Final Project Overview
For my final project, I wrote a paper looking into how climate change is discussed in the news in different parts of the world. I looked at the different ways that news outlets framed the information and how that seemed to correlate to public opinion of climate change.
Final Project Reflection
I went into this project somewhat expecting many of the results that I found, but it was still very interesting and illuminating to do more in-depth research on the topic.
My top three takeaways from this project were a better understanding of how media differs across cultures, a clearer idea of the ways media can skew people’s perspectives, and a deeper respect for just how powerful media can be in influencing how society functions. These insights will help me be a more analytical and critical reader of news media.
I think this will impact my writing in the future because I will be more aware of the specific ways my audience might be responding to how I present information. I will try to use this power for good.
Global Option Final Reflection/Accomplishments
My goal going into the Global Option program was mostly to try to gain as nuanced a perspective about the world as possible. This sort of goal is a life-long project, but I think that my experiences with the Global Option program has given me a good start. I have learned a lot of analytical skills and learned from people with many differing perspectives during my time at OSU and I think what I have learned will help me continue to grow.
My biggest gain from the Global Option Program, aside from academic growth, was having the opportunity to meet new mentors and make some very good friends. I have maintained friendships formed on both of the study abroads I went on even years later and I hope to maintain those friendships for the rest of my life.
In addition to gaining friends, I have gained many skills that will be useful as a global professional. I have gained the ability to travel independently and confidently whether that be internationally or at home, which is a large point of personal growth because I started freshman year very confused about taking the bus. I have improved my ability to communicate and share my experiences with others through all of the program’s writing activities, which is an important skill as a communications major. I have also, as previously mentioned, gained a more nuanced perspective on a lot of world issues, which has helped me grow in my ability to analyse political arguments since I can better tell which parts of the conversation might be being left out.
Overall, I hope that my experiences in the Global Option program have made me a better thinker and therefore a better writer. I think that wherever my future career ends up taking me, good analytical and writing skills are important to succeed. I also hope that my experiences with this program remind me to try to venture outside of my known sphere every once in a while in order to learn from the unknown and unfamiliar.
I would advise students thinking about participating in Global Options to definitely study abroad if they are able and to keep an open mind while doing so. There are a lot of experiences that can’t be planned for that will still end up being really beneficial or memorable. Part of how you learn is by just doing things, whether you feel ready to or not, and discovering you were more capable of figuring things out than you may have expected.