12 pm Concurrent Session 3

ABSTRACT

This presentation will focus on my analysis of the timeline of trauma present throughout the 2009 novel The River Flows North by Graciela Limón. I will investigate trauma unique to immigrant women and mental health concerns among immigrant communities. The element on the timeline of trauma from Limón’s text that will be examined is the origin of trauma for immigrants. The push factors of immigration are often traumatizing meaning they can be considered the origin of trauma for immigrants. An example of the push factors that cause immigrants to flee from their home country is limited resources, including extreme hunger and a lack of work available in the area. The majority of the characters in the novel experience malnourishment and work shortage in the town they are from. Doña Encarnación Padilla, a Mexican immigrant from the Lacandón jungle, describes what she witnessed along her journey al norte saying, “Whenever I asked why people were leaving, I was told that work was scarce in their part of Mexico and that their children were hungry. What else could be done?” (100). Another example of a push factor that Limón describes throughout the novel is violence. Menda Fuentes experiences abuse from her husband as well as witnesses the murder of her parents and sister during the civil war of El Salvador. Celia Vega’s husband is severely injured and becomes an amputee when attempting to cross the border by train. Both of these women experience traumatic events that force them to travel to the United States. Celia and Menda become so determined to leave because their lives in their small towns of Latin America are impossible. They can no longer watch their children slowly starve to death or run from their husbands who will stop at nothing to destroy their life in every way possible. These fictional women are no different from the real women who are fighting desperately, each day to begin a new life, one without suffering. The traumatic events described in the novel are so clear that it makes them symbolic in a way that proves to the reader that current anti-immigration policies in the United States are unjust and inhumane.

ABSTRACT

As the world continues to adapt to the changing landscape of COVID-19, we are seeing a heightened interest in virtual international programming. App State has provided quality virtual programs with partners around the world well before the pandemic. Others are starting to consider this as a viable option for their courses. This panel discussion will bring together faculty from across campus to discuss their virtual international programs. Participants will have the opportunity to explore various models of programming and what model may be a best fit for their teaching and/or learning purposes.

ABSTRACT

This Global Symposium presentation explores the lessons “being” learned from the 2014 Ebola epidemic and how it may apply to us during the COVID19 pandemic. Join Lee as he shares his experiences living and working throughout Africa. Follow his journey as a young US Peace Corps Volunteer medically evacuated from Ghana to his receiving a death threat as a Paramedic for bringing ambulances into Africa during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Follow the actual social media threads, local news media reports, and even a local Raleigh morning radio show that perpetuated false information. Although serious topics will be discussed, this presentation will offer a message of hope that we will overcome COVID19.