Our American Lives:
Globalization & Citizenship Radio Project
Students in American Conversations 202 have looked locally to explore the shape and impact of global change on citizenship. For this project, groups of students developed radio segments and would like to share their observations and ideas about contemporary American culture with a broader audience. Read more about the project assignment here. Click on the links below to hear their radio segments.
Ethanol in Bridgewater
Sean Hayford O’Leary, Anna Martin, Theresa McDevitt
Three students had heard of the dispute over the proposed ethanol plant to be built in Bridgewater Township in 2006. Some township residents supported the project, but many opposed it. This piece shows the debate, but even more it shows the effect that the debate had on the community.
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The Invasion: Invasive Species in Minnesota
Alana Anderson, Carlo Migliaccio
Two students investigate the influence that invasive species have on the Minnesota ecoystem.
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Skin Deep: Skin Color Alteration Across Cultures
Clara Kundin, Natalie Davis, April Curtis
Everyone has heard the phrase, “Beauty is only skin deep.” But is that what people really think? Pressure to fit a certain societal ideal of beauty–in this case, an ideal skin color–is an intrinsic part of everyday life. Three students sought to explore the motivations of people to alter their skin color.
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A Role Model in Citizenship
Elise Vreede, Brittany Utzka, Brittany Stevens
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Citizens, Shirts, and Sweatships
Laura Romeyn, Jonathan Halquist
Two students became interested in the global-to-local journey of a t-shirt after Jonathan designed the AMCON class shirt and Laura questioned the ethics behind printing on shirts outsourced from Haiti. Together, Laura and Jonathan discovered that for consumers, the complex story of globalization isn’t necessarily about the politics involved in the making of their t-shirt, but the camaraderie that comes from group identification.
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Tortillas
Althea Speaks, Katie Curtis
Two students were interested in globalization and the hispanic community in Northfield, MN. They chose to research tortillas, a dense fact that encompasses both of these subjects. They found that tortillas come in all shapes and sizes and have many interesting implications.
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Coffee
Louisa Fish-Sadin, Paula Skaggs
Two students were disturbed to find how little they and their fellow students knew about the coffee they drink. In their quest to change this, they discovered not only how important it is to know where their coffee comes from, but also that they have a responsibility to act upon that knowledge.
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Four-Day School Week
Sasha Schrandt
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Wayzata and The Lake
Patrick Garrity
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Instrument Makers: The Last Craftsmen
Ben Golden, Noah Anderson
In the last 200 years, the global market has made an ever-increasing move towards mass-production and mass-communication. With this shift, it became economically unfeasible to produce goods individually, or on a small scale. This meant the end of the master and apprentice model of work, and, some would argue, the attention to detail that it created. Locally, however, that model lives on in the form of custom instrument makers Matthew Wheeling and David Folland. They shared their insights on the process, as well as on the apprenticeship model with two St. Olaf students.
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The St. Olaf Mailroom: Breaking the St. Olaf Bubble
Ian Rollwitz, Andrew Carney, Nick Julsrud-Wertjes
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Global Fish
Deanna Thorson, Libby Koehl, Aaron Matuseski
Seafood is a global industry that is now being more closely scrutinized because of the environmental, economic, and health impacts. Three students explored this topic on their campus.
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A Sense of Home
Paige Schumacher, Sarah Melcher, Katherine Ratliff
Three students wanted to get a first-hand look at the ever-changing perspective of home, so they set out to talk to their fellow Oles and see what people had to say.
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