Tenzin Yangchen

Italian Politics in Siena, Italy

Global Studies (International Affairs)

Pre-Departure:

I like traveling, in fact I love it so much that I tend to be on the move whenever I can because not experiencing adventure, or even new places makes my thoughts and perspective annnd life in general to stagnate. This is the second time that I will be prioritizing travel over buying a car (like many millennials these days), and I have zero regrets because I see traveling as an investment. Broadening my perspective on life, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures and languages are only a handful of the rewards of traveling.

The first time I traveled alone was at the age of 19. It was a  liberating and an empowering experience. I flew across to the west coast to meet my friends in San Francisco. The following year, I traveled to India to study yoga, and also meanwhile summoning up the courage to explore London during my short layover.

            Italy will be my first european country as I will be traveling there for study abroad instead of a short layover. I am as anxious as I am excited, but does that mean I will be wasting my time panicking? Absolutely not - I will be journaling away my thoughts and emotions for the most part. And if this method does not work entirely, I will remind myself of my destination where one has access to all the mouthwatering gelatos in the world, alongside authentic italian pastas and pizzas! Oh and not to forget the authenticity of the country that is so rich in art and history! 

#UMBCAbroad #UMBCInternational #tintintravels #tintintraveldiaries #liddlemissasian @liddlemissasain 

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC (JASWDC) is pleased to announce the opening of the Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship Program for the 2018-2019 academic year. Applications will be accepted from June 1-July 31.

The Tanaka and Green Academic Scholarship was established to support short-term academic study (one semester or one academic year) at colleges and universities in Japan. JASWDC intends to award scholarships of up to $4,000 (one semester) or $5,000 (one academic year) for the 2018-2019 academic year. The scholarship may be used for any combination of tuition and other academic fees, room and board, travel and transportation (including internal Japan travel), and other approved expenses.

Please find application requirements and application procedure on our website: http://www.jaswdc.org/tanaka-green-scholarship/

The application deadline for the 2018-2019 academic year is July 31, 2018, 11:59pm EST.

Please note that any questions regarding these scholarships should be sent in writing to the following email address: scholarships@jaswdc.org for response by the Scholarship Committee.

“I believe that we are here for each other, not against each other. Everything comes from an understanding that you are a gift in my life – whoever you are, whatever our differences.”

- John Denver

UMBC boasts one of the most inclusive and diverse college campuses around. In fact, we claim it as one of our hallmarks – Inclusive Excellence! It only makes sense for students to stay informed about the range of perspectives that exist on campus and in our ever-changing and adapting world. This knowledge not only makes students more aware of these concepts when entering the workforce, but it also gives students a more well-rounded view of the world, especially given the current political climate.

If you’re looking to expand your view on topics like race, class, gender, sexual orientation, look no further. In SOCY 204 – Diversity and Pluralism: An Interdisciplinary Perspective student analyze these complicated issues and their roles in how society as we know it functions. Learn how to better communicate despite differences between you and others.

“Here in America, we don’t let our differences tear us apart. Not here. Because we know that our greatness comes from when we appreciate each other’s strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other, because in this country, it’s never been each person for themselves. No, we’re all in this together. We always have been.”

- Michelle Obama

SOCY 204 fulfills the Culture and Social Sciences GEPs and takes place every Tuesday and Thursday from 1 – 4:10 p.m. during summer session I.

This class includes helpful small group discussions to help promote the deep analysis of these topics.

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SOCY 204 is taught by Professor Bryan Ellis, a visiting assistant professor. He attended University of Montana for his Bachelor’s in Sociology and Howard University for both his Master’s and Ph. D. in Sociology.

“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”

– Marcus Tullius Cicero

To understand the end is to be able to understand life. SOCY 359: Death and Dying (which is co-offered as EHS 345) will help you do this, as well as grasp the concept of death itself. SOCY 359/EHS 345 explores the way death has played a part in the past and how our view of the end of life affects the way we live.

Look into the life cycle and customs surrounding death all over the world including suicide, grief, and the way religions/cultures affect human perspectives.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life.”

– Steve Jobs

SOCY 359 counts towards the Social Science GEP. It meets twice a week on Monday and Wednesday evenings and is taught by Adjunct Faculty Assistant Professor Kimberly DeMichele.

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“Get the habit of analysis – analysis will in time enable synthesis to become your habit of mind.”

– Frank Lloyd Wright

This summer delve into what makes text effective in its transmission and the information it conveys.

MLL 301 – Textual Analysis: Words, Images, Music focuses on tangible communications and inspects the different biases, cultural and historical effects and properties that affect the way text communicates information.

Investigate the tools that allow us to decode the products of communication that surround us, including commercials, songs, political speeches, films, paintings, poems, plays, and folk tales. Examine their structural properties, their place in social reality, and the relationships among linguistic, visual, and musical codes and critical approaches that purport to read them.

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.”

– Tony Robbins

MLL 301 is a 3 credit hybrid course. Potential students should have taken English 100 and it’s recommended that students have passed another linguistics course to prepare for this one.

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The course is taught by Associate Professor Zakaria Fatih, who earned his PhD from University of Buffalo. Professor Fatih has been with UMBC since 2004 and is fluent in English, French, Dutch and Arabic.