International Coursework

LAH4473: France in the Caribbean

This course was my first real introduction to Caribbean history, specifically focusing on Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guyana. I learned about a range of cultural, political, and cultural phenomena including buccaneering, Vodou, tourism, transnational identity, slave plantation society, and black consciousness movements.  Because I am particularly interested in medical history, I enjoyed learning about how disease played a role in the Haitian Revolution, which I wrote about in my term paper.

ASH3931: Modern China

This was my first course in Asian history, and we completed a survey of Chinese history starting with the Qing dynasty.  Engaging with primary and secondary texts, we investigated cultural, political, and social divergences and continuities as China evolved from an empire to a democracy to a communist state in the twentieth century.  Investigating Mao Zedong's beliefs and policies was a particularly challenging portion of the course, because I had only learned about his Cultural Revolution from a Western perspective.  This course broadened not only my understanding of Asian history, but also of modern politics.

ENY1001: Bugs & People

In this course, I learned about the biology and taxonomy of bugs, and I was fascinated to discover the many ways insects impact cultures around the world whether in food, popular culture, or even religion.  I decided to take "Bugs and People" because I never previously interacted with the Entomology Department or the College of Agriculture, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the relevance of entomology to public health and infectious disease, which have been my central interests in the Microbiology and History Departments.

WOH4243: Empire and Revolution 1945-94

This class focused in on decolonization and the Cold War, assuming a global lens and investigating independence movements in Asia, Africa, and South America after World War II. I enjoyed completing creative assignments for the class, whether designing commemorative plaques to government-sponsored violence against minorities and protesters or writing op-ed pieces using a contemporary perspective. I not only learned about independence movements in countries I never previously studied, ranging from Algeria to Argentina, but I also had the opportunity to reflect on how countries like the United States and France intervened in decolonization efforts.