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Copyright by Tatiana Borisovna Segura 2008 - The University of ...

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RESEARCH AUDIENCE<br />

<strong>The</strong> primary audience <strong>of</strong> this study is directors and administrators <strong>of</strong> study abroad<br />

programs interested in improving their programs’ pre-departure preparation techniques<br />

<strong>by</strong> providing their study abroad participants with more detailed information on<br />

acculturation, gender, and ethnicity in a study abroad setting. This study will also be a<br />

valuable source <strong>of</strong> information for other researchers working on issues <strong>of</strong> acculturation,<br />

gender and ethnicity in educational settings abroad. Governmental agencies interested in<br />

promoting and facilitating cross-cultural communication between the United States and<br />

Russia will benefit from the study as well. Finally, it is hoped that this study will help<br />

many American college students who are planning to undertake study abroad in Russia to<br />

achieve better understanding <strong>of</strong> the sociocultural aspects <strong>of</strong> Russian culture and get more<br />

out <strong>of</strong> their limited time in country.<br />

DEFINING KEY TERMINOLOGY<br />

were used:<br />

For the purposes <strong>of</strong> this study, the following definitions <strong>of</strong> the key terminology<br />

A short-term study abroad program is a study abroad program with a duration <strong>of</strong><br />

three to eight weeks.<br />

Identity is “how a person understands his or her relationship to the world, how<br />

that relationship is constructed across time and space, and how the person understands<br />

possibilities for the future” (Norton 5).<br />

Inequality is the unequal allocation <strong>of</strong> benefits (Cohn 3).<br />

Discrimination is the provision <strong>of</strong> unequal benefits to people <strong>of</strong> different<br />

ascriptive statuses despite identical qualifications and merits (Cohn 3).<br />

Prejudice is an attitude <strong>of</strong> hostility held <strong>by</strong> members <strong>of</strong> one ascriptive group<br />

towards members <strong>of</strong> another (Cohn 3).<br />

5

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