Fostering critically compassionate global citizens: A UK university study abroad experience in South Korea

Abstract

This article explores how a short-term study abroad programme in South Korea cultivated a critically compassionate and morally engaged form of global citizenship among British East Asian Studies undergraduate students. Drawing on our pedagogical reflections, we examine student engagement with South Korean unification education via encounters with a range of government and non-governmental actors, each offering divergent perspectives on inter-Korean relations. We argue that structured reflection, emotional attunement, and agonistic engagement enabled students to develop confidence in navigating complexity while fostering a justice-oriented response to conflict and inequality. These outcomes were supported by a pedagogical approach that prioritised ethical deliberation, affective engagement, and reflexive positionality, encouraging students to interrogate assumptions and challenge dominant narratives. The study connects area studies education with broader debates in global citizenship education (GCE), advocating for in-country engagement that moves beyond skills acquisition toward ethical and political awareness. The findings support a call to embed GCE more deliberately in area studies curricula, enabling students to grapple with positionality, power, and global interdependence through critically informed, affective, and dialogic learning.