Strategies for teaching White students about racism during a study abroad course

Abstract

It is challenging to teach about racism well. One of the reasons for this difficulty is that the topic of racism is sometimes met with resistance from students. Therefore, it is important for psychology instructors to continue to identify and practice effective ways to teach about racism. I contend that the study abroad experience is a valuable opportunity for this type of teaching. Drawing from my experience as a Korean American educator teaching Cross-Cultural Psychology to American students studying abroad in South Korea, I provide some concrete examples of pedagogical tools and approaches that I have found helpful in deepening White students’ understanding of racism. My hope is that instructors who lead study abroad programs will be inspired to try some of these ideas and also implement new ones that will help White students to understand racism.