A world of possibilities: Global studies prepares students for diverse paths
You may travel for pleasure, interface with customers or colleagues in another hemisphere or treat patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. No matter your field or career trajectory, a global perspective can only broaden your world.
That’s the philosophy behind the global studies minor, available through the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. Open to undergraduates of every major, the popular program encourages students to research topics they are passionate about and culminates with a capstone research project that enhances their academic profile.
“The Global Studies minor proves useful in my everyday life, just in terms of looking at issues from perspectives of people I might not have much in common with,” said Jamie Ganz ’16, who studied abroad in the United Kingdom during her time at Binghamton University.
One of her very first Global Studies assignments led the English major to a news story about a 1993 UK murder, which in turn inspired a script that helped her get into several graduate schools. She ended up completing her master’s degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and today works as a breaking news reporter at the New York Daily News.
Darren Yu, a business administration major who earned his bachelor’s in 2018 and his MBA through the fast-track program the following year, said the minor increased his knowledge of the world with relatively few classes.
Global Studies courses explore elements of cultures that aren’t immediately obvious to outsiders and teach students to become more observant and curious, Yu explained. That proved beneficial during his study abroad experience in South Korea, which led him to research that country’s media and film.
“Both the writing and conversations helped me refine my cultural competency and think more about my personal experiences in relation to the world around me,” said Yu, who is currently working as an operations manager for Amazon on Long Island while pursuing competitive beatboxing.
Many paths
While Global Studies students follow a wide variety of majors and career trajectories, their reasons for choosing the minor are similar: with just a few extra credits, they can pursue a cross-cultural research topic that interests them or make the most out of their education abroad experience.
Linguistics major Lesi Wang ’18 wanted to augment her education abroad experience in Akita, Japan. Now a graduate student in international and multicultural education at the University of San Francisco, she found that global studies helped her find a more international perspective.
“I had been learning Japanese for quite some years, so I thought I already knew the people and the culture well. But this was not true,” reflected Wang, who plans to become a language teacher. “This program taught me how to observe, ask questions and think critically.”
During her education abroad experience at the University of Edinburgh, psychology major Channah Leff ’14 drew on her observational skills to find the topic for her capstone project on the gray area between social drinking and alcoholism.
Her global studies coursework also sparked an interest in a new field. After taking a gap year to travel, she completed a master’s degree in applied anthropology at the University of South Florida. Leff currently works at Harvard University in the libraries for anthropological and East Asian studies, and plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.
“The global studies program has definitely impacted my career trajectory, as global studies was my gateway to anthropology,” she said. “I probably wouldn’t have moved on to graduate school in anthropology if I hadn’t first taken global studies.”
Grad school boost
As senior Hannah Zamor discovered, a global studies minor can help clear the way for future graduate degrees.
Her graduate school applications are getting a boost from her capstone project, which focused on a tax levied on disposable cups in the United Kingdom and its connections with the history of environmentalism in that country. To successfully complete the project, she needed to hone research techniques and apply theories she learned in class to her topic — skills also sought after by graduate programs.
The political science major is currently applying for master’s programs in international development. Her coursework has prepared her well, training her to think deeply about the significance of cultural symbols and actions.
“Global studies reaffirmed my commitment to receiving a master’s degree that has a global focus,” she said.
The capstone project also proved instrumental to Joyce Wong’s master’s degree.
The human development major participated in a service-learning program in Cusco, Peru, in 2018. While there, she was surprised to see bits of her Chinese heritage scattered through the South American city — specifically in a cuisine called chifa, similar to Chinese food but with a Peruvian twist. For her capstone project, she explored how Chinese culture made its way to Peru and successfully integrated into Peruvian culture through this cuisine.
She stayed an extra year at Binghamton through a 4+1 program, earning her Master of Public Administration degree. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, students were permitted to showcase their achievements by building off an existing project. Drawing on her research in Peru, Wong created a policy memo on Peru’s growing Asian demographic.
“The global studies capstone continued to influence my work beyond the program. It inspired me to produce some of my best work, even in graduate school,” said Wong, who currently works with the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
A global perspective
Global perspectives also benefit students who are looking toward careers in healthcare or business.
Spanish major Anna Dlott found that her capstone project helped solidify her decision to pursue pharmacy school; currently a senior, she will attend Virginia Commonwealth University’s pharmacy program once she graduates.
Her education abroad program took her to Buenos Aires and Mendoza in Argentina, where she studied the differences between healthcare systems in both the United States and Argentina, and the latter’s transition to a more universal system. The experience made her more aware of the role pharmacists play in healthcare and the need for global immunization, she said.
Healthcare workers treat people from diverse backgrounds, and understanding how someone’s culture can influence their perspective can only help, noted integrative neuroscience major Miguel Ezeiza Ortega, who also works as a nursing assistant.
An immigrant from Venezuela and an aspiring physician, Ortega is deeply drawn to understanding perspectives across cultural divides. When he was in France, he noticed how prevalent smoking was and how the environment fostered this habit, from ashtrays in parks to cracked windows on subways. His capstone project, which concerned the sociocultural reasons behind smoking in France, was published in Alpenglow, the University’s undergraduate research journal.
“I wanted to learn and involve myself as much as possible in an academic environment that supports the exchange of cultural perspectives and ideas. This minor gave me exactly that,” said Ortega, a senior currently applying to master’s programs.
Tony Wu, a business administration graduate, found that global studies coursework enhanced his empathy for others and, in turn, his customer service skills, a benefit to his current career in the mortgage industry.
A global perspective is a plus in the business world, particularly on the consulting side, reflected Spencer Gordon ’17, an accounting major who now works as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. That global perspective has been all the more valuable recently, when consumer finance firms are trying to remain competitive in a highly uncertain time, he said.
“When considering growth opportunities or minimizing risk/losses, businesses often have to think about their far-reaching impact, across not only industries but different cultures and geographies,” he explained.
Business administration major Timothy Leung ’18 has always been draw
This project, and his global studies experience in general, have helped shape his activism in the current social climate, he said. At the Manhattan financial technology company where he works, he helped lead an employee resource group geared toward diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Being a global studies minor has only encouraged me to be more passionate about multiculturalism,” he said.
Global careers
For some global studies alumni, the program has led to some truly fascinating career stops.
While at Binghamton, German major William Ungewitter ’19 studied abroad in Austria for a year, taking challenging courses in international and European studies that ultimately led to an internship with the United Nations’ 74th General Assembly.
“For my capstone, I chose to write about Austria and, at the time, the ongoing refugee crisis, tying in many of the experiences I had living in Graz and traveling throughout the country,” he said.
At the U.N., he interacted with diplomats, foreign ministers and even heads of state from all over the world. He found the internship “thrilling and rewarding,” and plans to apply for a long-term position.
A linguistics major, alumna Kelly Heinzel is now on the other side of the world, putting her Binghamton education to work at a Japanese printing firm. In Japan, Heinzel does translation, interpretation and design work for advertisements and marketing, as well as some English teaching and English-language events. She’s also writing bilingual storybooks.
Her capstone project opened the door, and will eventually be published in an online magazine through her employer.
“Since I showed my deep interest in traditional Japanese culture through my capstone, my boss was interested in having me write other pieces as well,” Heinzel said.