After the University of North Dakota’s Department of Languages and Global Studies announced their Global State of Affairs series, a series of programs that seek to promote cultural competency and international awareness, students were invited to preview the Global State of Affairs’ spring-semester events at Be Happy Hour. Be Happy Hour, a social gathering, was hosted with an array of activities and treats last Thursday, December 5, at the Memorial Union.
Be Happy Hour was organized by Dr. Amanda Nagy, an associate professor of German Studies and Director of the Global Studies program at UND, who also organized the series with her colleague, Dr. Yee Han Chu, UND’s Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator.
“Yee Han and I have brainstorming breakfasts at Perkins,” Nagy said. “In the spring, we identified a common goal that we have. That is to better prepare students for careers on the global market and make them more competitive in these prestigious scholarship competitions.”
As it stands, there are few courses about current issues at UND. To supplement this deficiency, Nagy would like to convey knowledge of global conflicts to students.
“We want to bring information on different themes, regions, and skills to students,” Nagy said. “We are doing this with our co-curricular programming called ‘Global State of Affairs,’ and that has four different series.”
The four parts of the series occur at the Cafe for Active Language Learning in Merrifield Hall. On Mondays, students can gather for another Be Happy Hour, where students can enjoy a surprise of unexpected cultural activities and games.
“The Cafe of Active Language Learning is a very innovative, instructional space. It is set up with a full kitchen, so that we can explore cuisine from around the world,” Nagy said. “It’s unique programming, you never know what to expect. Next fall, I’m going to talk about hedgehogs.”
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, students can engage in the “Start Planning” portion of the Global State of Affairs series. In this program, students can gather information about educational opportunities, such as internships, fellowships, and scholarships.
“We encourage our global studies students to take part, but we want to make it accessible to everybody,” Nagy said. “We’re hoping that over time, since we’ll be having regular programming, that we will gather a larger community.”
Additionally, on Wednesdays, students can participate in the final parts of the Global State of Affairs series: “Come Visit” and “Let’s Talk.” In the “Come Visit” event, participants can immerse themselves in diverse cultures through mediums such as film screenings and poetry readings. In the “Let’s Talk” program, students can learn from panel discussions and open forums, and students are encouraged to share their ideas, ask questions, explore global issues, and expand their cultural competency.
“We live in a global world right now, and students need to be more proficient in cultural competency,” Nagy said. “They need to be aware of people’s differences and have effective communication with people from different areas.”
In the upcoming semester, students can look forward to the following programming: Be Happy Hour: Swiss Winter Fun on January 27, Come Visit: Heidiland on February 5, Start Planning: Boren Awards on February 11, and Let’s Talk: Ghana on February 12.
Dylan Campbell is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
