Global Impacts Pathway

The world today faces pervasive challenges and presents promising opportunities. If you are passionate about global engagement, this Pathway offers you the practical experiences and skills for making a difference in the world.

The Global Impacts Pathway is designed for students interested in careers that seek to address international challenges, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, and the environment, and especially in the developing world. This Pathway emphasizes service, experiential learning, and personal reflection and discovery, while offering an adaptable curricular structure. Students following this Pathway build connections with Wooster faculty, staff, and alumni who are committed to international development, exchange, and understanding.

Students who choose this Pathway will develop knowledge and skills in these areas:

Engagement with a world language
Academic training in a particular sector: education, health, or the environment
Intercultural understanding and competence
Service work
International experience
Leadership

Students in this Pathway might consider careers in:

International service
Economic development
NGOs and INGOs
International education
And more

Whether you’ve traveled the world widely and moved between cultures or have yet to study abroad, if you are looking forward to addressing important problems in an international context, this Pathway will help you cultivate the skills to succeed.

Students participating in the Global Impacts Pathway may elect to complete the College’s official Peace Corps Prep program. This requires only a few additional steps. This program can help students to successfully compete for admission into the Peace Corps after graduation. To earn a Peace Corps Prep certificate, students need to complete the requirements for the Global Impacts Pathway and then:

At the beginning, complete the PCP application (which is essentially just a plan. Students won’t be declined entrance into the program). Be sure to use this comprehensive application guide. You won’t be consider a part of the Peace Corps Prep program until you submitted your complete application to Becky.
Focus your study abroad program search on countries that the Peace Corps currently serves in or has historically (or other less developed nations). Study abroad in other countries can fill the requirement, as can alternative experiences (see application), but won’t have as much benefit on a future Peace Corps application.
Complete a third course in your chosen work sector. You may choose an additional course from the Global Impacts list for that work sector or request permission to count another course you believe fits, such as one from a study abroad. Speak to your assigned Global Impacts team member or the Peace Corps Prep Coordinator about any requests for substitutions.
Work with APEX to prepare a CV or resume specifically targeted for service in the Peace Corps.
Attend a workshop or class on interview skills offered through Career Planning in APEX. Complete a practice interview either with Career Planning or a Peace Corps Recruiter (recommended if applying to be a Peace Corps Volunteer).
Complete the PCP Exit Checklist and send it to Becky.

Please review the resources found here as you make your decision and plan your Peace Corps Prep experience. It is also recommended that you book an appointment to meet with the Peace Corps Prep Coordinator, Becky Webb.

Additional Note: The Peace Corps actively recruits speakers of French and Spanish, since these languages are spoken in many Peace Corps host countries. Students hoping to serve in a Spanish-speaking country should have strong intermediate proficiency in Spanish (two semesters at the 200 level).

Take four (4) courses fitting the following descriptions.

Engagement with a World Language

1 Course

Students must complete at least one course at the intermediate level (or higher). Additional courses are encouraged. Students may complete this requirement on campus or while abroad. International students whose first language is not English may request a waiver for this Pathway requirement, though continued practice learning an additional language is still recommended. Students may choose to study other world languages, not offered at Wooster, during the summer or while abroad. Online courses are not accepted.

Intercultural Understanding and Competence

1 Course

Addressing global challenges requires dedication to intercultural understanding and competence. Courses approved for this requirement must include direct and sustained engagement with intercultural questions and learning; conceptual and theoretical components relating to cultural relations, exchanges, and dynamics; and a comparative, trans-national, or trans-continental focus. This requirement must be completed on campus.

AFST-10000: Introduction to Africana Studies
AFST-21300: Racism 101
ANTH 11000: Intro to Anthropology
COMM 22400: Globalization and Identity
COMM-22700: Intercultural Communication*
FREN-22406: Mediterranean Crossings: North Africa & France*
FREN 31500: Tracing Colonial Racism
GMDS-21200: Cultural Studies & Power*
HIST-10176: History of Islam

HIST-10165: West Africa and the World
IDPT-19910: Global Engagement Seminar
RELS-21900: Ethics in a Social Perspective
SOCI-21400: Racial & Ethnic Groups in American Society
SOCI-21900: Globalization & Contemporary China*
SOCI 29900: Social Movements
URBN 20106: Social Justice and the City
WGSS-19901: Race, Gender & Tourism
WGSS-20400: Transnational Feminisms*
WGSS-20600: Queer Lives*

Academic Training in a Specific Work Sector

2 courses (3 for Peace Corps Prep)

Courses may be completed on campus, over the summer, or while abroad. The work sectors are as defined by the Peace Corps, but students may reimagine them to meet other interests related to international work. If you’d like to count a course that is not listed here (including study abroad courses), please email your assigned Global Impacts team member to discuss the option of using it.

Approved coursework in the education sector encourages students to examine the historical, sociological, and philosophical foundations of educational institutions and policies through the lenses of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and social class. They also provide some preparation for participation in international education.

ANTH 22000: Linguistic Anthropology*
EDUC 10000: Intro to Education
EDUC 11500: Child and Adolescent Development
EDUC 16000: Fundamentals of Environmental Education
EDUC 17000: Intro to Intervention and Student Support
EDUC 19905: Teaching Globally Engaged Learners
EDUC 23100: Introduction to Early Childhood and Elementary Education*
EDUC 25100: Intro to Adolescent and Young Adult Education*
EDUC 30000: Classroom Management as Social Justice*
FREN-33001: French-Speaking Caribbean

Coursework in the global health sector has students consider cross-cultural perspectives on health-related issues such as reproduction, nutrition, infectious disease, economics, medicine, and the experience of pain. Approved courses in this sector may also allow students to study local and global responses to these issues, as well as inequities based on race, nationality, class, age, gender, or sexuality.

AMST 22800: History of Science & Medicine (TREK)
ANTH 29901: Global Politics of Reproduction*
BIOL-10003: Human Anatomy & Physiology
BIOL 10009: Biology of Nutrition
BIOL 10010: Science of Outbreaks: The Past, Present and Future of Infectious Disease
BIOL-36600: Immunology*
COMM 26300 – Health Communication
ECON 26800: Health Economics*
HIST 20135: History of Pain
PHIL-21500: Biomedical Ethics
PSYC 23000: Human Neuropsychology
RELS 19901: Religion, Health, and Disease
RELS 26949: Religion and Bioethics
SOAN 20201: Globalizing Health*
SOCI 29908: Sociology of Medicine*

Coursework in the environment sector may introduce students to theories & methods of conservation and sustainability; economic, social, and political influences on environmental decision-making; and/or perspectives on humanity’s relationship with the environment.

BIOL 19900: Fighting Climate Change
BIOL 35600: Conservation Biology*
BIOL 35000: Populations & Community Ecology*
CHEM 21600: Environmental Chemistry*
COMM 26000: Environmental Communication*
ECON 24000: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics*
ECON 29906: Economic Topics in Environmental Justice*
EDUC 16000: Fundamentals of Environmental Education
ENTR 22000: Entrepreneurship & Societal Impact
ENVS 10100: Intro to Environmental Studies
ENVS 15000: Introduction to Environmental Policy
ENVS 16000: Science of Environmental Issues
ENVS 21000: Rural Society & the Environment
ENVS 24000: Environmental Innovations
ENVS 30003: Sustainability
ESCI 10500: Geology of Natural Hazards
ESCI 11000: Environmental Geology
ESCI 19903: Earth System & Global Change
ESCI 27500: Modern Climate Change*
PHIL 21600: Environmental Ethics
PHYS 19901: Environmental Physics
PSYC 22500: Environmental Psychology*
RELS 26911: Religion and Ecology
SOCI 20300: Environmental Sociology*

Approved courses will provide students with some knowledge and experience related to agriculture work and related topics, especially as they might be used to work with small scale farmers and communities in developing nations.

BIOL 11000: Ecology & Evolution
BIOL-34000: Field Botany*
BIOL 39904: Plant-Insect Interactions*
ENVS 21000: Rural Society and Environment
ENVS 22000: From Farm to Table: Understanding the Food System
ENVS-23000: Sustainable Agriculture: Theory and Practice
ENVS 27000: Science of Agroecology
ENVS-28000: Agricultural Entomology
ESCI 20500: Earth Materials
ESCI 28000: Hydrology*

Approved courses will offer students some knowledge, skill, and experience to begin to equip them to work with youth in developing countries, with a focus on assisting growth in community engagement, gender awareness, employability skills, health, environmental awareness, sports, and/or technology use.

ANTH 19902: Global Youth Culture
COMM 22100: Interpersonal Communication
COMM 25900: Communicating Public Policy
COMM 26300: Health Communication
COMM-20011: Family Communication
COMM 22300: Communication, Gender, and Sexuality
COMM 26200: Communication and Conflict
EDUC-11500: Child and Adolescent Development
EDUC 25100: Intro to Adolescent and Young Adult Education* (must take EDUC-10000 first)
ENVS 19904: Experiments in Everyday Life
ENVS 22000: Farm to Table: Understanding the Food System
ENTR 22000: Entrepreneurship & Societal Impact
FREN-33500: West Africa & France: Encounters since 1900*
GQST 12000 Intro to Global Queer Studies
PSYC 21500: Psychology of Women and Gender
SOCI-20700: Sociology of Gender*
SOCI 21300: Deviance and Criminology
WGSS 12000 Intro to Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Approved courses will provide students with introductory knowledge, skills, and experience to work with development banks, nongovernmental organizations, and municipalities to encourage economic opportunities in communities.

BUEC-11900: Financial Accounting
BUEC-23000: Marketing
COMM 22600: Organizational Communication
COMM 26400: Communication & Technology
COMM 29909: Critical Public Relations
ECON-25400: Economic Development
ECON-26800: Health Economics
ECON-29906: Econ Topics in Enviro Justice
ECON-29907: Econ of Mobility and Migration
ENTR 23000: Business Consulting: Theory And Application
ENTR 22000: Entrepreneurship & Societal Impact
ENTR 40500: Angel Investing
ENVS 29903: Urban Environments in Comparative Context
ENVS-31000: Sustainable Development: Principles & Practices
GMDS 14000: Introduction to Digital Studies
GMDS 23100: Visualizing Information
IDPT 40507: Local Social Entrepreneurship (SE)
IDPT 40511: Global Social Entrepreneurship (GSE) Seminar
PSCI 22600: International Political Economy
PSCI 24734: Southeast Asian Politics
PSCI 24800: Contemporary Politics in Latin America
SOCI 20600: Urban Sociology
SOCI 20900: Social Inequality
URBN 10100: Contemporary Urban Issues

*Note: many of these courses have pre-requisites. You are invited to request a pre-req waiver from the professor if you’re unable to to take them. These requests are sometimes (but not always) granted for Pathways students.

PATH 11005: Initial Reflection – GLOB

This course asks you to complete three basic steps:

Spend time reflecting on several questions about why you’ve chosen this Pathway, noticing how your experiences and various aspects of your personal identity might play into your career direction.
Career readiness assessments – complete a self-assessment of 8 career readiness areas, ask a former supervisor to assess you also, and then compare the two in order to generate goals for growth as a professional.
Discuss your thoughts with other Global Impacts students, faculty, and staff.
Write about how your initial thoughts, the conversations you had with your Pathway community, and any new or different insights you have as a result.

PATH 22005: Career Planning – GLOB

For this course, you will explore career and internship resources supported by Career Planning in APEX, specifically Handshake and LinkedIn. You will also craft a career-ready resume. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of the many resources offered by the Career Planning office to bring your resume to a truly professional level. Booking an appointment with a Career Planning staff member or peer advisor to go over your resume is strongly recommended.

PATH 33005: Experiential Learning – GLOB

This course asks you to complete an authentic, hands-on experience in one of the career areas you’re exploring. It is more than simply having an experience, however. In order to maximize the benefits and learning you gain, you will deliberately walk through goal setting, planning, and “preflection” (pre-reflection) before you complete the career experience. During and after your experience, you will spend time considering what you learned about yourself from the experience and how those lessons might impact your next career steps. Completing this thorough, guided process is what makes this “experiential learning” rather than just an experience.

For the Global Impacts Pathway, where three experiences are required, only one – the 50 volunteer hours in your work sector – needs to be completed through PATH 33005. The other two experiences – the study abroad and the significant leadership experience – will only require a verification form be completed and uploaded to your final PATH course, PATH 44005.

**Note that this course will require you to complete some components BEFORE registering**

Steps to complete PATH 330:

Before Registering:

Explore a range of possible experiences that will help you further your career goals.
Plan your EL experience, taking advantage of resources and assistance offered by faculty or staff on the Pathway team, someone from APEX’s Experiential Learning & Community Engagement Office, Wooster alumni working in the career field, and/or your own connections in the field.
Complete the EL Approval Form & gain official approval from your Pathway faculty/staff team.

During the Course:

Complete your EL experience (can be done before or during PATH 330).
Upload your EL Verification Form.
Complete a self-assessment of your career readiness as revealed through your EL experience and reflect on any differences with your supervisor’s evaluation in the EL Verification Form.
Submit your post-EL reflection.

PATH 44005: Final Reflection – GLOB

When you’ve completed all the elements of the Pathway – PATH 110, 220, 330 and your chosen topical courses – you will reflect on your total Pathways experience with questions like: What did the topical courses teach you that are relevant to this career area? What are the career lessons from your experiential learning experience(s)? How did your perceptions of this career area and your place in it shift over time and where have they landed for now? When you step back and look at the bigger picture of your Pathways experience, in what ways are you stronger and more prepared to take your next career steps?

You will present your reflections publicly, which both encourages significant reflection and benefits those who are coming behind you on their own career journeys. Generally, students will do this by presenting a poster at a college event.

Other, smaller, components of the PATH 440 course include:

Update your resume to be career ready.
Create or update your LinkedIn profile.
Complete a final career readiness assessment series:
- Assess yourself, especially observing any growth that’s happened over your time in the Pathway
- Ask a current supervisor, adult coworker, coach, or your IS advisor to complete an assessment
- Compare and contrast all career readiness assessments (all your self- assessments plus all your supervisor assessments) to discover areas you’ve grown and determine your next steps for growth in these important areas.
Complete a few short end-of-Pathways surveys.

Students in the Global Impacts Pathway are required to complete three (3) experiences.

The purpose of these ELs is to experience first hand the work done in a career that interests you and reflect on components of the work you enjoy and don’t enjoy, giving you important insights to use as you consider whether this type of career is, in fact, a good fit for you or whether you might pursue something slightly (or totally) different. The experiences should also offer you the chance to network in your career area of interest and ask purposeful questions of professionals in the field.

Study Abroad

Students are encouraged to seek out immersive study abroad programs with practical components, such as hands-on projects, internships, community-based learning, independent research projects, etc.

When possible, please consider taking courses taught in languages other than English, to deepen your competency in a world language. We encourage students following this Pathway to give special consideration to study abroad programs in developing countries.

If a full semester is not an option, Wooster offers short-term faculty-led programs called TREKs. These vary in theme and location each year. In rare cases, students may be granted exceptions to the study abroad requirement.

Students who are pursuing Peace Corps Prep should try to do their study abroad experience in a country that has a Peace Corps presence (modern or historical) or is another developing nation.

Volunteering

Students need to volunteer in one’s chosen work sector for at least 50 hours. This may be completed on campus and/or while abroad. Additional volunteering or service in other areas is encouraged. Note: this is the experience you will complete as part of PATH 33005.

Teaching in one of these or a similar form: in a classroom, with a community outreach organization, or in a formal tutoring capacity. The subject of the teaching might be English as a Foreign/Second language, special education, drama, or a STEM subject. Here are some examples of options in the Wooster area:

Member of International Education Week Committee
Tutoring at Boys and Girls Club at Edgewood Middle School or Wooster High School
Participating in COW4Kids service organization
Participating in Montessori Volunteer Program
Joining Cornerstone PlayLab Volunteer Program
Joining Wooster Future Educators Association (WFEA)
Education internships through APEX Fellowship program
World language tutor

Volunteer or work experience in such areas as HIV/AIDS outreach, hospice, family planning counseling, emergency medical technician (EMT) or CPR teaching/certification, maternal health, and hands-on caregiving in a hospital clinic, or lab technician setting.
Counseling or teaching in health subjects.
Working as a resident advisory in a dormitory, as a peer nutritionist, or as a sexually transmitted infections counselor.