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Reflection: Globalization FRINQ and University Studies Goals

Rachael Bennett
Portland State University

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Students have the privilege of encountering new and exciting ideas and information every
minute when in a College environment. Sometimes much of this information can become lost or
clouded by other ideas and never makes its way to the user. This is why University Studies
created a set of goals for students to use both within and outside of their classroom in the hopes
they can better themselves as learners. We apply these goals to our Globalization FRINQ with
this same idea in mind and I feel it has been beneficial. Through the Globalization FRINQ and
these ideas behind University studies I gained the abilities to think deeper, receive more from the
class, and connect my learning to ideas other than class material.
By thinking deeper about material in the Globalization FRINQ it is easy to draw lessons
from its main subject globalization. These lessons range in magnitude but can all be drawn from
the readings we have encountered in class. Both this term and last we faced difficult subject
matter that we had to synthesize into essays and formulate opinions on. This created a wide range
of opinions and an even wider range of lessons that I feel globalization was able to teach us. The
most prominent of these lessons is that globalization is diverse. It has several different meanings,
definitions, and uses that all can be contested by experts. Because it is a fundamental aspect of
human life it tends to change based on region or culture, exemplifying the idea that humans are
complex creatures. Along with this idea globalization helps to teach the lesson of our
interconnected world. This can mean showing how every action has a repercussion or simply that
our products come from several different countries. The interconnected aspect of globalization is
what makes it unique as a theory as well as to society as a whole. We are brought together in a
way that is faster and more personal than ever before. This also helps to create the final lesson
that globalization has taught me which is that globalization is what you make of it. Globalization
can be as prominent or subtle as one chooses. We can choose to view globalization as a

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connecting force or believe that our world is separate. This unique aspect is what shapes our
modern world and our modern lives, and without it the 21st century would look very different.
Globalization is not only an idea but a class in which you learn about yourself as a person
in a multitude of ways. This at times makes the class can seem more personal that an ordinary
classroom setting. I found this unique trait about the Globalization FRINQ daunting at first, as I
began to question myself and my ethical values. Coming to college I felt as though I knew
myself, my beliefs, and my abilities fairly well; yet Globalization changed that. The first grade
on an essay I received in this course was the lowest I have received in my life and I began to
wonder if I truly knew what I was doing. Over the weeks however I grew more comfortable with
not only openly expressing myself but with the idea of change in both my opinions and writing
style and I began to grow as a person. This is what the Globalization FRINQ does too many of its
students it grows them both academically and as people. I entered my first year to Portland State
University thinking I knew the world and will exit it knowing I know very little. A way that the
Globalization FRINQ helps to aid this learning is through the use of the University Studies
Goals.
The University Studies Goals help to facilitate learning but are also integrally tied to all
the work we do within the class. Specifically the Goals of Inquiry and Critical thinking as well as
Diversity and the Human Experience can been seen in many if not all of our course work.
Throughout every term there is an assigned reading that normally has a global context. Some
example of this are Tracy Kidders narrative Strength in What Remains, the Great Decisions
lecture series booklet, and Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn A Path Appears: Transforming
lives, creating opportunity. Each one of these books can be tied into the goals of Diversity and
the Human Experience and the furthered class work we do with them aims to achieve the goal of

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Inquiry and Critical Thinking. This incorporation of the Globalization FRINQ and University
Studies helps to create an environment where students can learn unrestricted.
The Globalization FRINQ is a nontraditional classroom in which students are encouraged
to reflect on their learning and the ideas that form from it. To aid in this process the course
employs the University Studies Goals that aim to give students a wide variety of skill sets; both
within the classroom and the outside world. Combined these create an environment in which
students are able to formulate opinions and think decisively. The lessons learned from both the
course and University Studies are valuable to not just in the moment but the students overall
education.
Spring term, the Globalization course challenged us to apply the University Studies Goals
in new and inventive ways. The lessons learned from each goal once again aided in our learning
and helped to shine light on each topic. Inquiry and Critical Thinking, Diversity of the Human
Experience, Ethics and Social Responsibility, and Communication were all incorporated into the
learning process in order to better understand the complex topics we worked with this term. An
example of this is our reading of However long the Night by Aimee Molloy that showcased one
womans humanitarian struggle to end female genital cutting. When analyzing the text we not
only read and annotated, but dove deeper into complex ideas through the employment of
University Studies. Group discussions containing various materials on Ethics and Social
Responsibility abounded and drove us to implore our Inquiry and Critical Thinking skills gained
in previous terms. This created for a richer understanding and Communication of the text that
otherwise would not have been possible without the use of the University Studies goals.

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In general, this term compared to others involved more discussion of weighty issues and
was facilitated in a way that evoked discussion and learning. These mediums ranged anywhere
from circle-group discussions and debates, to community interaction. While participating in these
there is an increase sense of community as well as a deeper connection to the material. Much of
the content we worked with over the course of the term could easily be described as difficult and
hard to follow. However these modes of learning helped to create a connection to the stories
being told and the impotents of knowing the concept. They removed the need to stay engaged
because the discussion and learning was in the hands of the student, letting them create their own
learning experience. One way Globalization facilitated this unique idea of independent study was
through community engagement projects. These were year-long projects designed to impact the
community in a variety of ways. The idea and organization of the project was decided on by the
students and delegated between each group member. The project not only facilitated independent
learning but also communication. The project allowed us as students to hone our
communications skills among our classmates and community partners. We had to develop our
own goals and decide how they should be completed, leading to a unique group dynamic.
Assignments such as this as well as the many other in-depth projects we have done this term
have helped in developing skills for college and beyond.
Globalization is a yearlong FYI that stands out from many other freshman courses offered
at Portland State. The course is not only diverse in the content that it offers to students but also
the skills and lessons it teaches. It does this by employing the University studies goals of Inquiry
and Critical Thinking, Diversity of the Human Experience, Ethics and Social Responsibility, and
Communication; using them to facilitate various learning processes. This helps to keep the class
entertained an also insures for a better understanding of the complex material. Allowing

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Globalization students to think more deeply about topic and engage more fully with their
community.

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Works Cited

Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S. (n.d.). A path appears: Transforming lives, creating opportunity.
Great decisions: 2015 edition. (2015). New York: Foreign Policy Association.
Kidder, T. (2009). Strength in what remains. New York: Random House.