“Let us recognize that we are all part of each other. We are all human. We are all one.”
-Suzy Kassem
-Suzy Kassem
When I first joined the Honors Program, I didn’t understand the global citizenship component of the competencies. I came from a small, predominantly white community with very little diversity, and I thought I was ‘cultured’ for knowing how to count to ten in Spanish. I soon came to learn that global citizenship is much more important and complex than that. There are three main components, which are self-awareness, knowledge and understanding, and communication. Mastering all three of these skills is vital to becoming a global citizen.
The first component of global citizenship is self-awareness. This means becoming aware of the fact that you are a part of a culture and understanding how that affects your thoughts and actions. I first became self-aware of myself in my Introduction to Honors class. This was when I was first introduced to the global citizenship competency. This is the class when I actually learned what it meant to be a global citizen and why it is so important. I began to see myself as a member of the American culture. What I mean by this is that I could see the differences between my own culture and another's. I furthered progressed my self-awareness when I took my Introduction to Multicultural and Ethnic Studies class. This was an important class to me as an undergraduate student because it sparked my interest into the world of cultural awareness. Through the use of films, readings, and discussions, his class showed me my own cultural rules and biases, and allowed me to compare other cultures to my own.
The second component of global citizenship is knowledge and understanding. This requires making an effort to learn and understand cultures unlike your own. I had many encounters with different cultures through culture nights at the school and the Native American Pow-wows I have attended throughout the years, but these were only surface-level interactions. My deep, thoughtful interactions with another culture came from my own personal friendships. I was able to establish myself into the Arab community at my college to create my own sort of personal cultural immersion. I was invited to many tea times, formal dinners, and other gatherings within my friend group where I could ask as many questions as I wanted to about their culture. We discussed many different topics such as history, religion, etiquette, language, and much more. These interactions gave me more perspective and understanding than any class ever could.
The last component of global citizenship is communication. Communication is important because there are both verbal and nonverbal cues in any society that gives extra insight into how language connects to culture. I developed my second language proficiency by taking Spanish courses at my university, as well as studying Spanish abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador. Not only did I take a Spanish class while I was there, but I was also completely immersed in the language because few people spoke English. I was forced to learn to adapt to my surroundings. Being in this kind of environment, I learned that not only is verbal communication used, but nonverbal cues are also important. For example, there is much more physical interactions between people who know each other than there is in America. Studying abroad taught me the importance between communication and culture, and I was able to develop my second language further than I could before.
My experiences at MSU has taught me that global citizenship is indeed a vital competency to the Honors program. Developing the skills of self-awareness, knowledge and understanding, and communication caused me to grow as both a student and as a person. Understanding my own culture and comparing it to others has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the world, and is a skill that I will continue to develop as an adult.
The first component of global citizenship is self-awareness. This means becoming aware of the fact that you are a part of a culture and understanding how that affects your thoughts and actions. I first became self-aware of myself in my Introduction to Honors class. This was when I was first introduced to the global citizenship competency. This is the class when I actually learned what it meant to be a global citizen and why it is so important. I began to see myself as a member of the American culture. What I mean by this is that I could see the differences between my own culture and another's. I furthered progressed my self-awareness when I took my Introduction to Multicultural and Ethnic Studies class. This was an important class to me as an undergraduate student because it sparked my interest into the world of cultural awareness. Through the use of films, readings, and discussions, his class showed me my own cultural rules and biases, and allowed me to compare other cultures to my own.
The second component of global citizenship is knowledge and understanding. This requires making an effort to learn and understand cultures unlike your own. I had many encounters with different cultures through culture nights at the school and the Native American Pow-wows I have attended throughout the years, but these were only surface-level interactions. My deep, thoughtful interactions with another culture came from my own personal friendships. I was able to establish myself into the Arab community at my college to create my own sort of personal cultural immersion. I was invited to many tea times, formal dinners, and other gatherings within my friend group where I could ask as many questions as I wanted to about their culture. We discussed many different topics such as history, religion, etiquette, language, and much more. These interactions gave me more perspective and understanding than any class ever could.
The last component of global citizenship is communication. Communication is important because there are both verbal and nonverbal cues in any society that gives extra insight into how language connects to culture. I developed my second language proficiency by taking Spanish courses at my university, as well as studying Spanish abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador. Not only did I take a Spanish class while I was there, but I was also completely immersed in the language because few people spoke English. I was forced to learn to adapt to my surroundings. Being in this kind of environment, I learned that not only is verbal communication used, but nonverbal cues are also important. For example, there is much more physical interactions between people who know each other than there is in America. Studying abroad taught me the importance between communication and culture, and I was able to develop my second language further than I could before.
My experiences at MSU has taught me that global citizenship is indeed a vital competency to the Honors program. Developing the skills of self-awareness, knowledge and understanding, and communication caused me to grow as both a student and as a person. Understanding my own culture and comparing it to others has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the world, and is a skill that I will continue to develop as an adult.