Self and Other Course Pairing

Thinking Global: An Introduction to Sociology (SC102DS)

This discussion-based course introduces students to theories and topics in the field of global sociology. The course is designed to encourage students to think critically about a range of global issues, to consider the patterns of interaction at the global level, and to recognize how societies, social institutions, and individuals are shaped by macro and meso-level social forces and social structures. In line with our Messina theme, self and other, we will also reflect on the ways in which where we are socially situated in our increasingly global society (e.g. nationally, racially/ethnically, gender, class standing) shapes us and shapes others. The course will include a service learning option with the Refugee Youth Project.

Faculty Biography

Michelle I. Gawerc, Assistant Professor of Sociology, received her Ph.D. from Boston College in 2010. Her research interests include the sociology of peace, war, and social conflict, social movements, and organization studies. Her primary area of focus is Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, although her interests extend more generally to societies in or emerging from protracted conflict. Michelle’s research has been published in numerous scholarly journals and a revised version of her dissertation was recently published as a book: Prefiguring Peace: Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Partnerships. Michelle teaches in the Global Studies program and is enthused to be participating in Messina. She believes strongly in active learning and participatory methods, so if you sign up for the seminar, be prepared to participate!

The Making of the Modern World Africa (HS106.01S)

This seminar introduces students to the skills of analyzing change over time, critical reading, and effective writing through the exploration of African history from the eighth through the twentieth centuries.  Themes include the emergence of African states and long distance trade; the organization and impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade; European conquest and colonization; social and economic change during the colonial period; the rise of nationalism and the struggle for independence; and the impact of globalization in contemporary Africa.  Considers issues of change and continuity in African societies, as well as the differential impact of social and economic change on women and people of different socioeconomic groups.

Faculty Biography

Professor Elizabeth Schmidt received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She has published five books about Africa, with a sixth on the way.  The topics include U.S. business support for apartheid South Africa, women and nationalism in Zimbabwe and Guinea, and foreign intervention in Africa from the Cold War to the War on Terror.  When she's not working, you'll find her at the FAC--or on the dance floor!

Mentor Biographies

Kaileigh Jolliffe, is an alum of Loyola University Maryland.  She graduated in 2009 with a degree in Marketing and is now working in the Office of International Programs as a study abroad coordinator.  During her time at Loyola, Kaileigh studied abroad in Newcastle, England for a year and now manages this program here at Loyola.  She is excited to be back at Loyola and working with the Messina program

Christina Harrison—Associate Director, Immersion Programs and Education in the Center for Community Service and Justice, has a Master’s in Social Work with a focus on community organizing. She has worked with university students in a rural health education initiative that included a migrant farmworker program, taught people with intellectual disabilities, and ran a university study abroad office. Her interests include travel, hiking and anything Hungarian.