Managing risk or managing fear? A discourse analysis of study abroad safety training
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.1221Keywords:
Discourse analysis, higher education, risk management, study abroadAbstract
Risk management is a defining feature of higher education, particularly in study abroad programs, where institutions seek to safeguard students, staff, and faculty. Yet little research has examined the unintended effects of risk management. This study applies discourse analysis to a mandatory risk management training curriculum used at more than 400 universities. The analysis identifies five themes: (1) training fosters hypervigilance; (2) safety is framed in militaristic terms; (3) participants are encouraged to assert superiority over local contexts; (4) narrow modes of response are prioritized; and (5) public safety concerns are reframed as individual or privatized obligations. These findings suggest that the curricula may not simply mitigate threats but also heighten fear, reshape international engagement, and reinforce asymmetries between universities and host communities. The article concludes with implications for university policy, training design, and research, such as defining safety through the lens of local leaders rather than objective insurance underwriters.
Abstract in SpanishLa gestión de riesgos es una característica definitoria de la educación superior, especialmente en los programas de estudios en el extranjero, donde las instituciones buscan proteger a los estudiantes, al personal y a la facultad. Sin embargo, se ha investigado poco sobre los efectos no deseados de la gestión de riesgos. Este estudio aplica un análisis del discurso a un plan de formación obligatoria en gestión de riesgos utilizado en más de 400 universidades. El análisis identifica cinco temas: (1) la capacitación fomenta la hipervigilancia; (2) la seguridad se presenta en términos militaristas; (3) se anima a los participantes a afirmar superioridad sobre los contextos locales; (4) se priorizan modos de respuesta estrechos; y (5) las preocupaciones de seguridad pública se reinterpretan como obligaciones individuales o privatizadas. Estos hallazgos sugieren que los programas de capacitación pueden no solo mitigar amenazas, sino también aumentar el miedo, remodelar el compromiso internacional y reforzar las asimetrías entre las universidades y las comunidades anfitrionas. El artículo concluye con implicaciones para la política universitaria, el diseño de la formación y la investigación, como definir la seguridad desde la perspectiva de los líderes locales en lugar de los aseguradores objetivos.
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