Global Citizenship and the Purpose of Study Away; Duke Marine Lab

            When people think study away and study abroad they automatically think international and expanding horizons. I believe the purpose of study away is unique to each individual. Some students travel to gain experience in another culture or language that excites them, others do because they want to see more of the world and learn about the different principles and beliefs of places, and still others, like me, go for the academic opportunities they’d have at their host destination that aren’t available to them at home. I have a different view than my peers on this subject because of the experience I’ve had this semester. I came to the Marine Lab to be able to take courses focusing on Marine Science and to have the chance to be in research driven classes. That was my goal and what I wanted out of my semester so that’s what I got. Even while I took a course in the Virgin Islands we didn’t have much interaction with the native residents. Most of our time and efforts were spent in lectures and doing research, but to me that’s still an experience where I learned so much about my self and what I can do. I wouldn’t trade that time or this semester for another program where I would have truly been “abroad”.

            While reading Brockington and Wiedenhoeft I couldn’t help but think that, once abroad, achieving global citizenship is more up to the student then their home institution. While on campus they can take courses to prepare them for Bussbaum’s ideas of living in a multitude of communities and consuming “media reports, economic policies” and “asking questions beyond that of the individual or national self interests.” Once a student reaches their destination it’s up to them to critically think about their surroundings and put in the efforts to try and understand their host cultures way of life, to be more than a tourist. Also, after reading these articles I see that that’s what these blog posts are for. The questions we’ve had are trying to get us to think like global citizens and look past the postcard picture moments.
                I personally do not feel like a global citizen but I do feel like a citizen of Carteret County. I can walk around the tiny town of Beaufort I don’t stand out, people can’t tell whether I’m here for a weekend or I’ve be here all my life. As Byer’s talked about, I still have all the opportunities and rights in my host destination that “empowers individual human beings to participate in decisions concerning their lives.”