Global Engagement Colloquium Requirement
The goal of the Global Engagement Requirement is to bring everyday realities on the ground into conversation with theoretical ideas and concepts from the classroom through guided study and direct, experience-based work. This experience will require you to reflect upon what it means to engage with the world in a thoughtful and ethical way, to understand and navigate uneven power dynamics, to build relationships with individuals and communities, and to consider questions of reciprocity and accountability. The requirement consists of two parts:
1. Completion of an approved Global Engagement Experience. You can fulfill the experience requirement through, for example, volunteer work, relevant internships, critical study abroad, international research programs, etc., subject to approval by the program. While many students embark on an experience that takes place outside the US, appropriate Global Engagement Experiences do not require international travel. Most students complete the experience during a semester or over the summer. Please note that the experience must be a minimum of 40 hours, and not shorter than 2 weeks. Students may request approval of more than one qualifying Global Engagement Experience.
2. Enrollment in the 2-credit Global Engagement Colloquium (UGLB 3903) in the semester or year following the experience. The Global Engagement Colloquium is a dedicated space for you to collectively reflect on this form of engagement with your peers, to make connections between the conceptual and the concrete, and to raise critical questions that have emerged from your specific experiential encounter. The class focus is on a project of your own design that relates to your Global Engagement Experience and also illustrates or reflects questions, themes, or ideas from the Global Studies program. Projects should satisfy some stated objective (which can be documentation, reflection, sharing, etc.) and need not take typical academic form (though they also can). Past and potential projects include photo essays, personal essays, professional websites, collections of experiential vignettes, letters to oneself (or others), pocket guides, short films, reflection memos, illustrated zines, writing portfolios, musical compositions, poetry chapbooks, etc. Mixed-media projects are welcome and work well for this project.
Deadlines
Students should submit the Global Engagement Requirement form to confirm approval of their Global Engagement Requirement. Ideally, students will file this form prior to their Global Engagement Experience, but due to the varying pathways students may take through the major, they may file it after its completion.
For Spring Registration, the deadline to submit your proposal is the Monday one week before registration. You will receive a response regarding the status of your proposal by the first day of registration.
Documentation
It is strongly recommended that students give some thought to documenting their experiences, in whatever form is preferable. Commonly used forms of documentation include: journal entries, field memos, notes, photographs, videos, creative writing, drawings, sketches, objects, materials, or other memorabilia. These materials are often central starting points for the self-designed projects students complete in the Global Engagement Colloquium.
Resources
Prior students’ Global Engagement experiences are available here.
Guidelines on how to keep a journal are available here.
and here.