Monday, August 30, 2010

Week1-Reflection

This week's class was really interesting for me as an international student. Everything is new and strange, but I definitely learned a lot from the first week and expect to learn more in the coming year.
First, our visit to PEPFAR reminded me of how the US actively and voluntarilly gets involved in many of the global issues. I really respect that the US takes responsibility as one of the leading nations in the world and strive to solve those issues we have as one world, using its own resources. I believe this is one of many aspects that makes, with no doubt, the US one of the global leaders.
My experience with my first World Politics class was very interesting and challenging to me. As known, Asian education typically does not require a big part of student participation. I was quite impressed and challenged when I saw my fellow UC students, who I only thought as ordinary students, discussed the book with such logic and constructive perspectives. I really learned a lot from the discussion we had in class and it really did provide me with so many different points of views and ideas that challenge my perspective.
As I listened to my classmates/floormates debating, I also learned how my point of view toward the US as a foreigner, and theirs as the citizens of the country are different. I personally thought that the US is globalized as much as it is resistant to globalization. Like Tom said, the US is uniquely globalized already inside of its border, it doesn't feel the need of globalization that happens outside of its border or doesn't really care about it. I think it is because the basic desire of globalization is fully satisfied inside of the US, it doesn't really need to look outside of its border to fill the needs. Having been studying in the US for three years now, I've felt more and more strongly that the US is rather closed and apathetical towards the outside world, ironically, as much concerned as it is with global issues on bigger scales such as international commerce, environment, nuclear proliferation, etc.
This week, in conclusion, challenged me to learn to discuss and to form a constructive opinion, also how to accept and adapt different perspectives of others. I look forward to upcoming classes and what my classmates will bring forth and learning from it, and I hope I will do the same for them.

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