Knox case a lesson for 'innocents' abroad
By Kim
Last week, University of Washington student Amanda Knox was convicted by an Italian jury for the brutal murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, 21, while the two girls were studying abroad in the college town of Perugia in 2007.
The case caused an international debate over whether there was sufficient evidence to place Knox at the scene and whether the constant stream of media coverage played into the jury's ultimate decision. The prosecution portrayed the Seattle native as a promiscuous, pot-smoking wild child who, along with her boyfriend and another man, killed Kercher in a sex game turned violent. Many in the American media defended Knox, criticizing the Italian justice system and the attacks on her character.
Partly because it seems the investigation was actually sloppy, and partly because media reports tend to reflect one side or the other, we may never know whether Knox is guilty or innocent. What interests me, though, is that the whole thing transpired during what was supposed to be a fun and exciting semester abroad.
How can universities better protect students abroad? The answer is: it's tough. Let's admit it -- for college juniors, academics are merely half of it. Few get into messes quite as severe as the one Knox is in, but every semester, thousands fall ill, get arrested and behave without regard to local customs. Bad behavior not only endangers individual students and the reputation of their programs, it also gives Americans a bad name, ruining future international travel for the rest of us.
In China, paying attention to local rules and behaving appropriately is hugely important. I think most foreign students understand that, but sometimes it's easy to forget where you are. Every study abroad program I've enrolled in has been paid a visit by a local Public Security Bureau officer who warns the international students against excessive drinking, drugs and falling asleep in gutters.
The Knox case underscores the importance of communication between home institutions and programs abroad. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, UW now mandates that department heads approve all programs and that each student have insurance and a cell phone. The university is also stepping up its plan for emergency management and response.
But there's another point that media seem to have glossed over. Study abroad programs are supposed to introduce students to people and places that are foreign so they can become better communicators, more appreciative individuals and more experienced world citizens. BUT just as critical is that our education system prepare students to GO abroad, to understand the realities of the places where they are foreign guests and -- importantly -- to respect local cultures and regulations.
Even if all the wild reports about Knox are true, her behavior wouldn't be that unusual for a typical American college student. Rack it up to America's marvelous social freedoms, but in Italy, her love of going out and lack of outward remorse were signs of disrespect. She was no doubt passionate about Italy: media reports say she worked three jobs to pay for the program. UW couldn't have foreseen guiding one of its students through proper behavior for a criminal trial, but it could have offered her a course on proper behavior according to Italian culture, and Italian law.
Quarterlife Café
December 10th, 2009 at 6:13 am
I find it interesting how some of the media are portraying the story with sympathy and that Hillary Clinton is willing to consider intervening on her behalf. This is not the case of a Ch*n*se American dissident thrown in a so-called black prison or American journalist imprisoned in Iran. This girl was an active participant in this deadly game, was implicated by one of the participants who pled out and at the murder trial was found to be smiling and flirting with her boyfriend.
The world already sees America and its people as being arrogant, why prove them right by trying to support a murderer just because she was caught in another country?
December 10th, 2009 at 6:29 am
This is one of the best comments yet on the Amanda Knox trial. I get the impression that these students had never been trained in cultural sensitivity. For instance, Knox apparently left out personal items that were gag gifts, such as her Rabbit vibrator. In the US, especially among Sex And The City viewers, this item would be viewed in a light-hearted context. In other cultures using this object would be evil, no matter what else the person was doing.
More important, these students need to be advised to make friends slowly and move *very* carefully in sexual relationships. And they should forget about using drugs, even marijuana, while overseas. Some commentators in the blogosphere suspect that Amanda was stoned when she came home and found her roommate dead. People who are familiar with the effects of marijuana and other recreational drugs say she was still stoned at the police station when she turned her famous cartwheels and "canoodled" (journalist's word) with her boyfriend.
If you can't give up drugs for a year abroad, then stay home and keep a lawyer's number on your speed dial. Better yet, consider rehab.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Wouldn't Clinton intervening be disrespectful of the Italians and their justice system?
December 10th, 2009 at 6:44 am
This is a very well thought out blog. And it is clear that you are speaking from the perspective of considerable experience. One statement is troubling. You wrote: "Even if all the wild reports about Knox are true, her behavior wouldn't be that unusual for a typical American college student." The wild reports were, well for lack of better words "wild." So, I guess what you may be telling us is that not only is there a lot of partying and carrying on by college students, it continues somewhat unabated when they study abroad. No of course, I am not placing you in this category of people and I suspect that it would be more difficult to be unruly in China, but I wonder how bad it really is. Has the "Ugly American" of the late 50s and earlier 60s been replaced by the "Ugly American College Student?"
December 10th, 2009 at 8:51 am
On our European tour, our Cosmos guide advised us: "When in Rome, do as the Romans". This was good advice in regard to showing respect to local culture and customs and not get looked at as an oddball and be disrespectful to the people in the host country.
This seems like a different situation. The UW coed is responsible for her own personal behavior and it sounds like she was behaving out of bounds no matter what society she happened to be in. If she were in the US, she would be tried and convicted. However, she is in foreign soil and another element, international politics, comes into play to her good fortune. However, I don't want to sound harsh, but I hope Italian justice prevails and she gets her due. That should serve a lesson to other "wild" college students to stay in line when they study abroad.
December 10th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I was once told by a college student: "College is a four-year party paid for by your parents." Study abroad is often that party on steroids.
Prone-to-binge-drink American college kids who might have experienced some difficulties in being under the legal drinking age in the U.S., joyfully find themselves in a situation where that age is 18, and very loosely enforced...if enforced at all. Excellent examples of this are Italy and France--two of the most popular study abroad countries. There have been newspaper articles written on how "wild", drunken American study-abroaders are giving our nation a bad name.
Another comment: our Peace Corps training for Thailand consisted of learning the "do's" and "don'ts" of Thai culture before we were allowed to travel to the country. This took three months. American students heading overseas most often receive NO cultural preparation! This has frequently led to tramping on local values, which can be a much more serious problem than getting drunk every night. Of course, this is also true for foreigners studying in the U.S.
Great column, Kim. If any good comes out of the Knox tragedy, perhaps it will encourage American kids overseas to behave much more responsibly--"when in Rome, do as the Romans do"....not as you might do back in Seattle. And, it is very encouraging that greedy U.S. colleges, eager to make the extra bucks that study abroad programs bring, are FINALLY behaving more responsibly, too.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:12 am
some people will send immature kids to another country thinking other people will babysit them...
December 10th, 2009 at 9:14 am
some people will get rid of their kids send them to another country TO SUPPOSE TO STUDY..my foot!
December 10th, 2009 at 9:16 am
BUT if the person is not guilty he or she should be released! IF you are in different country somebody should intervene in your behalf.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:17 am
no materr what country you should try to intervene...if the person deserve out ..they should be out !
December 10th, 2009 at 9:19 am
YOU Need neutral ground..l
December 10th, 2009 at 9:38 am
When I was studying abroad in London 9 years ago a guy on my hall overdosed and died while in Amsterdam. Yes, we all went pretty crazy, but some of us had restraint, others didn't.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hi Kim! i'm not convinced this young lady is all that innocent. But i do have someconcerns about that prosecutor.Some bizzare stories about him have been going around. I definately think these students going abroad should have to take some sort of class and training of just exactly what they are getting into.And be taught customs and laws of whatever Country they are going to. I know Japanese Nationals are given a crash course of the USA before they travel to Hawaii and become tourists with matching Aloha attire and fancy cameras. So How you doing Kim?
December 10th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Kim,
great topic and post. I haven't studied abroad but I definitely agree with the points that you've made about respecting the culture and the active role the home institution should play with preparing and supporting their students BEFORE, during, and after their stay abroad. I hope to study abroad in the future and knowing about this story has definitely made me more aware of the whole study abroad experience.
thanks for writing. always good posts. keep it up!
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
a student overseas should ideally be like Mao's guerilla, a fish swimming in the sea, but at 18 the fish will have neon lights and stick out. Seriously in China there are some things you do not do, like Tibet. Other things are squishy. But you need to get there and learn, not assume that China is the USA.