Laura Duffany is a senior pursuing a dual degree in Behavioral Neuroscience & Global Studies. She sat down with GS director Prof. Allison Mickel to discuss her experiences and perspectives.
Prof. Allison Mickel: So Laura, tell me why you became a Global Studies major? What made you decide to major in Global Studies?
Laura Duffany: I came in with a very deliberate trajectory academically, because I knew that I was interested in the brain. But I'm also interested in multicultural issues and cross cultural connectivity, because I am a diverse individual, being a Chinese adoptee from Puerto Rico with American parents. Mainland American parents. And so global studies just seemed like that perfect fit, because it was so interdisciplinary, so focused specifically on understanding different perspectives. And it didn't seem like super conventional in its teaching like IR is, or very, like, straightforward in terms of political stuff. So I was very drawn to that. And I asked Professor Austin if I could meet with her. She said yes. And then I declared my major like that day!
So you knew right away?
Oh, yes.
That’s awesome. And what classes have you taken in Global Studies?
So that's the hard part. Unfortunately, with my behavioral neuroscience major, as you know, you’ve seen my academic plan. It’s very difficult to organize my courses in a way that a) I'm not overloading myself, and feeling like I want to die after taking all these hard courses. So I've been doing like maybe one global studies course per semester. I've taken Intro to Politics. IR 010 with Maryanne Madeira. That was an amazing course. I took Intro to Global Studies. I took The Global Workplace. And, let’s see… Oh, and I took Globalization and Religion. That was my favorite course.
So you’re taking mostly science courses, and then a few in the liberal arts. What’s that experience like for you? Do you see any connections between your courses? Or do they feel totally separate?
What I like to say is that my global studies courses balance out my hard science courses. And my global studies time is my mind-freeing time where I can actually enjoy what I’m studying. Not that I don't enjoy what I'm studying in the biosciences. But this is a different type of enjoyment. Like, I can open my mind to new perspectives, and really take in what I'm learning. And it's not just blunt memorization of metabolic pathways, for example. And then as for connections between them, I think it's important to have both perspectives of life, like both the hard sciences and the liberal arts, because I think that they complement each other very nicely. Like if I understand the way that the body works, and then I understand the way that the body works in the world, I think that that's, you know, I think that that's good!
I have sort of a meaty, philosophical question then for you. If you’re interested in the brain and in this more medical and scientific approach to understanding people, does that ever come into conflict with Global Studies, which is really a lot more about cultural relativism and understanding people’s subjective experiences of themselves? Do you ever find that like, the way that you're, you're asked to look at the world, from your science classes is different, or in conflict with the way you're supposed to look at it from Global Studies?
That's a really, really, really interesting question, actually. And I never thought of it like that. But that is a really, really interesting question. My immediate response is no, though. Because when I learn the hard sciences, it's very straightforward. This is what it is. It’s a lot of memorizing parts of the body, like machinery. But Global Studies is my break from that which is super important to me, because it allows me to think about things that are more important than, like, how fast the heartbeats per minute.
Do you think that any student studying science primarily would benefit from taking a Global Studies course?
Definitely. It gives you a broader perspective, and you know, a huge part of understanding the sciences is being able to relay that to the public, connecting with people, and teach them about science. And medicine also involves taking into account people’s identities, racial concerns, not just their biology. And so to personalize medicine, I think that you need to have a more global studies oriented perspective, to be able to bring that information out to the public.
So you said something about this before, and I don’t want to push you so just tell me if you don’t want to go into this. But you mentioned your own identity and background. Have any Global Studies course spoken to that? Your sense of your self and identity?
Well, I did a public health internship with the Global Studies program in Kenya, in the winter of 2020. So that was COVID semester, it was obviously online. We didn't get to travel there, unfortunately. But, um, I think that that spoke to me as a multicultural individual, because like we were interacting cross culturally. Like we were actually in the field, interacting cross culturally, and I was seeing the ways that academics come into play in a globalizing society. And so as a globalized individual, I was like, wow, this is amazing. Like, I'm seeing it in action.
Yeah, that’s really great. Then my last question is thinking about moving forward, what do you think you’re taking away from your Global Studies major?
What am I not taking away from my Global Studies experience? I think that Global Studies courses are very open to interpretation. And you're reading a lot of different books that have different perspectives that open your mind to different ideas. And it's not… Like, you're not told how to interpret those things. I mean, you're given like guidance as to like, where those authors were trying to go. But ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you're going to take that and apply it to your own life, how you're going to take that and apply it to your career. And I think that that's the most important thing I'm taking away from Global Studies. Because without that ability to kind of create my own ideas from my learning, I think that there's no point to learn.
So then do you think that’s a skill you’ll bring, even if you end up in a pretty health-focused or medicine-focused field that you’ll bring that same initiative to it?
Yeah. I believe that by fostering a sense of global collaboration to regulate public health, our planet will be a safer, healthier place. I plan to continue immersing myself in the world of biological sciences and global studies, thus reaching my full collaborative potential and putting me in an optimal position to help devise solutions to public health issues. I have recognized a lack of culturally diverse representation in today's healthcare field; therefore, I am driven to help shape a new community of health workers where cross-cultural empathy is a valuable asset. Given my growing understanding of the ways in which individual identities can be enhanced by diverse perspectives, I know that I would make great impact as a physician scientist in our globalizing world. And so with my Global Studies major, I think that I have increased my ability to empathize and connect, find bridges, and to build between different perspectives. And I think that that's invaluable.