Two Martha and Spencer Love School of Business professors recently published an article analyzing the efficacy of business and nonbusiness-focused short-term study abroad courses in raising students' global awareness.
The article was co-authored with Neal H. Olitsky, assistant professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
The article abstract reads:
“Business schools have long sought to increase students’ global awareness. Short-term study abroad (STSA) experiences are becoming increasingly popular ways of generating awareness. While a handful of studies have found evidence of efficacy, none have specifically tested how courses with business content differ from other STSAs. Using a longitudinal data set, we find that all courses, regardless of content, increase students’ general awareness, awareness of global interdependence, and language exposure. However, for students with lower levels of global awareness to start with, business programs appear to be more effective in imparting awareness of global interdependence than nonbusiness programs.”