by Amy Cunningham, Adjunct Professor, English

I applied for this FLC knowing that I had a lot to learn about “globalizing” my curriculum. My teaching practice has always been grounded in making English class relevant to the real world. It is my mantra to “Do Good Where You Can,” and being an educator has been my avenue to doing good work. I had a sense that globalizing education would follow that path: considering how the studies in my content area can better connect people and be used to enact real-world benefits. I was correct in my assumption that the FLC would help me do that.

My first challenge was to wrap my mind around what “globalizing” means. People often speak of the “imposter syndrome,” but I am never afflicted by this problem because I admit freely when I don’t know something, or when I am in the presence of those far more educated on a topic than I am. Despite my free admittance that I knew practically nothing about “globalization.” I was supported, uplifted, and welcomed by my colleagues in the FLC. I wanted a solid definition and concrete examples. I wanted to examine my assumptions regarding this approach. I wanted to develop language to discuss and conduct my own research. To my delight, the first two speakers focused on just those topics. And to my chagrin, I realized that I had so much more to learn before I would be ready to redesign a course or even an assignment. The supportive environment my colleagues and the facilitators provided was instrumental in my growth and interest in this approach to education.

Over the course of the year, I saw speakers who are experts in a wide variety of topics from all across the planet. Although I wasn’t sure just how all of the pieces that I was collecting would fit together, I had faith that eventually they would. Each month brought a new perspective, a new example, and a million new questions. Thankfully, we had time to debrief with our fellows to share our takeaways and ideas about how we might redesign our curriculum. This collaboration was essential for me as I gave and received support, inspiration, feedback, and relevant resources. Time to collaborate with the cohort was every bit as significant as hearing the presentations from our global presenters.

By the end of this experience, I was prepared and excited to redesign a unit that I hope will become the starting block for a whole new course. I hope to certify the course through the Liberal Arts Gateway, and may also investigate the possibility of adding a service learning component as I continue to research, refine, and follow the path this FLC has opened up for me. My unit, the first unit in my ENG 1302 redesign, provides students with an entry point into global citizenship: understanding the problem of Othering.

Not only was this FLC inspirational because of the support and curriculum, it truly helped me think about how to tap into the many resources ACC offers to promote education that is relevant and meaningful. I see a wonderful overlap between the ideals underlying this program and the Liberal Arts Gateway, Interdisciplinary Studies, Great Questions, and Service Learning initiatives. If you have been involved with any of those programs, you will love this FLC. And if you have not, this FLC may be your entry point into a whole new world of meaningful professional development.