Hannah Taylor

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES CERTIFICATE

I am a senior in French and International Studies, concentrating on Global Sustainability and Development. My education in these two disciplines shaped and was shaped by my international experiences, discussed in this final project.

Over the past four years, I have developed and changed a great deal; I have created my own personal culture. I would not say I have become a different person. Rather, I have become a new version of myself during my four years at NC State. I have become more aware of the world around me through my experiences in and outside of the classroom. I have become someone who recognizes the value in many different perspectives and strives to go out of her comfort zone to see them. I have become a traveler, an academic, a friend, and a mentee. In attending NC State and completing the Global Perspectives Certificate, I have created a sense of belonging and I have a sense of direction for my future career and the role I want to play in our society. I am part of the Wolfpack and the Global Pack. Through my experiences as a “goldfish,” adapting to my changing environments whether it was coming to college or studying in a new country, I feel as though I can come to belong anywhere.

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ACADEMIC

The field is a great place to learn, but the classroom is as well. With majors in International Studies in French, I completed my GPC coursework (with many courses to fill each requirement) by following my normal degree course. These courses gave me practical knowledge to think about our world and develop my own ideas and questions surrounding global issues

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ISSUES IN GLOBAL POLITICS

PS 236

I took this course my sophomore year and It was one of the most challenging courses I had taken at that point. We read about many different specific issues and discussed current events - at the time, Russia taking Crimea from Ukraine. It helped me to establish a foundation for how to think about global issues as they relate to identity and culture.

FRANCOPHONE CULTURE, LITERATURE, AND CINEMA OF THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD

FLF 425

This course focused on North African works and issues of gender and identity as reflected through literature and cinema from this region. This was a great course while I was reflecting on my study abroad in Morocco where I explored some aspects of these issues myself. It complemented my personal reflections and added to my own knowledge about French North Africa and the "beur" identity, which to an extent, parallels my own.

MODERN MIDDLE EAST

HI 270

This course expanded my understanding of the Arab world and its history. It helped me to better understand the Middle East as it is today and contextualized current events. My knowledge of Morocco and understanding of the Arabic language and some Arab culture was a great starting point, but an academic history (supplemented with interesting primary documents!) taught me a lot about other Middle Eastern countries. I was able to tie these histories into my greater understanding of colonialism and neoimperialism, and Islamic culture.

SENIOR SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

IS 491

This class was extremely difficult and unique! As I write this, I haven't quite completed it but I am on my way! Even though my critical thinking and writing improved exponentially throughout my four years of college, this class has pushed me the farthest. My topic focused on the expansion of global sustainable agriculture and the role of international development institutions in promoting sustainable practices and food security. It has taught me to go out, research a topic, and synthesize different ideas to develop unique conclusions and recommendations. It has given me the opportunity to tie together my interests in sustainability, agriculture, and international development, as well as question institutions of international aid.

ABROAD

International experiences have shaped my identity and perspectives throughout my life. During my time at NC State, they continued to do so in a unique way as I transitioned from childhood to adulthood.

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UNITED KINGDOM

My time in the UK was a unique experience abroad. I have British citizenship and have visited throughout my life to visit family. However this visit was different because it was much longer, three months, and I was without my immediate family. I was lucky enough to score an internship at the Disasters Emergency Committee, a UK based NGO focused on disaster relief and international development. My experience at the DEC shaped my career path and gave me an opportunity for professional development and learning in my field. I was also able to form deeper connections with my British family. I lived with my aunt and uncle and visited family all over the country. While most of my visits only lasted a week or two, I was able to spend much more time with my family and learned more about my family members and their lives, including my father's. I was also able to learn more about British culture as I had more time to be immersed in it. My time in the UK influenced my worldview and my lifestyle. I got used to relying on public transportation and walking to the shops a few times a week. Even though London pushed me out of my comfort zone, I do wish I had pushed myself more. In some ways, I was a little too comfortable. I was familiar with some parts of the city, including where I was living. I've seen all the tourist sites. But London is still a huge city and I wish I had experienced more of it, because there is always something new and exciting around the corner.

TRAVELING EUROPE

In between my internship in London and my study abroad in Morocco, I was able to travel some with my immediate family and on my own. I met my family in Rome where we embarked on a 5 day cruise around Greece. I saw a volcano and swam in a nearby spring. I snorkeled in the Aegan and saw the site of the first Olympics and the Acropolis at Athens (where parts of the temples are replicas because the originals are in the British Museum!). I visited a long time friend and her family in Marseilles where I enjoyed the Mediterranean and seafood while practicing my French. It was a wonderful vacation and I returned to London with sunkissed skin, ready to embark on my next journey.

MOROCCO

My time in Morocco was like nothing I had ever experienced before. i met so many new people and learned so much in the realms of academia, culture, and general life lessons. I lived with a host family so my experience was definitely immersive in some aspects. I learned about Moroccan culture, holidays, and family life. I learned to navigate the winding medina roads of Rabat and enjoyed the nearby beach, right next to the largest cemetery I have ever seen in my life, I still can't wrap my head around it. I learned to carry out my own ethnographic research and grappled with the ethics of anthropology and the institution of study abroad. I climbed the tallest mountain in North Africa and visited the hammam (Moroccan bath house) to endure the severe and boundary-less scrubbing of the women who worked there. However, there is no feeling like that of leaving the hammam sipping on a peach juice box. I saw beautiful mosques and landscapes and ate some incredible food.
However, like any place, the longer I was in Morocco the more I discovered some of the less nice aspects of the society. i saw a guy get hit by a bus and it just drove away. Myself and other female classmates were victims of harassment, verbal and physical, in the streets. We saw social, political, and economic divides between different ethnic groups and poor treatment of sub-Saharan Africans and women.
Morocco was an overall extremely formative experience. I discovered a great deal about myself and other people and cultures I had never heard of. I learned to question systems of authority and and recognize privilege in a more global context while questioning cultural romanticization and ideas of cultural authenticity and experience. I do hope to go back one day, as after three months I felt like I was just starting to get over my culture shock and "level out." I ultimately enjoyed my study abroad experience recommend Morocco to those who are interested, but emphasize the importance of discussions surrounding privilege and identity.

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