Author: Madeline Conley

IA Reflection 2020, #3

For my final International Affairs reflection of the year, I chose to write about the International Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic Zoom Conversation. This conversation took place on April 22nd, 2020, over a Zoom conference call. I was unable to attend the event in real time, but I was able to watch the recorded conversation. The conversation centered on international perspectives to COVID-19, with participants from all over the world.

The conversation was facilitated by Kelsie, Audrey, and Kirsten. The conversation included several participants from outside the United States. Niklas Gantenberg spoke from Berlin, Germany, where he is staying with his parents while his university in Dresden is closed. Ivy, a graduate student studying English translation, spoke about the effects of COVID-19 in China. Rainbow, a Tourism Management major, spoke about her connection with Kirsten. Lastly, Aubin and Elsa spoke from France about the effect of COVID-19 in places such as Paris and Bordeaux. Many of the students spoke about the stress of online classes, the uncertainty of returning to university later in the year, and the impact on students across all levels of education, not just undergraduate or graduate students. Other students spoke about the convenience and accessibility of online classes, especially for certain majors. Aubin spoke about the difficulties of completing an internship in a work from home framework. He explains that it is much more difficult to gain concrete professional skills and experience when he is not immersed in the physical internship setting. Finally, several participants spoke about the lack of motivation that comes with working from home, whether they are doing academic or professional work.

This event connects to International Affairs in several ways. One of the most important ways is the integration of international perspectives on a global event highlights one of IA’s core values: intercultural competency. By learning about the global perspective of COVID-19, International Affairs scholars are able to synthesize their experiences with the experiences of others and come to a greater understanding. Intercultural competency allows IA scholars to move between cultures with efficiency and elegance. Participating in events such as this Zoom conversation increases a person’s intercultural competency in concrete ways.

As per my own experiences with COVID-19, the virus has affected my social and academic life the most. On campus, I worked three jobs, was involved in several clubs, and had a large group of friends that I hung out with. The transition from that busy lifestyle to a more relaxed quarantine lifestyle has been jarring, to say the least. I am still working at my local grocery store (where I’ve worked on and off since high school), but as restrictions tighten my interactions have become more and more limited. I think that my national experience of pandemic protocol has been different from the experiences described by the participants in the call. It seems that the other countries had stricter timelines and systems in place more immediately. Niklas spoke about the differences between national protocol and federal states, which I think applies more accurately to the situation in the United States.

IA Service Response Spring Semester

For my second event of the year, I chose to volunteer with Taste of OSU 2020. This event counted as a service event, as I was passing out brochures with the event staff for the duration of my time serving with them. Taste of OSU 2020 occurred on February 21st in the Ohio Union on campus. Volunteering with Taste of OSU has always been a highlight of my year, and I was excited to return for my sophomore year!

Taste of OSU is an OUAB signature event that always occurs during spring semester in the Ohio Union. Culture and language-based clubs from across the university are invited to set up tables in the union to promote their clubs and provide food for those visiting the event. Each club supplies a savory and a sweet dish which reflects the club’s culture. Students and faculty who wish to attend the event can purchase food tickets, which allow them to try the food at the different cultural stations. Furthermore, several dance and music organizations are also invited, and there is a free show that occurs in the center of the union for people to enjoy as they mill around and try different foods.

This is my second time volunteering with Taste of OSU, and I was excited to come back for this event. My freshman year, I had a wonderful time volunteering, watching the shows, and enjoying the delicious food provided by all the clubs! I chose to come back and volunteer for a second year with this event because I really enjoyed the vibe from Taste of OSU 2019. The event was so welcoming and laidback – the atmosphere was one of exploring different cultures and coming together over shared enjoyment of food and music. I was really impressed by the amount cultures and languages represented on Ohio State’s campus, and how the university has worked to bring them together in an event like Taste of OSU.

Taste of OSU intersects with International Affairs in many ways. As International Affairs scholars, we are always encouraged to seek out and learn about cultures that differ from our own. Taste of OSU provides a laidback experience to do this, encouraging students to try new foods and learn about different campus organizations at the same time. Language learning is also an important part of the International Affairs community. By attending Taste of OSU, I was able to learn about the many language courses that the university offers and the corresponding clubs on campus. As an Italian minor, I am aware of the language community on campus, but talking with students who study Korean and Arabic definitely expanded my view of language on campus.

Volunteering with Taste of OSU 2020 was just as enjoyable as volunteering with Taste of OSU 2019. The relaxed atmosphere of the event and the ability to learn about numerous cultures represented on campus makes it one of the events I look forward to the most during spring semester. I look forward to volunteering again with the event for Taste of OSU 2021!

Spring 2020 Response #1

For my first response of the Spring 2020 semester, I chose to write about my experiences at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. I attended this festival from January 26 to January 31 and was privileged to view several film premieres. I chose to reflect on this event as a Campus event. Even though the event occurred off campus and out of the state of Ohio, I was given the opportunity to attend Sundance through my involvement with the Film and Video Society, an Ohio State organization. Therefore, I believe this event serves as a Campus-related event.

One of the films that I was able to view while attending the festival was Minari, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. The film centers around David, a young Korean American boy whose family moves from California to rural Arkansas in the 1980s. David’s father wishes to build a farm from the untapped soil of the area, while his mother is horrified by their new living conditions. The sudden change throws the family’s finances and stability into disarray, further disorganized by the arrival of David’s mischievous grandmother. The story is viewed through young David’s eyes, allowing the audience to bear witness to the family’s struggles and triumphs. This was my favorite film that I was able to view at Sundance – it was impeccably done.

I was also able to view Spaceship Earth while at Sundance, one of the films I was most excited for. Spaceship Earth is a documentary feature that chronicles the rise and fall of Biosphere 2 and the people who lived inside of it for two years. Questions about the validity of the experiment are posed and explored, combining interviews with archival footage and photographs from both inside and outside the Biosphere. The documentary goes further than allowing the audience to simply experience Biosphere 2; instead, the documentary also asks us to consider our own planet – Biosphere 1, as the members of the experiment refer to it – and our own human effect on the place we call home.

Both of these films are related to International Affairs in different ways. Minari, a fiction piece, shows us both the immigrant experience and growing up as a first-generation American. David, as a member of both the Korean and American communities, struggles with his identity from a very young age. In the film, when his grandmother comes to help take care of him, he tells her that she isn’t a “real” grandma, because she acts more like a Korean grandma instead of an American one. The film allows us to exist simultaneously within and without, just as David does in his separate cultures. In Spaceship Earth, a non-fiction piece, human connection with the environment and other human beings is explored. Our climate crisis and international affairs are intertwined, and this documentary looks at an attempt to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. However, the subsequent failure of the experiment causes us to consider humanity’s own shortcomings. Therefore, both of these films are closely related to International Affairs, and can be used to understand greater global interdependency.

IA Reflection AU19 #3

For my final reflection of the semester, I was chosen to participate in the Mershon Center working conference on “Exploring Obstacles to Social Cohesion in the Aftermath of Violent Conflict.” The conference took place from November 15-16th. I decided to consider this event a Professional Development event, as I was able to further my professional goals by attending and create relationships with many of the practitioners and academics present at the conference.

Over the course of the two-day conference, I worked with three other undergraduate students to facilitate discussion and record group conversation. Each of the students covered a panelist in depth, spanning three panels over the duration of the conference. I often worked directly with small break-out discussion groups, contributing to the overall direction of the conversation and taking diligent notes. After the conference had ended, the three other students and myself wrote up short descriptions of the panelist and subsequent conversations, compiling this descriptions into a conference brief. “Exploring Obstacles” was organized by the Conflict to Peace Lab at the Mershon Center, which is headed by Chris Gelpi, Teri Murphy, and Austin Knuppe. I was able to work closely with these three due to my involvement with the conference, giving me an invaluable insight into the C2P’s work at the Mershon Center.

I was fortunate to work with many amazing academics and practitioners. Dr. Hollie Nyseth Brehm was one of the attendees, and I found many of her ideas and insights to be of great interest to both myself and the group at large. I loved hearing her discuss her work in Rwanda – it felt like such a wonderful bridge between the academics and practitioners present. Many agencies and organizations were also represented, including Tearfund and Christian Aid. Veena O’Sullivan and Natalia Chan, respectively, were able to give accounts of their work in the field. Chan, specifically, was able to detail her work in South Sudan in a way that respected the academic opinion but spoke to the hardships faced by practitioners, as well. Being able to work with the Mershon Center in this setting allowed me to meet some truly wonderful individuals whom I hope to meet with again in the future.

This event tied into International Affairs in several ways. As members of the global international community, we must always be aware of the suffering that occurs daily in our world. But, on a slightly more upsetting note, we must also be aware of the difficulties presented to those who are attempting to ease that suffering. As an International Affairs scholar, I felt that hearing firsthand accounts of these difficulties helped me to realize that peacebuilding often consists of trial and error. There is no roadmap for transitional justice, just as there is often no roadmap for senseless violence and conflict. Therefore, I truly believe that being able to attend and actively participate in this conference has not only made me a better peacebuilder and International Affairs scholar, but truly a better member of the international community as a whole.

IA Reflection Autumn Semester 2

For my second reflection of the semester, I attended the School of Environment and Natural Resources Australia Study Abroad interest meeting on October 17, 2019. The meeting took place in Mendenhall Laboratory. This event counted as an academic event. The program focuses on human impacts on the natural environment and encourages students to engage in hands-on learning projects.

The program is three-week course that occurs over the month of May, taking place in several locations across the country of Australia. A spring semester course is required, and the study abroad technically counts as a summer course. The program allows students to research environmental issues such as water scarcity and quality, the impacts of rising ocean temperatures, and wildlife conservation. Activities involved in the study abroad include snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, hiking in the Wet Tropics rainforest, completing a “farmstay” with an Australian family, a strenuous but rewarding hike to the base of Wallaman Falls, and learning about the history of Aboriginal Australians pre- and post-colonialization.

The event was very informative, taking us through many of the individual days of the trip and the activities that would be completed on those days. Two students who had gone on the trip previously were also present, and their insight into what to pack, where to eat, and how much money to budget was a great asset to the event. The coordinators were also extremely knowledgeable, answering all the attending students’ questions quickly and with detail. The presentation covered all the academic work that students are expected to complete over the trip, including giving a detailed outline of projects, their instructions, and due dates while in Australia. The students were able to weigh in on the difficulty of the projects and time management while on the study abroad, explaining that the trip was rooted in academic learning. The presentation also explained the cost of the trip and how to apply for funding, which was extremely helpful. The presenters even passed out a printout of both university-wide scholarships and Office of International Affairs specific scholarships.

This event relates to International Affairs in many ways. I think it is extremely important for every student to study abroad, especially those who are involved in organizations with an international slant. Study abroad experiences give students opportunities to engage in hands-on learning, teaches students how to navigate international travel, and imbues students with an immense amount of self-confidence. Most importantly, I urge students to consider study abroad experiences that may be outside of your specific major. I am an English major and an Italian minor, and there are a multitude of exciting study abroad programs that fit inside those boxes. While those programs are absolutely something for me to consider, I firmly believe that students should at least look into programs that are simply interesting to them. It is important to gain academic credit from study abroad programs, but it is also important to expand your knowledge of the world and create environments in which learning is a joy, not a chore.

IA Reflection, Autumn Semester

For my first event of the semester, I chose to attend the Education Abroad Expo on September 12, 2019, in the Ohio Union. The Education Abroad Expo counted as a Campus event. This event has a strong relation to the topic of International Affairs, as it allowed me to view several study abroad opportunities at Ohio State. At this event, I found the study abroad opportunity that I am considering using for my second-year project.

As an Italian minor, I immediately visited the French and Italian booth first. Initially, I knew I wanted to complete my study abroad over the course of summer 2020, and I wanted to stay for at least four weeks. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what subjects I wanted to focus on or where in Italy I wanted to study. The staff working the booth went over the multiple study abroad programs in great detail with me. Their guidance and patience were amazing. They helped me to narrow the programs down to one or two choices that I was very enthusiastic about. One of the programs – Siena Italian Studies – had their own booth at the expo. From the French and Italian table, I visited the Siena Italian Studies booth, where I was able to talk with some students who had gone on the study abroad the previous summer. They encouraged me to apply for the program, explaining that their Italian had progressed immensely and that they had had a fantastic experience.

I was especially excited to hear that a few of the students had been involved in a program in which they had been able to help teach Italian to refugees. As a Peace Studies minor and someone who plans on pursuing a career in the human rights field, I was ecstatic to find out that I could pair my Italian learning experience with another opportunity that would greatly benefit my career choice. The students also informed me that I would be able to take classes in refugee migration and other similar subjects over the course of the four-week immersion. This information definitely helped me to realize that Siena Italian Studies was the perfect summer study abroad for me.

Personally, I gained a lot from visiting the Education Abroad Expo. I thought I would just pop in, browse a few booths, spend some extra time at the Italian booth, and then head home with some more basic options. Instead, I was able to find the perfect study abroad program – a program that satisfied both my love of Italian and my desire to help others in the world. This study abroad experience would help me academically, as it would allow me to complete my Italian minor while studying in Italy, but it would also give me professional experience in the field of refugee migration. I’m so glad I was able to attend this year’s Education Abroad Expo – next year, I hope to be one of the students at the Siena Italian Studies table, encouraging others to have an amazing experience!

IA Reflection, Spring 2019

For my final reflection this semester, I chose to write about the seminar that occurred on Go Buckeye Day at Smith Steeb. Alongside several other members of IA, I spoke with prospective Ohio State students, answering questions and describing the daily life that potentially awaits them this upcoming autumn. This event was considered an academic event.

Speaking with the high school students allowed me to realize how much I have changed since high school. As a senior, I never could have imagined the responsibility and authority that my college experience would develop in me. I’ve learned that sometimes, you must attend events by yourself, no matter how scary that might seem. I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter what you think that other people think – most times, you’re assuming the completely wrong thing. College taught me that it’s okay to eat alone. It’s okay to study alone. It’s okay to walk alone. My brief time at Ohio State has taught me about the agency in aloneness – the beauty of it, the power in it. But my time at OSU has also taught me the value of friendships. There is vulnerability in being alone, but there is also vulnerability is opening up to people. In high school, I had best friends. But college gave me the kind of friend who would run down two flights of stairs at three in the morning to kill the bug on my wall for me.

On the topic of advancing from high school, here is a small list of things I learned in college. You shouldn’t save that paper for tomorrow. (No, you really shouldn’t save that paper for tomorrow.) The reading room is the best room in Thompson for studying. The COTA runs all night and no, the bus driver will not judge you. (At least, not to your face.) The Oval is beautiful in the morning – wake up five minutes early and give yourself time to enjoy the walk. KComm really is underrated. Be extra nice to your RAs, they’re trying their best for both themselves and you. Ask questions. Send emails. Read the syllabus. Smile at people. Get lunch with your professors and your TA’s and your friends. Check your mailbox often. Listen to what people say in recitation. And, above all, don’t be scared to try new things or ask for something. The worst thing someone can do is say no.

In the future, as I transition towards the summer and next year, I plan on working on myself. I want to take some time this summer and do things for the sake of doing them. I plan on working a few jobs and saving for future opportunities, but this summer I want to cultivate relationships and experiences. Next fall, I plan on fully immersing myself in the culture of Ohio State – working as OA, taking a full course load, serving as social chair for Ohio State’s Film and Video Society. I’m ready to make next year one of the best years yet, but I plan on sitting on the beach for a while this summer first.

IA Reflection, Spring Semester, Service Event

For my second International Affairs event this semester, I volunteered with Taste of OSU. Taste of OSU was held in the Ohio Union on February 15, 2019. As I volunteered with the organization that hosts this event, I counted this as a service event for this semester. For my volunteer duties, I passed out fliers to visitors entering the Union, urging them to check out the many different attractions that Taste of OSU offers. I also answered questions, directed people towards food ticket lines, and helped visitors find where specific food booths were located. At the end of my volunteer shift, I was able to explore the food and performance aspects of Taste of OSU.

There were over twenty-five food booths present, representing many of the clubs and organizations that span the entire Ohio State University campus, including the Italian Club (which had delicious cannoli’s!). Several of these clubs also had performances in the Great Hall, most of which included music and dancing. After my volunteer shift, I was lucky enough to witness the Chinese Folk Music Orchestra and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Organization. The Chinese Folk Music Orchestra performed an extremely beautiful piece, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Organization had everyone on their feet and dancing along. I felt very lucky to be surrounded by the immense amount culture and tradition in the Union that night.

This event is important to International Affairs for many reasons. First and foremost, Taste of OSU is one of Ohio State’s most visible and attended celebrations of culture. The event allows students to connect with the multiple organizations that showcase the diverse and varied nationalities represented at Ohio State. As students who are interested in international affairs, the first place we begin to learn about cultures different than our own is at our colleges and universities. What better way to do so than by attending an event in which all of these identities are gathered in one place, ready to be explored? Secondly, the event showcases several clubs I didn’t even know existed! Volunteering amongst these clubs and their member was an eye-opening experience. It was a fantastic way to help immerse myself in the community that populates Ohio State. It also helped me to understand the multitude of opportunity available at Ohio State, opening me up to cultures and concepts I had never before considered. At the beginning of my volunteer shift, did I think I would end the night eating Native American fry bread and learning about Ohio’s Native American population? Absolutely not!

This event obviously had a large impact on me. Being able to walk around, trying all the different foods and conversing with the organization members, gave me a greater passion for Ohio State and its community. Volunteering with Taste of OSU also opened my eyes to the amount of planning and work an event of that magnitude takes. I have great respect for the event coordinators: they did a fantastic job! I will certainly be back volunteering in 2020, and I am greatly looking forward to it!

IA Reflection #1, Spring Semester

This January, I visited the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, with the Ohio State Film and Video Society. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend six days at the festival, and in that time, I watched numerous films and documentaries that both caught my attention and sparked my imagination.

On my first night in Park City, I watched Anthropocene: The Human Epoch. This documentary, released in 2018, was directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky. The film is the third in a trio by the directors – the first two films being Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), respectively. All three films explore environmental consequences that result from human influence on and interaction with the Earth. Anthropocene: The Human Epoch explores the concept that the Earth has left the Holocene and entered a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene, an epoch based entirely on human interactions with the Earth, both negative and positive. Narrated by Alicia Vikander and compiling footage from a variety of locations across the world, Anthropocene poses the question: millions of years from now, when future geologists peel back the rock layers of our planet, what histories of mankind will they find?

Suffice it to say, the current additions to the Anthropocene epoch are far from positive. The film is broken into several categories, covering topics that include but are not limited to terraforming, mining, deforestation, and pollution. In each category, several locations are highlighted, with each location somehow contributing to detrimental impact on the environment. Just a small portion of the areas showcased include lithium evaporation ponds in the Atacama Desert, bleached portions of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, potash mines in Russia’s Ural Mountains, and terrestrial mining machines eroding towns in Germany. From the warmest places on Earth to the coldest, humanity has left its indelible mark, the documentary reveals to us.

This documentary is heavily involved with international affairs. Not only does the film spread across the globe, but it also invites its audience to understand that climate change is a global issue: a human issue. The effects of climate change will ripple across the international community. No country – no matter how developed, wealthy, or internationally connected – will be spared from rising sea levels, erratic fluctuations in weather patterns, or mass extinction of flora and fauna unable to adapt. The content of the documentary urges the audience to take responsibility for mankind’s actions against the Earth, and to make a change before it could be too late.

One of the most powerful scenes in the documentary is the mass burning of ivory that had been taken from poached elephants. Watching the tusks burn, I realized: this was not an effect of global warming. Climate change does not kill elephants and sell their tusks on the black market. Only people are capable of that kind of cruelty. As stewards of our planet, we must work not only to reverse the effects of climate change, but to reverse that mindset of cruelty and superiority. We are all on this planet together, after all – and it’s the only one we’ve got.

Autumn Semester Reflection #3

For my academic event and final event of the year, I attended the 2018 African Night, hosted by Ohio State’s chapter of the African Youth League, on November 17, 2018. The event took place in the Archie Griffin Ballroom in the Ohio Union. I chose to attend this event as another member of International Affairs, Ellena Yohannes, was performing a traditional African dance with an organization, and I wanted to see her performance and support her.

The activity had a great impact on me. As I am not a member of the African Youth League, it was very exciting to see the program as a culmination of the organization’s work over the semester. It was also exciting to see several other clubs perform routines, songs, or exhibitions that they had been practicing all semester. Learning about the different cultures of Africa and how they are all intertwined was fascinating for me. The event also impacted me in the sense that it changed my perspective. At African Night, I was definitely in the minority, which has not yet happened to at Ohio State. In most of my classes and activities, I am in the – albeit small – majority. At this event, I truly felt was it was like to be in the smallest group represented at an event, and the feelings that come along with that.

The event can be connected to the topic of International Affairs in many ways. Firstly, several groups of people from different countries all over the continent of Africa were represented. The event began with a flag walk, giving each country the deserved attention and allowing members of that country to show their patriotism and pride. Learning how all the countries within a continent work together while still having their own unique identity is an important lesson and integral to the idea of global inter-dependency. It is also an idea that the United States might try to implement in the upcoming years, even though we are composed of states and not countries, to try to bridge the political and ideological gap that divides the nation.

At this event, I was culturally exposed to several new types of art, including dance, song, and spoken word. Within my own life and culture, I have each of these mediums, but it was amazing and interesting to experience them in a completely different light. This connection also helped me to realize that – despite the differences – both cultures are more similar than I initially thought. The feeling this invoked reminded me of a commercial for one of the generations of iPhone that used to run all the time a few years ago. The narrator ended the commercial by saying, “We are more alike than unalike, my friends. We are more alike than unalike.” This message, even though not necessarily the true meaning behind African Night, was incredibly tangible to me. I left the event feeling proud of my school for having the space to host such an event and humbled by everyone’s inclusivity despite my obvious minority.