GO STUDY! (abroad)

GO STUDY! (ABROAD)





Persuasion has been studied for over two thousand years. From philosophers like Aristotle to recent philosophers like Kenneth Burke. For all these years photospheres have been arguing and presenting their theories on topics like rhetoric and aesthetics. I will be talking about some of those theories. They are the cognitive consistency theory, systematic processing model, and need for cognition. I will apply these theories to why St. John’s University students should consider joining the study abroad program at our university.
First, I would like to explain the theories. The cognitive consistency theory rests on the assumption that humans want to reduce inconsistencies because they create stress or discomfort. A fundamental principle here is that people who are stable and content with life are more difficult to change. Decisions may result from other motives, some motivation like discomfort or a positive opportunity is typically necessary to move people to make major changes when they perceive life is already good. Ethical questions come up regarding the intentional creation of stress and tension. The systematic processing model is part of the HSM, or the heuristic-systematic model. This represents a comprehensive treatment of judgment-related information. It’s a slow, high-effort reasoning process bearing strong resemblance to the central processing route in the ELM, or elaboration likelihood model. Heuristics are mental rules of thumb though they are not very accurate but can still be useful to deal with common situations. They are strategies



that help us reduce the time it takes to make decisions. Heuristics are used in everyday life. For example if 4 people are at a stop sign, instead of know the exact rules and see who was there first, a person might wave their hand as a shortcut to concluding who should go first or not. Some heuristics can be misleading too. This leads to the last theory, the need for cognition. It is a cognitive motivation to process information and is a general trait that some people enjoy thinking and others do not. People high in the need for cognition are more likely to form their attitudes by paying close attention to relevant arguments whereas people low in the need for cognition are more likely to rely on peripheral cues, such as how attractive or credible a speaker is. Psychological research on the need for cognition has been conducted using self-report tests, where research participants answered a series of statements such as "I prefer my life to be filled with puzzles that I must solve" and were scored on how much they felt the statements represented them. The results have suggested that people who are high in the need for cognition score slightly higher in verbal intelligence tests but no higher in abstract reasoning tests. There were no gender differences in the need for cognition. Research concludes that individuals high in NFC are less likely to attribute higher social desirability to more attractive individuals or to males. Individuals high in NFC report higher life satisfaction.



Before I go into the actual application of these theories, I would first like to explain into detail what exactly the study abroad program at St. John’s University is, and



what they do and do not provide for students. There are many study abroad programs at St. John’s. A student has a choice of picking from over 15 different countries in which they would like to spend a semester in. I feel that the study abroad program is an amazing opportunity we have at our university and most students should definitely take advantage of it. I say this because I took that opportunity when I studied abroad in Rome,
Italy last year. Everyone knows and talks about the academic and cultural learning advantage this has, but after going through it, I believe, at least for me anyway, it was a real test of will. Knowing whether you can learn, think, and solve everyday life problems on your own in a foreign country away from your family and home is the real challenge. St. John’s feels that while abroad, students will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to become immersed in an entirely new cultural setting. Being abroad gives students the opportunity to discover their strengths and abilities, conquer new challenges, and solve new problems. This is a great opportunity to give greater depth to a student’s academic career by making the world your classroom. You can even learn a new language where everywhere is the language lab. Students can boost their language skills and will be surprised how fast they can learn a language when living in a particular culture. Many students end up adding a language minor to diversify their academic report. St. John’s claims that as a University, they commit themselves to academic excellence but also the pursuit of social justice and aid to the poor. As global citizens opportunities must be searched for out all over the globe. Students will have the chance to go beyond their nation's boundaries and help families right in their own country. Students who have worked in soup kitchens in Rome or hospitals in Paris have gained a new perspective on other cultures and people. Studying abroad is an investment in a student’s future; one



that helps distinguishes you from the crowd. Employers look for well-rounded candidates who display drive and independent thinking; by studying abroad you can demonstrate your leadership skills. The world is becoming more and more globalized every day. America has invested billions in foreign countries, and companies around the world continue to invest in the international market. Through an employer's eyes, students who have studied abroad are self-motivated, independent, willing to embrace challenges, and able to cope with diverse situations. Their experience living and studying in a foreign country, will give them the skills necessary to negotiate in another culture, and acquire language skills that will set them apart from other job applicants.
My line of argument is that despite the financial burdens, the study abroad program is something that every student should at least consider seriously while attending St. John’s. For students who are on financial aid, the semester fee will be paid. However, there is an $8,000 study abroad fee. This includes housing, 30 day meal plan, and a one week all expense paid European Union trip. It does not include air fare to go and come back from here to your destination. When I was signing up for the program, there was one scholarship available to who ever wrote the best essay on a certain topic. Anyway, it is understandable that $8,000 is a lot of money to come up with on top of the tuition fee. It would be very difficult to change the minds of students who are very much content



with their life here on Queens Campus. This is an application of the cognitive consistency theory. Going to a foreign country for 4 months and having a huge



financially weight is something that needs to be well thought out before attempting. This is where the systematic processing model is practical. It’s a slow, high-effort reasoning process bearing strong resemblance to the central processing route in the ELM, or elaboration likelihood model. This is a decision that needs to be made rationally and needs to use the central route. High reasoning and use of logic is a must for important choices as this. The need for cognition is a cognitive motivation to process information and is a general trait that some people enjoy thinking and others do not. As to the study abroad program, some students would get turned on to the idea of going abroad immediately before even inquiring information about it. On the other hand, there are a handful of students who would get turned off by the idea, and mostly it would be due to the financial weight. I am confident in saying this because I have seen very bright and ambitious students who were very much interested in joining the program but were unable to due lack of funds. Some students said that even if they had the funds, they did not think it was a good idea to go abroad because they would party too much and after spending so much money they were afraid of getting a bad GPA. I even remember one student who wanted to do the Discover the World Program; this is a new program St. John’s came up with last year. This program entails six weeks of the semester in Rome, another six weeks in Paris, and three weeks in Salamanca, Spain. Back to the student, he was explained the strict but fair rules about not getting in trouble through out the program because they will not hesitate to throw a student out. The student (who will remain nameless) said he cannot attend the program because he would definitely be thrown out. In hind sight, there was a lot of misinformation given to us as students after we had gotten accepted in the program. The woman in charge (Kathryn Paskor) of the program and the one who was to provide us accurate information did just the opposite. She assumed things and passed it on to us as if it was completely precise information but it was not. I noticed the University used mere exposure as a method to catch students’ attention. There were banners and signs all over campus, the use of mere exposure is the more the exposure the more we like. Pentad is a tool of analysis for the semantic dimension of language developed by Burke. This has five central elements: scene, act, agent, agency, and purpose. Scene is the physical location, the situation, time, social place, occasion and other elements. Act refers to any motivated action. The words and actions taken by a person, and their appropriateness for the scene, ultimately affect





outcome. Agent is Burke’s term for the person or group of persons who take action in the scene. They are the actors or characters that make things happen. Agency is the tool, method, or means used by persuaders to accomplish their ends. Finally, purpose is the reason an agent acts in a given scene using a particular agency. The persuader’s true purpose can be more, or less, apparent. The scene in this case is the location of the study abroad program. The act would be to actually sign up for the program. The agent would be the students attending the program. The agency is St. John’s University and any other schools affiliated with the study abroad program. Finally the purpose is a student signing up for the program though St. John’s University for the study abroad program.

There are four contextual effects, physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, task attractiveness, and credibility. The physical attractiveness in this case would be the appeal towards the city of where to study. The social attractiveness could be many factors. It could be the fact that a person is going to me meet new people in a different setting and culture, or that a close friend is joining the program and they would like to join it because their friend is going. Creditability is factual and believability, depending on how one wants to define it. In this case the credibility would be that which will be on a student’s transcript; that they studied abroad and gained a lot of experience and maturity, which really stands out on a transcript. Another great application to this would be the Yale 5-stage developmental model. The five stages are identity, legitimacy, participation, penetration, and distribution. Identity is self-explanatory, legitimacy are warrants and credibility, participation is about getting members, penetration is brand


name recognition, and distribution is when the movement becomes an establishment. In the case of the study abroad program, the participation is actually getting students to join and make the program grow, the penetration is to spread the word about the program and label it with a positive recognition, and distribution, where the program is growing in popularity, funding, and has firmly established itself as an important part of St. John’s University.
In conclusion, my argument was that despite the financial burdens and other things, the study abroad program is well worth the time, money, and effort. I have explained theories, and then explained their application on students and how they may have made their decisions. I have shown why it would be worth trying out the program, and even if students are unsure, there are a lot more students who attended this program than there were when I went, so they would be the primary resource for all questions students may have. I would completely have to criticize the faculty in charge of the program though. They give students so much misinformation, and try to rush them into the program just so they can collect that tuition check as fast as possible. Remember that if a student is at all seriously considering going abroad, that they get all the information they need. Ask any and all questions because once you have made your final decision there are no turning back. As the program grows, and it is, there will be more scholarship opportunities to get a free ride abroad for a full semester. I have given good solid factual information from my own personal experience, and I hope students continue to make this amazing and life changing program grow.