Certificate of Global Competencies
We live in a 24/7 world where commerce and politics bridge time zones and different cultures, where pandemics have no national borders, and information races around the world in an instant. Earning a Certificate of Global Competencies from the Honors College at WSU helps to affirm your cross-cultural knowledge.
The Honors College Certificate of Global Competencies is an elective certificate for Honors students to enhance the student’s preparation for the global environment of commerce, creativity, and scholarship. The Certificate provides both practical and theoretical understanding of the international world and shows employers and graduate programs that you have worked diligently during your undergraduate education to become an informed citizen, critically aware of international perspectives, as well as being capable of engaging the international world in your chosen field.
The certificate consists of 15 graded course credits in addition to the Honors Thesis. Your Honors Thesis must substantially incorporate an international perspective. The 15 graded credits may be composed in several ways (meet with an Honors advisor to plan your coursework). The Certificate entails requirements in the following areas:
- Foreign language competence: 3-6 graded credits at the 204 level or higher.
- Education abroad coursework: 6-9 graded credits of coursework from one term abroad or longer in an approved program. (A limit of 6 credits may count for Honors requirements; a 3rd course completed abroad may count as the Honors 430 requirement).
- Honors 430 coursework and presentation (3-6 credits, graded). May be completed through coursework abroad OR at WSU. (A 3-credit WSU course approved by the Honors College may count as the Honors 430 requirement.) Honors 430 includes an oral presentation scheduled at the Honors College during the first semester following the completion of Honors 430. The presentation should be a PowerPoint presentation, approximately 20 minutes in length, which addresses a particular international topic related to the Honors 430 coursework. In addition, the presentation should offer a synthesis/personal reflection of your educational experience of earning the certificate, i.e., a response to the question, “How did your experiences abroad and your coursework for the certificate enhance your Honors education at WSU?” The Honors 430 presentation is separate from the Honors Thesis presentation.
- Honors Thesis (Honors 450, 3 credits, S/F). Your Honors Thesis must incorporate an international perspective significantly developed in the thesis. See an Honors advisor for approval of the international component.
Meet with an Honors advisor during your freshman or sophomore year to get a head start completing the requirements for the Certificate of Global Competencies. Juniors and seniors may still qualify for the Certificate and should also see an Honors advisor to outline their options for completing the Certificate.
2024 & 2023 Recipients
Thomas Wieland
International Business, Finance, and Music
The Improvisatory Language of Western European Saxophonist Max Ionata: Trancription, Analysis, and Comparison of Eight Selected Solos
Thomas spent a semester at Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain studying international business relations and researching Western European jazz musicians and “gigging” culture. In his honors thesis, he set out to examine how European jazz musicians establish shows, perform the music, honor the jazz tradition, and contribute to the genre. Thomas, an academically trained saxophonist, appreciated gaining a firsthand view into his area of research. It was his first time alone in a foreign country, and, within weeks, he rented a saxophone and found himself immersed in the city’s jazz, funk, and R&B music scenes. Soon, he was playing gigs nearly every night and even got to tour with musical groups around Spain. One performance stands out amongst the rest: playing with the Walter Sachs Band for a sold-out crowd at Café Berlin. “I found the most joy, and I learned the most (from) being with these other musicians,” Thomas said.
Samantha Radcliffe
Psychology and Criminal Justice
The Protection of Trafficking Victims in Thailand: A Legal Analysis
Samantha spent one semester at Mahidol University in Thailand followed by another in New Zealand. While abroad, she furthered her studies of forensic psychology and advanced her research into human trafficking. She conducted a legal analysis of Thailand’s human trafficking laws, specifically comparing the efficacy of legislation addressing both sex and labor trafficking. Samantha found that labor trafficking remained inadequately addressed, primarily due to challenges in identifying victims and the barriers preventing them from coming forward, such as migrant worker status. “I wouldn’t have understood the severity of the problem if I didn’t see it firsthand,” she said. Studying abroad allowed Samantha to connect with leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and with human trafficking advocates.
2017 Recipients
Joanne Kunze
Neuroscience
Black and White Morality: The Ecuadorian Gray Areas
The dichotomy between good and evil has been debated throughout history as we search for the truly “moral life.” Most cultures throughout the world maintain basic normative principles: for example, most would confidently agree that murder is immoral. However, other issues concerning gender roles, health care, and the construction of criminality are often catered to the culture in question. Ecuador, a small South American country nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Amazon Rainforest, has a unique perspective based in its complex history of Catholic dominance, the prevalence of el machismo, and a greatly divided socioeconomic landscape. While studying in Quito, the country’s capital, I was exposed to cultural concepts and oral legends that starkly contrasted my own cultural assumptions of normative principles.
Keesha Matz
Microbiology
Environmental Ethics in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has an astounding amount of biodiversity, the country comprises 0.03% of earth’s surface area but contains nearly 6% of the world’s biodiversity. As a result, the country has become a hotbed for ecotourism. 25% of the country has been set aside as national parks and reserves in an effort to preserve thousands of different plant and animal species. During my summer in Puntarenas, Costa Rica I took an environmental ethics course which included field trips to a variety of these protected natural area such as rainforests, mangroves, cloud forests, and volcanoes. Through this course, I learned how the huge diversity of animals and plants has helped to boost the economy of Costa Rica through ecotourism. However, the increase in tourists is also having a harmful effect on the natural environment of the national parks. Biological research centers and the government are currently monitoring changes to the important ecosystem that supports the vast biodiversity and investigating the ethical implications of ecotourism in their country.
Recipients
- Thomas Wieland (`24)
- Samantha Radcliffe (`23)
- Emilia Stephan (’18)
- Jackson Peven (’18)
- Hannah Oliason (’18)
- Megan Styborski (’18)
- Lindsay Cannon (’17)
- Keesha Matz (’17)
- Joanne Kunze (’17)
- Hannah Hill (’17)
- Jordan Sperl (’16)
- Philip Behrend (’15)
- Meghan Nyquist (’15)
- Athena Lemon (’15)
- Kristen Wedam (’15)
- Calen Olesen (’15)
- Travis King (’15)
- Amber Gale (’15)
- Carmen Kroschel (’14)
- Devon Seymour (’14)
- Tiffany Wilks (’14)
- Erin Nicolai (’13)
- Mikko McFeely (’13)
- Kaylee Ray (’12)
- Erin Peterson (’12)
- Michael Gaffke (’12)
- Kristin Jones (’12)
- Jessica Lynch (’12)
- Julie Wedam (’12)
- Eva Denka (’12)
- Leah Rosenkranz (’11)
- Tim Krautkraemer (’10)
- Sara Hein (’10)
- Jakob Brandvold (’10)
- Stephanie Schendel (’10)
- Katherine Rempe (’10)
- Walter Schlect (’10)
- Stephanie Pitts (’09)
- Kathleen Warren (’09)
- Jennifer Ellis (’08)
- Jordan Bush (’07)
- Rachel Neff (’07)
- Emily Marsh (’07)
- Janeen Heath (’07)
- Anjie Bertramson (’07)
Janeen Heath (’07) was among the first four graduates receiving Honors’ initial Certificates of Global Competencies in spring 2007.