Study Away, gain global perspective
Whether the lessons begin in China or Mexico or Mali, PLU’s study away programs are providing global learning outside of the confines of a classroom.
During last week’s World Conversations students presented their research findings and shared their experiences.
Tyler Faust thought an old Nike ad line best fit the mentality needed to take part in Study Away research – “Just Do it.”
“It’s definitely worth it,” he said. “Even if you screw up, you will learn something.”
Faust spent time in China exploring how sexual education is presented and to whom Chinese college age students are comfortable speaking to about sex. He also studied panda’s and what they do in a given day.
The variety in his research is one of the things that make the Study Away programs so valuable. There isn’t just one thing to be learned or one expectation to fulfill.
But it starts with the willingness of the student to engage the research, Faust said.
Two students who presented their own research during World Conversations agreed.
“You have to be flexible with your idea,” said Jackal Tanelorn. “Follow the research, rather than control it.”
“Make yourself available as much as possible,” said Harold Leraas.
Leraas spent time in Mali exploring Hansen’s Disease (commonly known as leprosy) and the effectiveness of the World Health Organizations approach in combating the disease. He learned as much as he could and saw as much as he could, even if it was a bit outside his original mission. That meant helping identify people with Hansen’s Disease and trying to educate people about ways to prevent its spread.
For Tanelorn, his time in Mexico approached the questions of identifying and understanding what makes a transnational migrant in the context of global citizenship.
“What we saw in our global education is amazing,” he said.
But it’s not just about understanding the experience as a PLU student, but trying to put the experience in a global context.
Tanelorn asked himself during his research, “Where’s the humanity we bring back home with our global education?”
He found that by building relationships with the people he met at a migrant center, he began to open gateways to truly understanding his research.
The experiences of Faust, Leraas and Tanelorn have had a profound impact on their lives. All of them hope to venture to their international destination again and continue to make a positive impact on the people they meet, as they continue their missions to truly understand what it means to be a global citizen.
Posted: March 2, 2009 .
