Global Awareness
As I am writing this reflection, I am reminded of just how fragile and connected our world is. I am self-quarantined at home because of a pandemic taking place throughout the world. COVID -19 has essentially shut down our daily lives. It has forced most of us to work remotely in order to protect ourselves and others. It is scary and amazing to me how quickly this impacted our lives. Something that happened on the other side of the globe..
“We are all in this together!”
The impact on both our present and future is yet to be determined. But they are being shaped by what has happened in China, Italy and France. Examining the impact of historical moments in time is something that I have certainly learned about in this program. My perspective has also been shaped as a result of friendships I have made with my international classmates. The global impact of this crisis is much deeper for me as a result of these friendships.
What is happening in our world today reminds me of a paper I wrote about the connection between Public Relations and visuals. Part of that assignment focused on the connection between rhetoric and politics and how our representation of political events like World War II and in present day terms COVID-19 serve as memory texts and civics lessons for future generations. Examples such as Tom Brokaw’s book the Greatest Generation and Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan serve as a reminder of what was sacrificed for our benefit by generations before us and as a reconstruction of our past for current generations. They serve as reminders of our values and civic responsibility about what it means to be an American.
In watching the news conferences and updates on COVID-19. I can’t help but notice the constant reminders that “We are all in this together” combined with stories about people helping each other and the visuals of empty and abandoned streets being shown from around the world. They represent how we despite our cultural differences, have much in common and with the current divisiveness happening it is a much-needed salve for our country.
It was classes like COM 676, COM 662 and COM 616 that provided me with the opportunity to view situations through different perspectives and a more global lens. They reinforced our connectivity to one another despite our geographic location and reminded me that we are more alike than different.
In recent days, the media has shifted away from just showing images of negativity and despair to also combining it with images of hope. These images of hope represent our shared humanity and values. It is our collective identity that is being shaped. It is what hopefully shapes the cultural memory text for future generations to come.
Below are a two examples of assignments in the global awareness outcome:
PR and Politics Discussant report
Life transition case study - relocation