Global Courses
A few globally-intensive courses I took:
HUM 180 - A course covering the culture, politics, economics, and history of Greece
HUM 120 - A course which covered China, the Koreas, and Japan
SPA 111 - An introductory course to the Spanish language and culture
ART 111 - An art appreciation course covering art styles and methods from antiquity to modern day
PSY 150 - A general psychology course with mentions of cultural variations in psychology
As a Global Scholar, I took some globally-intensive classes that were essentially the subject with increased emphasis on their relation to other cultures. Taking these courses was a way for me to learn two things at once. I enjoyed learning about a variety of cultures and topics instead of just one. SPA 111 allowed me to learn about Spanish-speaking countries, HUM 120 was focused on major East Asian countries, and HUM 180 focused primarily on Greece. Each of these courses led me down a rabbit hole; one where I became fascinated with and fixated on each place I learned about. Not to mention, they increased my desire to visit many countries.
Out of each of those classes, HUM 180 made the biggest impact on me. Perhaps because taking the course was, honestly, bittersweet. Myself and the other students in that class were supposed to visit Greece with the Global Scholars Program but couldn't due to COVID-19. Despite not being able to go, most of us still took the class to satisfy degree requirements. Even though it was tough at times to learn about a place I was so excited to visit yet couldn't, I learned so, so much about Greece. I especially learned a lot about the financial hardships that Greece has faced, resulting in nationwide resilience among the Greeks. I truly hope that one day I can visit Greece and see all of the things I learned about in HUM 180.
While the rest of the courses didn't center around a particular area or country, they did include information about various countries. For example, in ART 111 I learned a lot about how art differed depending on where and when it was made. I viewed and read about art from the Renaissance, Ancient Rome, and modern Australia, to name a few. Participation in these courses deepened my understanding of each of the cultures I read about. It also showed me that I still have so much more I want to learn about each place.
