, societal, and political differences that students encounter when they visit another country, and stressed an understanding of educational travel that goes beyond "cultural tourism."
Kilcoyne stayed within the context of the Agape Latte series by integrating the importance of studying abroad and spiritual discussions.
He incorporated a slideshow that depicted archaeological expeditions that he has been involved in, including pictures of excavations.
His group discovered an Assyrian conquest site where they uncovered most of the skeleton of a woman.
Kilcoyne said of the moment, "It is a sort of privilege moment where someone long ago is reaching out to you."
This spiritual experience was a defining moment of his life because "[the discovery] gave me more vivid terms of the description of the Assyrian conquest in 604 B.C mentioned in the Bible that left the village in acres and acres of ashes and bones," he said.
It is these unique opportunities abroad that make traveling more than cultural tourism.
"An example of cultural tourism," Kilcoyne said, "is American students finding a local McDonald's and spending $60 on hamburgers. This is not expanding horizons, I think it is just dietary cowardice."
Sean Silbert, A&S '10, expanded upon Kilcoyne's point.
"I think a lot of people do [cultural tourism], specifically if you go to a country to drink. If I wanted to go get cheap drinks, I might as well go on vacation. It's called study abroad for a reason," Silbert said.
Having traveled extensively to countries including Greece, Morocco, Israel, and Mexico, Kilcoyne drew upon his eye-opening experiences to reiterate the importance of studying abroad.
Kilcoyne's experiences in Israel gave him greater insight into the Middle East conflict because he was able to see it from a different perspective as a result of his immersion in the culture.
"The information I gained was [what] we Americans find difficult to grasp while reading the front page of The New York Times," said Kilcoyne.
Paige Nichols, A&S '08, studied abroad in Argentina and is currently a student advisor for the Office of International Programs (OIP).
"It is easy to lump together a continent," Nichols said. "It is neat to have an Argentinean professor. It lets you gain an in-depth understanding of the Latin American culture and learn from a different perspective."
When Kilcoyne traveled to Morocco, he recalled a moving experience where he saw "a woman dressed in rags with a screaming child in her arms, who looked 20 years older than his 90-year-old grandmother."
He could not sleep for three nights and it was this "vivid, decontextualized experience" that enabled him to have a more in-depth understanding of social problems such as poverty.
"Having academic experience outside [Boston College], you can meet people from different countries, different areas they have always wanted to go, and having a global awareness is definitely an asset," said Margaret Ramirez, manager of resources and events in the Office of International Programs.
"We live in a diversified country and I think it is important for students to learn about different cultures and become more mature and understanding."
Kilcoyne also brought forth a new perspective on a widely held American belief.
"We as Americans, I like to suggest, have experienced two Copernican revolutions: 9/11 and the war in Iraq. By Copernican revolution I mean the view that the world does not revolve around us," Kilcoyne said.
"The presumption that we are in the center of the universe is unhealthy and cripples how we relate to the rest of the world."
Nhu Huynh, A&S '08, studied abroad for a full year in Oxford, England, and is currently an OIP student advisor. She described her time abroad as one which allowed her to view her own national identity in the broader context of the world.
"Life abroad is different," Huynh said. "Things are different, but it's great because I was aware of how the English think of us and I had to be able to respond accordingly. I lived on campus [at University of Oxford] and a lot of students wanted to know our politics. It's interesting learning about their system and comparing [the two]."
Nichols also emphasized the advantages of experiencing different cultures, and said that students had nothing to lose by trying it.
"Going abroad adds a new dimension, a new experience. After being abroad, I realized the experience is so fun and I knew I had friends coming back," Nichols said. "So in the end, why not go abroad?"
Hunyh said while that she enjoyed her experience abroad, it was helpful to know that she would be returning to BC at its end.
"There's something for everyone. It is what you make of it," Hunyh said.
"Everyone should take that risk and it can only be a positive experience, because BC will always be waiting for you when you come back," she said.
Lastly, Kilcoyne stressed the importance of informed reflection after studying abroad.
In response to a question regarding an example of an optimal informed reflection, Kilcoyne answered, "How do you understand the culture? What are the values? How do the priorities vary? What does this say about understanding yourself?"
Silbert said that Kilcoyne's suggestion that students use their study-abroad experience as an opportunity for greater understanding of both themselves and the world made an impression on him.
"I thought [the lecture] was enlightening. It gave me a perspective on studying abroad that I never thought of before," Silbert said. "I never thought about it in a spiritual way."
Kilcoyne said the key to studying abroad is active participation.
"Every trip you go on you cannot be passive," Kilcoyne said. "You have to be engaged."
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