CAS CONNECT 2017

3 N early everyone who attends college expects the time to serve as a map to employment. While this might be literally true for geography students, the department knows some people let misconceptions keep them away. “A lot of people just don’t know what geography is,” says depart- ment head Dr. Dale Lightfoot. “They had it in third grade and haven’t looked at it since.” In response, the department has developed a new degree called Global Studies to complement existing programs. Geography is inherently multi-disciplinary but the new degree program should be even more attractive to future students. “I think it fits the needs of today’s students,” says Dr. Emily Fekete, clinical assistant professor and student adviser for geography. “They have a lot of different inter- ests, and this degree gives students the option to make a lot of their own choices.” The Global Studies degree is divided into three thematic areas: culture, arts and humanities; geopolitics and the global econ- omy; and sustainability. Each group requires core geography courses, along with selected courses from anthropology, art, history, philosophy, political science and other departments. The wide range of subjects helped Christina Giles decide to pursue the Global Studies degree. An employee with OSU’s Learning and Student Success Opportunity (LASSO) center, Giles devoured the university’s course catalogue until she found her path. “I’m really looking forward to it,” she says. “I’ve always been inter- ested in different cultures, history, geography and the way it all mixes together.” That is precisely what Dr. Alyson Greiner had in mind when she took the lead on developing the degree. “After looking at what we offered, it felt like we were already in effect doing global studies, but we could repackage it in a way to broaden its appeal and make it really, truly interdisciplinary,” Greiner says. Big ideas like Greiner’s go beyond the perception of geog- raphy as just “maps and coun- ties,” as described by Lightfoot. OSU faculty members are eager to help students move on to gradu- ate programs and possibly pursue careers in academia. They also point out that the discipline has broad, valuable applications else- where, including in positions with the U.S. state department, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international corporations, and travel and tourism, among others. Geography also offers plenti- ful study abroad opportunities, including an option for students to incorporate travel into their senior capstone project. Greiner says experiences abroad are price- less. Fekete agrees: “The more you see how other people live and solve problems, the more opportunity you have to come up with solutions to your own daily problems.” Lightfoot regularly heads study abroad courses at OSU, including recent trips to Cuba. He finds many students appreciate the structure of a class because it makes them feel more comfortable visiting a country, rather than doing so on their own. Just as often, he finds that once they have traveled with a group, they are more likely to travel again. “Study abroad will break down that initial barrier for a lot of people,” Lightfoot says. “If they can partner that with a good ground- ing in Global Studies, they’ll have a greater depth of understanding what they’re seeing and experiencing.” “Students are really fascinated by globalization,” Greiner says. “It raises a lot of interesting questions and dynamics they experience.” That is certainly the case for Giles, who has worked with countless international students at the LASSO center. Now that she has found a program that captured her imagina- tion, she is more excited than ever to be in Stillwater. “I’m so happy to see OSU doing things like this.” Giles will join the first cohort of Global Studies students this fall. Many who join her may never have considered a degree in geogra- phy prior to learning of the Global Studies degree. And while very few of them will be known by the title of “geographer” after they graduate, each of them will know and appreci- ate how the discipline guided them to their respective careers. Global New geography degree program has wor ldwide opt ions — and appeal