The Globalization of College Students

There are dozens of ways that I could write about the relationship between education and globalization. Today, I'm going to focus on the globalization of a unique segment of education: the college student. The value of study abroad has been whirling around my mind lately as I happily plan and prepare to spend a semester abroad in Denmark. 


For United States students, spending a semester or summer in another country is a huge, and extremely hyped, opportunity. American colleges woo prospective students by touting their highly ranked or affordable study abroad programs. Juniors and seniors see a lot of advertisements like this one:

Once we pick our college or university, we see a lot of advertisements like these on our campuses:

If you had the chance to read last week's great blogpost on Nowa Huta, you probably noticed that Nell, one of the members of this research project on globalization, studied abroad last semester. She is one of approximately 260,000 American students who study abroad every year, according to the Institute of International Education. 


Outside of the United States, studying abroad takes on a different flavor; while U.S. students are the most likely to spend a semester studying in a different country and graduate from an American school, students in non-North American countries are most likely to spend four years studying abroad and receive a degree from a completely different state than they grew up in. 


We've come to the conclusion that hundreds of thousands of college students every year choose to globalize their education, and that universities take pride in offering this opportunity. But why?


Traveling to a foreign nation to receive high quality education is an idea  that goes back centuries into human history. Studying abroad for the sake of the cultural experience, however, is something relatively new. The Institute of International Education was created in 1919, and the University of Delaware established the first semester-long study abroad program in 1920. You may notice that these dates line up with the end of the first world war. This is no coincidence. There is a noble hope that by sending their young, bright students to interact with citizens of other places and understand other cultures, these individuals will build up the global community and promote peace. In the words of the IIE, "Peace and prosperity around the world depend on increasing the capacity of people to think and work on a global and intercultural basis." Spending a semester living and learning in a foreign land, by no doubt, facilitates this.

Globalization in Children's Literature

There are dozens of ways that I could write about the relationship between education and globalization. Today, I'm going to focus on the globalization of a unique segment of education: the college student. The value of study abroad has been whirling around my mind lately as I happily plan and prepare to spend a semester abroad in Denmark. 


For United States students, spending a semester or summer in another country is a huge, and extremely hyped, opportunity. American colleges woo prospective students by touting their highly ranked or affordable study abroad programs. Juniors and seniors see a lot of advertisements like this one:

Once we pick our college or university, we see a lot of advertisements like these on our campuses:

If you had the chance to read last week's great blogpost on Nowa Huta, you probably noticed that Nell, one of the members of this research project on globalization, studied abroad last semester. She is one of approximately 260,000 American students who study abroad every year, according to the Institute of International Education. 


Outside of the United States, studying abroad takes on a different flavor; while U.S. students are the most likely to spend a semester studying in a different country and graduate from an American school, students in non-North American countries are most likely to spend four years studying abroad and receive a degree from a completely different state than they grew up in. 


We've come to the conclusion that hundreds of thousands of college students every year choose to globalize their education, and that universities take pride in offering this opportunity. But why?


Traveling to a foreign nation to receive high quality education is an idea  that goes back centuries into human history. Studying abroad for the sake of the cultural experience, however, is something relatively new. The Institute of International Education was created in 1919, and the University of Delaware established the first semester-long study abroad program in 1920. You may notice that these dates line up with the end of the first world war. This is no coincidence. There is a noble hope that by sending their young, bright students to interact with citizens of other places and understand other cultures, these individuals will build up the global community and promote peace. In the words of the IIE, "Peace and prosperity around the world depend on increasing the capacity of people to think and work on a global and intercultural basis." Spending a semester living and learning in a foreign land, by no doubt, facilitates this.


The value of study abroad has been whirling around my mind lately as I happily plan and prepare to spend a semester abroad in Denmark. 

Globalization Today and the USSR Yesterday

Cześć wszysty! This is Nell, and I'm still in Poland! Therefore, I'd like to focus this blog post on globalization today (in Central/Eastern Europe, specifically Poland). After all, I am experiencing it firsthand! Although, I will certainly try to include certain historical aspects from the USSR's impact on Eastern Europe.

Let's start with obvious examples of globalization today, and I'll focus this blog post on business. Many of America's typical business ideologies are slowly but certainly coming into this country. I was talking to a family friend just last night, and she mentioned how at one point, there were far more of the family-owned-like businesses just a few years ago. Now, however, all sorts of grocery super stores are opening left and right. There are Biedronka's, Lidl's, Kefirek's, Polo Market's, Carrefour's, and many others. Unfortunately, it's far easier to go to one super store and get all of your groceries as opposed to going from a butcher, to a bakery, to a fruit stand, and so on and so forth. Instead, at a super store, you go in, sometimes, if you're lucky, you run into someone willing to help you, and then you leave. Smaller businesses don't have the means to compete with these sort of stores if people lose the willingness to go through the various stores. Aside from that, I have seen a few American fast food chains, such as the obvious McDonald's, the somewhat surprising KFC's, and even a Burger King. Let me say, though, it's quite interesting how each chain adapts to it's local conditions. Let's look at the McDonald's in Krakow's square. You don't use cars to get around in the square; you walk. Therefore, the McDonald's has adapted by creating what I have dubbed a "walk-by" as opposed to a "drive-thru."

Now onto the lasting impacts from the USSR! I actually have a lot of prime examples of this from my stay here and through discussion with people, so it's a bit hard to just pick one specific point right now. But, I'll start with the religious impact. Religion and Communism do not mix. Therefore, all the countries under the Soviet sphere were often pressured to completely abandon their religion. Each country reacted differently to these pressures. Many of the Germans in my class have mentioned the difference between West and East Germany. In West Germany, many old Christian traditions and holidays have held through, and many topics are still taboo to discuss. However, East Germany has lost many of its Christian ties and have begun to recognize more secular holidays as opposed to the Catholic ones. In Poland, Russia had many troubles trying to restrict religion. For example, in the city of Nowa Huta (I will discuss this in more detail at a later time), the citizens placed a wooden cross in the middle of the city after much struggle with the government. Three years after this placement, the government tore it down, and the town rioted. In response, the government permitted the city to fund the building of a church. The architect in charge of this project designed a church in the structure of an ark, and he made the cross at the top of the building the foundational support for the entire building to prevent the Soviets from destroying the cross yet again. Here you see the absolute will power to ensure that the Communist regime would not shake their faith. Although, the Communists did partially succeed in hurting their faith. Here's an example of why: when Pope John Paul the II visited Poland, many many people came to listen to him. However, when he visited Ireland, the number of attendees was double that in Poland. Therefore, Communism certainly did have enough of an effect on religion in Poland.

Thanks for tuning in this week! :)

Nutella is Now American

Hi guys, it’s Rachael! So, I just got back from an Ultimate Frisbee tournament at Notre Dame University, where the lovely people who organized the tournament provided our team with food: bananas, bagels, peanut butter, and… Nutella!!! If you don’t know what Nutella is, it is an absolutely delicious chocolatey hazelnut spread that has recently become increasingly popular in the United States. Every girl on the team got ridiculously excited about the presence of Nutella, and it made me think about the first time I ever heard of it. When I was in France for a few weeks about three years ago, I saw this tasty delight everywhere, because it is a staple, household thing over in Europe. The French family I was staying with had Nutella toast every morning for breakfast, and there were little packets of Nutella with the jelly packets at continental breakfasts at hotels: basically, it was everywhere. In the three years since I have come back to the U.S., Nutella has started to make an impression over here too, and may one day be the staple that it is in Europe.

According to http://www.nutellausa.com/history.htm, Nutella originated in Italy during WWII as a cheap alternative to chocolate, which was rationed during the war. The spread of this tasty treat from its origins in Italy, then to the rest of Europe, and now to the U.S. made me think about globalization in terms of the foods we eat. In matters other than food, some people have equated globalization with Americanization because of the huge influence American culture has around the world. This is by no means true, because there is a lot more to globalization than that. The food situation in America is in direct contradiction to this idea. Think about it: when you are deciding where to go out to dinner, the first thing you ask is, are you in the mood for Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, etc. The variety of food in the U.S. largely comes from different countries and their styles of food. What is American food, anyways, other than hamburgers and hotdogs? We would not enjoy the richness of variety in food that we enjoy in America if we didn’t eat a lot of food from cultures other than out own, and I would argue that American food is really just a combination of all these other types of food. This is the global nature of the world at its finest. Then again, I might be biased because I love Nutella and French bread so much.

On a completely unrelated note…

Speaking of chocolate, here is a nice recipe I found the other day: 5 minute microwavable cake. Great for college students like me because of its simplicity, this cake actually tastes pretty good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow5n1NvS0f8&feature=related

Enjoy!

A Quick Foodie Thought

My grandmother and I have a lot in common. We're about the same height, and enjoy swapping stories about the people we love. Furthermore, we both love the kitchen, and tend to catch things on fire while cooking. What we're making when the stove top starts flaming, and where its recipe originated, however, are where we become rather different.

My grandmother's stash of recipes is primarily handwritten. Those recipes originate from women in her family line and very dear friends. The recipes are great, and largely American. Cookies, pot pie, casseroles, quickie pancakes, and similar classic American dishes abound. Similarly, there are a few Italian and British recipes, like lasagna and scones, passed down from the countries her parents and in-laws immigrated from. Overall, the recipes are delicious, but focus on American, Italian, and British food heritage.

I, on the other hand, am a very different case. When I was in middle school, my mother's recipe shelf was the grandest recipe library imaginable. A few years later, I discovered the internet. The world of food opened up to me. I'm no longer dependent on the wisdom of my ancestors or neighbors for whether to flip an omelet or not, or how to keep my pie crust from sticking. I don't have to trudge to the library to dig up a cookbook, which may or may not be there, from a different country if I've developed an interest in foreign food.  I can look up an easy sugar cookie recipe on an online recipe website that may have been posted by someone stateside, or in a different country. I can go to a cuban food blog to find an authentic recipe for tamales, something I guarantee has never been made in my grandmother's kitchen. When a friend of mine came home from spending two years in Argentina, she spent a lot of time on From Argentina, With Love, to make the food she missed eating. The popular epicurious.com has a segment dedicated to international food. Allrecipes.com's recipe of the day is Babka, a Polish bread.

Overall, time and technology make food preparation a more global experience. Whether it's making a classic you already love from an online recipe posted by someone in a foreign country, or easily satiating a curiosity about foreign foods via the internet, or even having those foreign dishes brightly advertised on your favorite recipe website, the Internet allows cooks all over the world to come together and share their craft.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -George Santayana

Welcome to the Official “It’s a Small World: Globalization Through the Ages” Blog.  We intend, through a variety of mediums (blogposts, seminars, etc) to convey how various historical topics and trends are necessary for understanding phenomena as large as the Global Village we live in today, and our own private lives.

This blog will showcase our research, events, and day-to-day discoveries. As a group of ten eleven individuals, we’ll be combining our skills and interests to provide you with knowledge about historical trends and their worldwide tendencies.

Cast:
Samantha: This year, I’ll be joining forces with Rachael and studying the globalization of food. Yes, this is an excuse to eat. It’s also quenching my endless curiosity pertaining to where everything that I eat originates. I mean, who came up with the idea of pink lemonade? Why have all the cafes on campus started serving paninis instead of sandwiches? I need answers.
Rachael: I love cats. I love every kind of cat. I just want to hug all of them, but I can't! Can't hug every cat.
Linda: I'm from Hong Kong and I'd lived in Germany for a year when I was in kindergarten. I'm a child studies major and possibly double-majoring in special education. I love kids. I love every one of them. I just want to hug all of them, and I can!
Bryce:  I have trained for a year and a half in mixed martial arts and am the president of the Vanderbilt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club.  I will cover the expansion of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from its origin in Judo martial arts taught in Japan to its international recognition.
Frances: I am a Child Development and Cognitive Studies Major. I am interested in learning how the brain works, and I love babies! Also, I am originally from Nairobi, Kenya but have lived in the U.S. since 1999. Hamsters are cool, too. I’m also a scorpio and enjoy long walks in the park ;) hehe
Patrick Eads: A math and computer science major (that is also very sensitive). I enjoy the analytical and philosophical sides of history as we study intellectual movements that resulted in world change. "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9
Luke Miksanek: I'm currently an undecided major, but as a matter of fact, I'm leaning towards history or classical studies. I enjoy movies, junk food, and anything considered old-fashioned.
John Sims-Jones: I’m double majoring in anthropology and Spanish. Throughout the project I will be focusing on patterns of global conquest, with a special focus on the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
Jose Rodriguez: Hello, World. I'm Jose Rodriguez, and I'm studying Mechanical Engineering. I live in the Cave, and I ride a bike that has a human name.
Xaralambos Papadatos: Ξέρετε τι είσαστε; Ανόιτι. Εντάξη, δέν είσαστε, άλλα δέν θα σας αγγαλιάσω. Anyway, I'm Double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical engineering. An avid fan of Lovecraft, Valve, and lurking, I will be examining how trade has affected globalization, and what effect it may have in the future.
Nell: Dzień dobry i pozdrowienie z Polsce! I'm majoring in anthropology. I'm that crazy girl who decided to study abroad the minute I finished my first year, so I'm in Poland! Expect to see current examples of globalization from me, as well as some stuff on the USSR and its effects on the world, specifically Eastern Europe.