Responding to Global Threats: The Role of International Institutions
During this past Spring 2016 semester, I had the opportunity to participate in an Honors Seminar and Study Tour that traveled to Brussels and The Hague. The topic of the course was global institutions and the role they played in various aspects of governance and globalization. We read about, researched, and discussed institutions such as the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union. During our travels, we visited the different branches of the European Union, including the Parliament, the Commission, and the Council. We also visited multiple international courts, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). For our final project, we had to complete our own research project and write a paper about a topic of our choice. My topic was about identity construction. I explored how supranational, national, and subnational identities are constructed and how they interact with each other, specifically in the context of European countries. From this experience, I learned a lot about my research topic itself, as well as about how international institutions work and their role in globalization. I also have a much more in depth understanding of the European Union and its different mechanisms. Also, as with each opportunity I've had to travel, I learn more about myself as a person. Specifically with this trip, it was the first time I planned a day-trip to another town during our free day, as well as the first time I actively tried to talk to locals about how to get a more genuine and immersive experience in the cities we visited. As a result of this class and study tour, I feel like I've grown more as a traveler and as a person. I've become more patient, flexible, and adventurous. I also feel like I've become a more knowledgable global citizen.
Final Project: Identity Construction in Europe
This is the paper I wrote as the culmination of my research for this class. It exemplifies the focus of my research and academic learning during this class and excursions abroad.
Final Project: Identity Construction in Europe
This is the paper I wrote as the culmination of my research for this class. It exemplifies the focus of my research and academic learning during this class and excursions abroad.
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Outreach Project
This is a project that a group of us completed in order to reflect on our experience abroad and to share it with a wider audience.
This is a project that a group of us completed in order to reflect on our experience abroad and to share it with a wider audience.
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Belgium and the Netherlands 2016 Slideshow: