Global Learning (GL) Courses
I took several GL courses but one I found most useful was the Intercultural Communications course. Being from Nigeria, I knew how important culture was to one's identity, but I had never known the true definition of culture. Culture spans further than one's national identity, but it goes deep into the generational and even familial ways of life. The course really opened my eyes to just how much culture is integrated into all our wants, needs, preferences and challenges and how to be aware of this fact during communication. Since taking that course, I have integrated the knowledge I acquired into my daily life and thinking. |
Tuesday Times Round Table (TTR) The TTR is a discussion held by an expert in a particular field. TTR was a wonderful opportunity to learn about things that I may have otherwise not have thought about. For instance, there was a discussion on the fate of LGBTQ+ individuals when they emigrate from their countries in search of a freer society in the Western world. What they encounter however is many times not what they expected. The discussion opened my eyes to the true realities of my very own society. My friend from the Caribbean said "The Miami gay scene was not what I expected. People have [shallow] expectations that I am not going to subscribe to." Having attended the aforementioned TTR discussion, I could relate to what he was saying on a much needed level. This is a single example of the several ways that the TTR discussion has made me a more informed individual. |
Research on a Global Topic My original research topic was on the communication of science. This project impacts the entire scientific field which is composed of scientists from around the world. Without the effective communication of scientific concepts, knowledge is lost. Therefore, it is important that the scientific community takes a cultural approach to scientific communication because undoubtedly, culture plays a huge role in communication wether the cultural group is scientist or novice or natural scientist or social scientist. |