Courtney Thomas
Candidate for Bachelor of Arts at the University of Florida
International Studies and Political Science
Politics of Immigration
Women, Leadership,
& Diversity in the Global Environment
French Language
This course focused on two main areas: the first being the United States Immigration Policies and the politics surrounding executive and legislative decisions and the second focusing on Europe's Refugee Crisis and the politics surrounding various country's decisions. This timing of this course – Spring 2017 – couldn't have been better and it was nice to see how some of these executive decisions get made and the consequences for these crisis.
Click on the PDF to see a Sample Policy Brief I wrote about the UK's Refugee Problem
As someone with a minor in French and Francophone studies, I have been fortunate enough to have taken a variety of classes throughout my time at UF focused on both the French language and its culture. From Intermediate French to French Composition to even French Film Noir, I have learned not only about the beautiful language but also about what makes French culture continue to be so influential in today's world. As one of the most widely spoken languages around the World and continuing to grow, I believe this minor and the courses that go along with it are incredibly beneficial and help raise awareness of this ever-growing language and its speakers.
This course focused on leadership concepts with an emphasis in women. It mentioned that women no longer facing a glass ceiling in the workforce but rather they are facing a labyrinth – meaning they can make it to the top but they have to jump through different hoops in order to make it to the top. As a woman, I found this topic incredibly relevant and it helped to show that woman and leadership positions aren't just hard to find in the United states but it is a global problem. For example, only 21 out of 196 countries are led by women and they only hold 20% of parliamentary seats.
