Abstract

Student mobility programs are promoted as an experience of a lifetime. Students who study abroad are thought to acquire a number of skills necessary for today's increasingly global labour market--cross cultural competence, familiarity in a second language, and a broadened world view. Studying overseas is also presumed to accelerate the personal development of students. As students negotiate unfamiliar environments, far away from home, friends, and family, they are thought to gain wisdom, self-confidence, and independence. Along with its educational dimensions, student mobility is also enmeshed with issues related to university internationalization, international trade, a move towards knowledge-based economies, and immigration. Based on ethnographic research, which focussed on Canadian university students studying mainly in Melbourne, Australia, I advance two main arguments in this thesis. First, I suggest that claims about the potential outcomes of studying abroad are premature and need to be re-assessed against students' own motivations for wanting to study abroad and their actual experiences during their time overseas. Second, I argue that student mobility patterns are reflective of the differential economic and political positioning of nation-states in a globalizing world. The experiences of Canadian students are, therefore, considered within the larger context of the processes involved with university internationalization and relevant political and economic priorities of nation-states. This research also forms a part of a larger project on international youth travel, developed by Professors Vered Amit (Concordia University) and Noel Dyck (Simon Frasier University).