What does Global Engagement Mean to Me?
Henry Leighton Wesleyan University Class of 2025
What does Global Engagement Mean to Me?
Henry Leighton Wesleyan University Class of 2025
I am particularly interested in the ways in which American ethnocentrism influences the way our country has interacted in the global economy in the history of those relationships. American ideology has many subliminal effects domestically as well.
Before taking SPAN 236: Cervantes with Professor Armstrong-Roche, my view of the Middle Ages was characterized by an understanding of the social repression of organized religion, the restrictions on the rights of women, and the lack of social mobility between the rich and the poor. Before Professor Roche voiced criticism of the term “dark ages” …
As I rode in a cable car in Taipei’s Maokong Gondola route, watching treetops pass by through the glass bottom, my friends decided that we should go around and each say “our type” of person that we find attractive. We ended up talking about dating in high school, touching on a notable cultural difference between …
I hesitated to write about this topic, because I did not want it to be misconstrued or generalized to reflect poorly on Taiwanese culture, or otherwise be understood as anything other than the isolated incident that I perceived it to be. I didn’t encounter anyone in Taiwan who shared the views of my first host …
I was very grateful for the opportunity to study in Taiwan, and the amazing experiences and relationships that I built there. However, I did experience some discomfort surrounding my affiliation with the American State Department through the Critical Language Scholarship program. We were often told that our conduct reflected back on our nation and its …
Studying abroad in Cuba has made me realize cultural misunderstandings are inevitable, even though I’ve been learning Spanish since kindergarten. Sometimes these interactions may be intimidating, but it’s necessary to take risks to build relationships within your host community. I explored this challenge with a Black classmate at the University of Havana who has lived …
Many of the things that were discussed in the article resonated with me. At a time in my sophomore year where many students have already affirmed that they will go to study abroad and are confident about which semester they will spend away, I’ve noticed that often the people I’ve talked to haven’t planned beyond …
I had read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book The Thing Around Your Neck and so I thought that I knew that Kenya was not a country unlike America in the industrialized sense. Even so, when I watched Rafiki and the way in which the Kenyan urban environment was portrayed I found myself being subconsciously surprised. I …
What resonated with me throughout this panel were the various ways in which language is expressed even within this small pool of languages. In the Ganju language, the way a conversation is conveyed is equally as important as the words themselves depending on the social status of the individuals involved. When primarily english-speaking people think …
