Name:                     Tay Sauer
Major:                     Film Production/Advertising
Faculty Mentor:     Hannah Mueller
Department:           Film

This research project seeks to criticize common portrayals of Arab countries in post-September 11th American media. Scholarly articles and research from accredited universities serve as the foundation of the paper. 12 different films and television shows are cited as both positive and negative examples throughout the paper, with special attention being paid to Aladdin (1992). Aladdin (1992) serves as a microcosm of multiple issues we see with American perceptions of Arab characters. In order to complete this project, I received a grant from the BGSU Honors College to study abroad in Morocco for 3 weeks to observe the culture and interview fellow students on their and their family’s predispositions on studying abroad in an Arab country. Many students said they and their families were apprehensive about them visiting Africa, especially since Morocco’s population is primarily Muslim. The students touch on some of their expectations on visiting Morocco, and how they later felt that those expectations had been rooted in an American culture of Islamophobia and racism. This paper explores how this harmful culture is spread and reinforced in American media through stereotypes, the creation of “the evil other,” and the generalization of African countries with large Arab populations such as Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, and Egypt, as well as how these countries and their cultures are often equated with the Middle East, when in fact each country has their own unique culture, heritage, and traditions. This research seeks to criticize and dismantle these issues that contribute to an Islamophobic and racist American society.

Name:                     Olivia Oh
Major:                     Inclusive Early Childhood Education
Faculty Mentor:     Dr. Christopher Witulski
Department:           Musicology/Composition/Theory

Gnawa is a genre of music performed at Lila, meaning “night” in Arabic, which is a ceremony full of song, music, dance, costume, and incense that is dedicated to prayer and healing through invoking a state of trance within individuals. Lilas are very intimate and family-centered occasions with deep cultural and religious significance. During my study in Morocco, I was very fortunate to be given an opportunity to attend a Lila myself.

Name:                     Lauryn Boudreaux
Major:                     Communications
Faculty Mentor:     Christopher Witulski
Department:           Music Department

My name is Lauryn Boudreaux, and I am a Senior here at Bowling Green State University. I transferred here my junior year from Tiffin University, and the first task I wanted to take on when stepping onto this campus was to study abroad. I started my steps the moment I got onto campus, and I had the great opportunity of being apart of a study abroad trip that was taken place in Morocco, North Africa. While in Morocco, I studied music and healing, and for this presentation, I want to share my experience through a short video/PowerPoint presentation. I am going to go into detail about my fantastic experience with the culture, what emotions I went through with being in another country.

Name:                     Tai Knoll
Major:                     Music Education & Music Performance
Faculty Mentor:     Christopher Witulski
Department:           Musicology/Ethnomusicology

During the Winter Session of January 2020, I traveled abroad to Morocco for a course on music and healing, directed by Dr. Christopher Witulski. Throughout the class, we observed and participated in a variety of musical performances, such as Issawa, Hamadsha, Gnawa, and more, while exploring the culture and daily life of Morocco. My project consisted of expanding beyond the course to research Moroccan musical culture and explore ways in which I can incorporate these experiences into my own future teaching as a music educator. I learned about the role of music in everyday life, how music is taught and shared within a community and throughout generations, and intricacies of Moroccan musical structures and instrumental techniques that were not part of the course. The question I wanted to explore through my project was: As a music educator, how can I develop the knowledge and skill set needed to represent and teach Moroccan music in a sensitive, respect, and impactful way that provides my students experiential learning opportunities?

Name:                     Lee Eitel
Major:                     Asian Studies and Film Production
Faculty Mentor:     Akiko Jones
Department:           World Languages and Cultures

I wanted my topic to relate to international relations and how Tokyo presents itself to be an area of gathering for people from all countries. I would be talking about what is so appealing about Tokyo, how it blends tradition and modernization, and it brings forms of communication towards people. I may also bring in things I found unique from an American standpoint.

Name:                     Abilasha Kandalu
Major:                     Asian Studies
Faculty Mentor:     Akiko Jones
Department:           Asian Studies

A presentation on my personal experience in Japan at Kobe College and why I think studying abroad is a valuable experience for students. Along the theme of conference, a main point is the difference in viewpoints between the U.S. and Japan and how going on study abroad can help students become more open minded.

Name:                     Alexandra Brinkman
Major:                     European Studies
Faculty Mentor:     Edgar Landgraf
Department:           German

Speaking about Salzburg, the AYA Salzburg program, and my experiences as a graduate student there.

Name:                     Emily Suchan
Major:                     Applied Economics and Business Analytics and Intelligence
Faculty Mentor:     Edgar Landgraf
Department:           World Languages and Cultures

This presentation covers research about Bohemian (Czech) immigration to the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century. The research identifies different reasons for immigration and follows their lives in the United States, specifically in Cleveland, Ohio.

Name:                      Meghan Dobbins
Major:                      Sociology & Psychology
Faculty Mentor:      N/A
Department:           N/A

I will be exploring Brazilian art from both the northern and southern parts of the country. Artists and art range from colonial to contemporary, male to female, and portraits to churches. The PowerPoint I will be providing will be pictures of the art and include artists as well as a description of the art as well.

Name:                     Lauren Clary
Major:                     Middle Childhood Education
Faculty Mentor:     Kristina Lavenia
Department:          School of Educational Foundations                                                                        Leadership & Policy

Living and studying outside of the U.S. is something that I have wanted to do since I was as young as age 12. I remember researching universities and programs abroad as soon as I was old enough to begin considering degrees that I wanted to pursue. In my search for colleges, I ended up landing here in Bowling Green for a bachelor’s degree in Middle Childhood Education with specializations in Social Studies and Language Arts. My curiosity about the world abroad did not stop once I began my degree in the United States. I continued researching programs through Bowling Green and stumbled upon the College of Education and Human Development’s ‘Keele Semester Abroad.’ I applied with no hesitation. I was so eager to get the opportunity to study education, a subject I am passionate about, in a country that I have always wanted to visit. However, what I did not expect when I was granted this opportunity is how much it would expand my passion for education and broaden my perspective on the world around me. Upon my arrival at Keele, I experienced a culture shock that I never had fully prepared myself for. I spent the first month trying to push passed it and eventually came to the realization that experiencing a different culture is not the same as embracing it. When I first arrived, I was caught up in the differences between life in the U.K. versus the life I knew in the U.S. As I began to immerse myself in my studies and come out of my shell to meet more people, I discovered that truly understanding life from another’s perspective is to truly engage in that way of life for yourself—whether through intensive research, experiences, or taking the mindful, humble position of listening to others.

Name:                     Noah Brown, Margaret Christie
Major:                     Curriculum and Instruction
Faculty Mentor:     Gabriel Matney
Department:          School of Teaching and Learning

In our presentation, we take a look at the infrastructure of Thai education, and its similarities/differences to American education. In exploring this topic, we talk about the benefits of using this knowledge to be better educators for our students in the future. Furthermore, we immersed ourselves in Thai culture in order to understand those culturally different than ourselves, and how to use those differences in and out of school settings. Overall, our presentation explores the educational and cultural settings of Thailand, and compares those to its American parallels.

Name:                     Hannah May
Major:                     Russian
Faculty Mentor:     Irina Stakhanova
Department:           World Languages and Cultures

Over the summer I had the opportunity to study at the University of Pittsburgh's virtual Summer Language Institute, through the program Project Global Officer. While staying home, I studied the Russian language at the intermediate level and was immersed in various cultural lectures and activities. While completing the course, I realized I have learned a lot from the experience, from Russian in general, and even other cultural and language experiences leading up to the program. Project GO pushed me to have some new perspectives and self-discoveries. These lessons can be applied whether you are studying the beautiful yet sometimes daunting Russian language, or just trying to find some encouragement in your own life challenges.

Name:                     Christopher Wright, Gianna Jannuzzi  
Major:                     Exercise Science
Faculty Mentor:     Jessica Kiss
Department:          School of Human Movement,
                                Sport, and Leisure Studies

Sailing around the world on a breathtaking ship while gaining knowledge and furthering our education is a truly remarkable blessing. During the Spring 2020 voyage, we experienced moments in our life that we once could only dream of. From developing lifelong friendships to being immersed in another culture; the two and a half months, five countries, five cities, and three continents were unforgettable. Practicing mindful meditation at a temple in Japan, visiting a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam, eating a traditional home-cooked meal in Mauritius, and experiencing the thrills of South Africa is truly only the beginning. Throughout all of our itinerary changes plus difficulties due to Covid-19, we persevered and learned the most valuable lesson of all: as Auliq Ice said, “Things do not always go as planned, but it’s when you make a plan out of the unplanned and make the best of the unlikely things in life.”

Name:                     Yetunde Alabede
Major:                     Master of Arts in Cross-cultural and                                International Education
Faculty Mentor:     Hyeyoung Bang
Department:          Education Foundations, Leadership and
                                Policy Studies

Do you have or know how to use the microwave in Africa? This and many other questions are what I have had to answer not just as a Nigerian but as an African in the North American soil where there is diversity. I usually feel offended when asked some of these stereotypical questions but whenever I remember how ignorant I am about America (North America in this context) and how people also led me out of ignorance, I tend to overlook those questions and I am always excited to provide answers/ clarifications. Indeed, awareness of other people’s backgrounds and repertoire of knowledge is sacrosanct in our new globalized world. Before my sojourn to the United States as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA), the real diversity of human experience never dawned on me because I have never left the shore of Africa. Hence, my engagement in the Fulbright global engagement program of Foreign Language teaching in the United States is an eye-opener and a boost to my human agency. I became abreast of different cultures which is a contributing factor to my coming to study at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio. “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience” (Albert Einstein). This quote speaks about me and the feat I have been able to overcome as a Nigerian and presently as an international student at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. While I agree that experience adds to one’s knowledge in life, there is the need to say that one needs the experience to gain wisdom. While wisdom has been defined by many scholars, there is the research that shows among wisdom dimensions, cognitive, and reflective wisdom, especially perspective‐taking best predicted achievement (Bang & Zhou, 2014). It is on this note that I see my global engagement experience contributing to my wisdom and perspectives towards the promotion of global understanding. As a language teacher in Nigeria, I applied for the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship program sponsored by the United States Department of Education through the Institute of International Education. I made it to be among almost 1000 teaching assistants from different countries teaching my native language and engaging in other international community activities in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 

Name:                     Sophia Stockham
Major:                     Political Science and Communication
Faculty Mentor:     Dr. Lara Lengel
Department:           Communication

This year there has been a global shift in the world for the advocacy of black lives sparked by racial injustices and subsequent Black Lives Matter movement within the United States. However, protest within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are highlighting a similar yet different divide- skin tone. Colorism is prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group, and while this phenomenal has been studied heavily in areas such as North America, South-east Asia, and Latin America- there appears to be a lack of analysis on MENA and the social implications and everyday occurrences of such “hidden” discrimination. Thus, this presentation will seek to explain the historical and cultural factors impacting colorism within the region, analyzing media portrays of color, before examining sale practices and societal pressures regarding skin-bleaching.

Name:                     Payton Wisiniewski
Major:                     BSBA
Faculty Mentor:     Dr. Man Zhang
Department:          Marketing

I traveled to China during the Summer of 2019. We stayed in Xinjian and traveled to Beijing. I evaluated the quality within the supply chain in Yuanjia Village during my time.