Reflective Essay

The University Studies system has been a very unique and interesting thing to be a part of. Its
multifaceted approach to education provides students with different ways of looking at various
problems within the same course. In the Globalization course, I've been tasked with examining issues
and processes on both the global and local levels. I've learned about the ways in which globalization
manifests itself in trade, health, culture and politics. Globalization can be an elusive thing to describe.
This might be because a very wide variety of different phenomena can be described as globalized or as
being an aspect of globalization. One way I've learned to look at globalization is as an international
process of amalgamation. As individual nation-states participate in global trade and investment, bits of
their unique culture and worldview get exchanged and admixed with other nation-states to create a
more globalized environment. The process of globalization manifests itself in the the day-to-day life
of individuals all across the world in ways both obvious and not entirely explicit. From the food that
people buy and the technology that they use, to the way that they celebrate holidays, globalizations
reach can extend with breadth and depth into all the worlds cultures The unique thing about the
Globalization course was the method in which I was taught such lessons about globalization. I was
required to do traditional textbook readings and quizzes concerning international global systems. I had
the opportunity to hear first hand from the author of my textbook, Dr. Shawn Smallman, about the state
of global health and his own research on the subject. Chris Carey, the instructor of the Globalization
class, shared his own experiences regarding his work with sex workers in Cambodia. It's incredible
how much variety I've been exposed to in my education about globalization and its component
processes.
Throughout the process of being a part of this class and its many exciting endeavors, I've come
to learn a few things about myself and my tendencies. While I'm in class listening to fellow classmates

struggle with questions posed to them by the professor, I realized that I can usually generate a response
to such questions without much trouble. This ability likely stems from my training in speech and debate
and the unbearably stressful conditions I was exposed to in my time with the activity. During main
session as well as mentor session, I'm often reminded of my silence during discussions. I've learned
that I only like providing input on a problem or issue when I've fully formed my ideas and gained a
complete understanding of the situation at hand. While working on the community engagement project,
I've learned that I can act as a somewhat functional leader-figure when there isn't another viable option.
I also learned that I hate being forced to act as a leader in group situations. Additionally, while writing
several of the papers for the Globalization class, I've realized that I don't fare too well when asked to
generate the structure of a paper on my own.
Over the course of the Globalization class, I've been asked to complete many tasks regarding
the four University Studies goals. While working on the community engagement projects, my
understanding of the goal of communication has been increased. Creating and distributing survey
questions among students challenged me to interact with the community in an entirely new way. In
addition, the development of an implementation plan for our community engagement project was a way
for our group to communicate with the school's administrators about our intentions for campus
improvement. I have been asked on several occasion in the Globalization
course to think critically and inquire about my surroundings. For the
political opinions paper I had to research and analyze the political
stances of Oregon's two gubernatorial candidates while supplying my
own thoughts on the topics they touched on. Another assignment that
engaged my critical thinking skills was the critical book review of Diaries
of an Unfinished Revolution. In that assignment, I was asked to analyze
the book's themes and content and make a judgement about its ability

to achieve its own goals. Being in a class about the process of

globalization has provided me plenty of opportunities to examine the
diversity of human experience in various assignments. One such
assignment was the critical book review of Strength of What Remains. In
this assignment, I was tasked with identifying themes and recurring
motifs in a book about the life of a Burundian immigrant/refugee.
Another example of an assignment where I was made aware of the
diversity of human experience was the Enclave paper. This assignment
required close examination of an art installation concerned with life in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. In both instances, I was forced to look
beyond my normal realm of experience in order to gain an
understanding of the situation. One way in which the goal of ethics and
social responsibility manifests itself is in the improvement of
communities. Throughout the Globalization course, the importance of
community development has been stressed over and over again. The
community engagement projects that our class has been working on is a
great example of how the Globalization course promotes social
responsibility.