My coursework at Pitt has really been the driver for my developing a global worldview. Coming from the social sciences discipline, my academic program is inherently interdisciplinary. This gave me a lot of leeway to explore the topics I’m interested in and discover how they fit into my broader trajectory. My participation in the global studies certificate helped me identify some of those topics: food systems, spatial inequalities, urbanism across countries, macro and micro sustainable action, etc. and congregate them into a holistic program where I was able to learn about many different things, but with a consistent and coherent mission. This allowed me to really take ownership over what I studied while at Pitt, which was a particularly exciting experience that I am thankful for.
Jordan Iserson
University of Pittsburgh
Global Studies Coursework
Coursework Descriptions
This course served as an introduction to the field of global studies. The class, which was primarily lecture and discussion-based, took a sweeping view at the difference between global studies and international studies, and the developments that have led to globalization becoming a dominant form in politics, economics, society and culture. We took an interesting look at the global neoliberal agenda, and how this paradigm has changed the global economic system and affected industries related to clothing, food, and housing, among others. As an urban studies major, it was particularly interesting to align globalization with the development of global cities and rural-urban migration, and to learn how global systems and view points interconnect and permeate into modern society.
This class was offered as a Special Topics in Architecture course from the History of Art & Architecture department in Fall 2016. It was meant to sketch changes in urban development in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and offer a more qualitative perspective for students who design for the built environment. The class principally dwelled on the theme of the right to the city, and considered who gets excluded from cities. In the United States, this entailed a close study of redlining practices and the relegation of socioeconomic groups, particularly racial minorities, to deteriorating urban cores. In other parts of the world, including European cities, this process was inverted and pushed similar groups to the periphery of the city. Housing and sustainability were examined as social justice issues in order to consider who the city is intended to serve.
This class took a practical, action-oriented approach to sustainability. It’s purpose was to take the broad conversations and studies related to sustainability, and synthesize them into tangible projects that could make a difference on Pitt’s campus. My specific working group, for instance, focused on food sustainability, and did a variety of research into global food systems and how current food consumption patterns have a significant environmental footprint. This research was translated into a series of classes and meetings held on campus that taught students the environmental benefits of eating a meatless or meat-reduced diet. This experience was a nice exercise in bringing words to action.
Urban Research Seminar is the writing-intensive capstone course for students completing the urban studies major at Pitt. When I took the class in Spring 2018, the course was designed for students to create a research question and conduct a research project concerning cities in Southeast Asia. My project surveyed academic literature related to urban sustainability and the emerging theme of “smart cities,” and argued in favor for combining the two into one unified, effective urban agenda. My project used Singapore as a case study, because I learned that Singapore has gained recognition as a global leader in both sustainability and smart city technology. The paper measured to what extent the Singapore case can provide to other cities around the world.
Introduction to Development Economics primarily took a look at the differences between growth in developed countries and growth in less developed countries. This involved identifying measurements to understand where a country exists in the global political economy, and the indicators that are pertinent for sustainable economic development. We discussed issues such as education, family planning, and industrialization and the role they play in newer economies. My final project for this course was a group project that studied the role that the influx of refugees into Jordan has played with the country’s economic development.
This was one of three courses that I took during my study abroad semester in Copenhagen that focused on sustainability. This course explored some of the key issues in sustainable development, and we studied topics like transportation, energy, and agriculture. However, this class was unique from most of the other sustainability classes that I have taken because it placed a significant emphasis on communicating sustainability, and finding the most effective messaging surrounding sustainability. Part of this class included a week-long study tour to Norway, where we met with local government officials, non-profit organizations and start-up companies to learn about the various dimensions of sustainability in a Scandinavian country.