GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
COURSES IN LINGUISTICS AND GENDER & WOMEN'S STUDIES
Gold Experience
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During my undergraduate career, I took a number of globally-focused courses. Although I took other courses that fall under the broad category of global perspectives, I am primarily focusing on the four that are most closely aligned with the goals of the program. I estimate that I spent a total of 540 hours on the four selected classes.
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Two of the courses that I took were linguistic courses: Introduction to Language Structures and The World of Language. In the former class, we studied the ways human languages are structured and how linguists analyze linguistic data. In the latter class, we examined languages as a distinctive feature of the human species. In both classes, I was exposed to many different languages and explored the common features among the languages of the world. These courses meet the global aspect of the program because they helped me appreciate the commonalities and the differences of communication, which helped me in developing my global perspective.
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The two other globally-focused courses that I took were: Women, Gender, and Globalization, in which we analyzed and discussed the ways in which gender and its construction matters as a framework for understanding global relationships and politics, and Studies in Feminist Activism, in which we examined history and social theory to determine how and why social change occurs. In the former course, I wrote a semester-long paper and presented on how to approach the issue of gender-based violence expressed through acid attacks in Pakistan. In the latter course, I worked with another student on a community service project in which we created a zine to distribute at UMBC as a resource for trans individuals and those who are interested in etiquette surrounding trans issues. In the first course, I had to exhibit cultural awareness when analyzing and writing about gender-based violence because the conceptualization of gender and gender-based violence, as well as its expressions, differ between cultures. In the second course, I collaborated with a student who is trans and pansexual, and who has a different cultural background than me.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
HOW MY GLOBAL EXPERIENCE ALIGNS WITH THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM
During this experience, I:
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In addition, I:
Worked in a diverse team by collaborating in students in my classes with different ethnic, cultural, sexual, and gender identities than me.
Showed awareness of my role as a global citizen by learning about and discussing problems in other regions of the world and the interconnections between issues in places that are geographically separated.
Became more culturally aware by learning about various languages, which are a part of and are used to express culture.
Welcomed personal and cultural difference by enrolling in and actively participating in various courses with a cultural focus.
Identified and addressed ethical issues arising from cultural or national differences by identifying and discussing how globalization can lead to economic issues in some countries.
Exhibited consciousness of the connectedness of the world and the workings of the global economy by learning about globalization and how changes in one country can greatly affect another.