Overall Course Goal
- To fulfill the requirements of the international general education requirement.
When class started, I thought to myself, "What in the world does this free-trade stuff have to do with international tourism?" Soon enough I would learn it has a lot to do with international tourism.
Fair trade is just one of the many things I learned about in this class. Fair trade effects the working conditions and standards of living of native people, the livelihood of animals specific to the region, and the prices of products sold here in America. While many things can be purchased very cheaply here in America, that is not necessarily a beneficial thing. These cheap items come at a low cost to us, but a high cost to others. Families in other countries working long hours, getting paid little to nothing, living in conditions worse than many homeless people in America. The environment is being filled with pollution, animals are losing their homes to the development of new factories and they are being killed for the use of their body parts and furs for the unnecessary sake of "fashion".
I've never traveled outside of North America, so before this class I hadn't really been exposed to what goes on in other countries. However, now I know what happens and what to keep my eyes open for. I know that animals are being killed for the use of medicines, so to check that any medicines I consume away from home don't include the bones of Tigers for instance. I know that there are people working really hard for very little, so when I buy souvenirs, I should buy them directly from the crafter if I can. Even here in America I can look for the free trade logo on products and buy items with the logo over items without.
When class started, I thought to myself, "What in the world does this free-trade stuff have to do with international tourism?" Soon enough I would learn it has a lot to do with international tourism.
Fair trade is just one of the many things I learned about in this class. Fair trade effects the working conditions and standards of living of native people, the livelihood of animals specific to the region, and the prices of products sold here in America. While many things can be purchased very cheaply here in America, that is not necessarily a beneficial thing. These cheap items come at a low cost to us, but a high cost to others. Families in other countries working long hours, getting paid little to nothing, living in conditions worse than many homeless people in America. The environment is being filled with pollution, animals are losing their homes to the development of new factories and they are being killed for the use of their body parts and furs for the unnecessary sake of "fashion".
I've never traveled outside of North America, so before this class I hadn't really been exposed to what goes on in other countries. However, now I know what happens and what to keep my eyes open for. I know that animals are being killed for the use of medicines, so to check that any medicines I consume away from home don't include the bones of Tigers for instance. I know that there are people working really hard for very little, so when I buy souvenirs, I should buy them directly from the crafter if I can. Even here in America I can look for the free trade logo on products and buy items with the logo over items without.
-To fulfill the requirements of the upper division communication/writing requirement.
Before this class, I knew two general ways of writing; in essay form for my professors, and casually in text or email to my friends. This class challenged me to write in blog form to people I don't know. These people could be any age with any educational background. I had no control over who looked at my blog, so it was important to write in a way that was interesting and captivating to my audience while still making myself clear and understandable. Because my blog focused on Bengal Tigers, I figured my target audience would be elementary-aged students doing research on the animal. This challenged me to write in a way that your typical 8 year old could comprehend. It sounds easy, but after writing college level papers for the last 4 years in which I wanted to appear intelligent, it was really hard to set myself back 15+ years! However, I now know I am capable of writing in multiple forms (essays, reports, blogs) and appealing to multiple ages and intelligence levels (from 2nd graders to college professors). It has been a great experience that I would encourage everyone to at least try. I have enjoyed it enough that I hope to keep my blog going, although the postings may not be as frequent as they have been due to other commitments life brings after college.
Before this class, I knew two general ways of writing; in essay form for my professors, and casually in text or email to my friends. This class challenged me to write in blog form to people I don't know. These people could be any age with any educational background. I had no control over who looked at my blog, so it was important to write in a way that was interesting and captivating to my audience while still making myself clear and understandable. Because my blog focused on Bengal Tigers, I figured my target audience would be elementary-aged students doing research on the animal. This challenged me to write in a way that your typical 8 year old could comprehend. It sounds easy, but after writing college level papers for the last 4 years in which I wanted to appear intelligent, it was really hard to set myself back 15+ years! However, I now know I am capable of writing in multiple forms (essays, reports, blogs) and appealing to multiple ages and intelligence levels (from 2nd graders to college professors). It has been a great experience that I would encourage everyone to at least try. I have enjoyed it enough that I hope to keep my blog going, although the postings may not be as frequent as they have been due to other commitments life brings after college.
