The Global Studies Night5/27/2019
The global studies night was cool. I really liked the format to present students’ work, because I think the audience was drawn by the Ted Talk presentation. I enjoyed Nicole’s presentation, especially when she compared the racism in history and contemporary time. It was so visually appealing and touching. I liked Jamie’s a lot as well. His topic was quite unique because when people talk about gender, most of them would develop from a sociological perspective. However, Jamie used scientific proof which I personally think is something I’ve never seen. My favorite one was Alina’s presentation. Comparing to the practices I saw, her real presentation was a big progress. I was not able to see her painting and the last part of speech during practice; when I saw it on the real performance it really surprised me, especially the last part of the speech. I think it was because her topic was so relatable to me that evoke my emotions. However, I think it was as well intriguing towards American students because that topic was able to let them know what international students may feel like studying abroad. For the Capstone project next year, I wish we can still use the Ted Talk format because it allows speakers to present themselves well. I think I would choose a topic that I either have a relation to or completely new. After watching the seniors’ speech, I think there is a lot of space for me to think about what I should do next year.
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Avery’s workshop5/27/2019 Avery’s topic was quite intriguing. His topic on comparative policing provided me things I never knew. I thought he would focus on police brutality since it is a serious issue right now, but surprisingly he focused on a rather neutral perspective which was really interesting. I especially like how he connected the development of technology with the way policing works; it was eye-opening because I did not think that technology would be crucial in the police office. Avery then talked about the reform system and its structure. I was surprised by how much work he has done behind the scene to present the audience what he has gathered. Then, the group activity was nice. My group was assigned to research about the four perspectives of Copenhagen police department and compare to what other groups had found about the policing in different cities. I think it was cool how policing is different based on cities’ policies and population. Avery’s topic was interesting that it let me notice what I have missed to recognize when talking about policing.
Arjun Kapur '13 Reflection5/27/2019 I have learned a lot in Arjun Kapur’s talk. He has an interesting perspective as an American who studies in China. He told us to look at the issue from an impartial perspective, which is really hard to do for most of the people. Kapur analyzed from a historical way that after the Cold War the triangle that contained the U.S., Russia, and China was formed. He cleared a lot of misunderstanding that the Communism in China is actually different from it in Russia. Kapur then commented on the status quo that both U.S. and China should learn to agree to disagree and cooperate in the field that accommodate mutual interest, like denuclearization and fighting for global warming. What especially intrigued me was the point he mentioned about the new triangle. He stated that different from many people, he suggested India will replace Russia in the triangle. I think it is a really important strategy to not cling on the history too much and blindly focus on Russia, but to pay attention on the probabilities in the future.
From him, I can see that he was really doing something he like. And I think that is what Watkinson has tried to teach its students- to develop an interest and chase it with method. He mentioned that in college he studied under some famous professor. I think that’s what smart about him: to use the resources that school offered and perform his potentials. Jake Halpern reflection5/27/2019 Jake Halpern’s talk was very interesting and informative. I was intrigued by his story- especially the one about catching the economic criminal, where The New Yorker had to support him in the legal matter. From that, I understand that sometimes one’s ability is not enough even if he or she has an ambitious heart. However, at the same time, if Halpern wasn’t there, the legal force may not put on investigation on the suspect. Therefore, people’s ambition to dig into something plus the power behind them is able to make the world a better place. Halpern also talked about how he also developed interests in journalism, which was a pretty risky thing to do. Although it is not quite related to the power of a narrative, I found it so inspiring that he chases what interests him rather than a set career; he told students that we may not know their career right away but we will eventually find out.
Halpern’s writing in comic book addresses a lot of minute issues that I may not know about refugees. The the difficulties they face even after coming to the states are hard to believe, but they are the reality. I think here the power is that through the writing and comic, audience would learn so much not only information, but also different perspectives to look at the immigrant issue. Because the story is so personal; it is not what we can see on TV or read on newspaper everyday. It is live story that the immigrants from the Middle East experience. I read about The Secret of the Temple, which is an interesting story about Treasure under a temple in India. Jake interviewed a lawyer who sued the royal family because of property issues in this treasured land. It was interesting how much research about the temple and the loyal family he needed to complete in the article. I think it is definitely not a easy job to do. However, when the article comes out, his words can appeal to people when they read it. Cooking class5/27/2019 The cooking class was very interesting. I was familiar with the food that we made because I went to Jordan. However, I had no idea how to actually make them before the lesson, so that experience provided me an opportunity to actually learn to make the food I ate in Jordan. The salad was quite easy to make but there were a lot of procedures involved: they had to make sure the vegetables were small enough and clean enough. As I expected, the put lemon juice in it which made it taste sour. The hummus was great that it reminded me of Jordan.
Yaman seemed like a strong woman. Her experience of coming to the States without knowing how to speak English was advantuous. I was so impressed how it only took two years for her to speak such good English. She also seemed very diligent that she wanted to challenge herself to learn new lessons and how to drive. Cooking and hearing her stories did allow me to learn more about Middle Eastern culture, especially the fact that I went to Jordan and learned so much there too. With the combination of knowledge, I have gained so much. |