When Words Matter: An Eco-centric Analysis of Language in Education Abroad

Thursday, March 20, 2025

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM US EST

Location: Provincial South, 2nd floor

Session Leader(s)

Daniel Ponce-Taylor

Sustainability & Strategic Partnerships Director
Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI)
Galapagos/Honduras, Spain

Presenter(s)

Margherita Pasquini (she/her/hers)

Study Abroad Coordinator
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
Thi Nguyen

Ph.D. Candidate and College Instructor
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Sunnyvale, California, United States

Stories shape us as communities.The images and words used (or not) forge different realities. During a climate crisis, what Ed Abroad story are we sharing with students? To what extent is sustainability pivotal to that story? This session will explore the use of sustainability-focused semantics within education abroad, and the role of language in influencing students’ decisions and behaviors in ways that are conducive toward greater environmental justice and sustainability.

Learning Objectives:

Gain familiarity with the concept of ecolinguistics.
Understand the complex connections between semantics, marketing strategies, and the overall field’s transition towards sustainable practices.
Develop an awareness of how traditional narratives of Education Abroad can belie principles of environmental justice through enabling a culture of intensive carbon consumption and exploitative travel practices.
Start to reimagine different ways in which the everyday language of education abroad can be shifted to foster more ecocentric values and more globally responsible student engagement.