Global Citizenship Competency
"Upon graduation, honors students will have demonstrated the ability to exhibit second language and communication competencies and exhibit cultural competency and awareness."
I grew up in one of the most diverse towns in Iowa where I was the minority at school. Coming into college, I thought I was pretty well-versed when it came to being a global citizen. Thankfully, during my time at MSU, I was proven wrong and had many opportunities to learn and grow.
One of the first things I learned about being a global citizen was that I had to start by understanding my own culture and biases before I could learn about other cultures. I had not given much thought to my own self-awareness until I took Intercultural Communications, CMST 203. In this course I was challenged to attend events from other cultures. Being surrounded by cultures different from my own helped me to understand who I am and how I differ from others. I further grew and learned more about my perceptions and biases during Social Justice and Performance, HONR 401. This class taught me a lot about race relations in the United States that I never knew existed. This helped me understand that my privilege and ignorance had hindered my learning and growth as a global citizen.
Throughout the first half of my college experience, I learned American Sign Language, ASL through my CDIS 205, 206, and 207 courses. Not only was I able to learn a new language, but I also learned a lot about Deaf culture, a culture I wasn’t aware of before coming to college. These courses allowed me to understand differences between languages, cultures, and communication methods. Learning ASL also taught me how important and connected language is to culture. Challenging myself to study a new language also helped to expand my worldview. I gained a greater appreciation for people who know more than one language or who have to live in a country where their first language isn’t the dominant language. Taking these courses ended up teaching me a lot more than just a new language.
It had always been a dream of mine to study abroad, and I had been anticipating it since I started college. I was excited to explore and learn about a different culture. However, due to COVID-19, those plans suddenly changed. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to complete my global citizenship competency since I was missing out on this experience. Luckily, I was able to reflect upon my situation which helped me to better understand my privilege and how our world is connected. My field experiences in CMST 203 helped me begin to experience and understand other cultures in my community. The cultural interview paper that I completed in my CMST 101W class also helped me gain a greater understanding of other cultures. Changing my worldview and interacting with other cultures doesn’t have to only happen when I travel across the world; I can learn to be a better global citizen in my own community. I learned that our world and various issues are connected, and it is my job to work in an attempt to bridge cultures.
After learning more about myself, other languages, and other cultures, I have grown substantially as a global citizen. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in college and throughout these experiences is that I still have so much to learn. Continuously seeking to learn and understand more about the different lives around me is something that is necessary for me to do. As someone who has more privilege than others, I need to stand up for the people and the injustices around me so that I can help make the world a better place for everyone.
One of the first things I learned about being a global citizen was that I had to start by understanding my own culture and biases before I could learn about other cultures. I had not given much thought to my own self-awareness until I took Intercultural Communications, CMST 203. In this course I was challenged to attend events from other cultures. Being surrounded by cultures different from my own helped me to understand who I am and how I differ from others. I further grew and learned more about my perceptions and biases during Social Justice and Performance, HONR 401. This class taught me a lot about race relations in the United States that I never knew existed. This helped me understand that my privilege and ignorance had hindered my learning and growth as a global citizen.
Throughout the first half of my college experience, I learned American Sign Language, ASL through my CDIS 205, 206, and 207 courses. Not only was I able to learn a new language, but I also learned a lot about Deaf culture, a culture I wasn’t aware of before coming to college. These courses allowed me to understand differences between languages, cultures, and communication methods. Learning ASL also taught me how important and connected language is to culture. Challenging myself to study a new language also helped to expand my worldview. I gained a greater appreciation for people who know more than one language or who have to live in a country where their first language isn’t the dominant language. Taking these courses ended up teaching me a lot more than just a new language.
It had always been a dream of mine to study abroad, and I had been anticipating it since I started college. I was excited to explore and learn about a different culture. However, due to COVID-19, those plans suddenly changed. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to complete my global citizenship competency since I was missing out on this experience. Luckily, I was able to reflect upon my situation which helped me to better understand my privilege and how our world is connected. My field experiences in CMST 203 helped me begin to experience and understand other cultures in my community. The cultural interview paper that I completed in my CMST 101W class also helped me gain a greater understanding of other cultures. Changing my worldview and interacting with other cultures doesn’t have to only happen when I travel across the world; I can learn to be a better global citizen in my own community. I learned that our world and various issues are connected, and it is my job to work in an attempt to bridge cultures.
After learning more about myself, other languages, and other cultures, I have grown substantially as a global citizen. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in college and throughout these experiences is that I still have so much to learn. Continuously seeking to learn and understand more about the different lives around me is something that is necessary for me to do. As someone who has more privilege than others, I need to stand up for the people and the injustices around me so that I can help make the world a better place for everyone.