The Global Leadership FYE Living Learning Community

The Global Leadership FYE-FRINQ at Portland State University engages students in the local community while preparing them for leadership roles in their respective majors and careers. To participate in this community students will enroll in a special section of Freshman Inquiry, Globalization taught by Christopher Carey. Students will be housed on the same floor in the Broadway building, will participate in various community activities, and develop leadership skills through a variety of experiential learning programs.

The specific goals of this leadership community include:

• Civic engagement and leadership focus
• In depth community participation required as part of the course
• Year long examination of globalization from multiple perspectives
• Global citizenship exploration through community service, reflection, and class discussion
• Strong commitment to applying what is learned in the classroom in the local community
• Bridging of in class learning to residence hall living through additional themed programming
• Supportive learning environment enhanced through peer academic support and Learning Community Assistants

About the Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) On Democracy Course

Globalization refers to the social, cultural, political, and economic changes brought about by the flow of capital, people, and ideas across the globe. Arguably, we have witnessed over the last forty years (or so) a new era which has altered the nature and conception of time and space: more people, money, and ideas move more quickly than ever before. Satellite networks, cheaper, faster travel, digitalized financial markets, and other technological advances have led to a world in which local events have global impacts. Conversely, it becomes increasingly difficult to shelter one’s self and one’s community from the rest of the world.

The goal of this course is to provide you with the tools and resources you need to think critically and ethically about globalization – its nature, impact, and desirability. Each term of this three term Freshman Inquiry course roughly covers one domain of globalization: economics, culture, and politics.The first term focuses on economic globalization and topics of fair trade, development, international patent law, global warming, and the democratization of international economic institutions. To focus our discussion, we will read International and Global Studies . As a counterpart to licit economic globalization, we look at how the trade of illegal drugs and arms, the trafficking of human beings, cybercrime, and other illegal activities have flourished in a globalized world. Our text will be Moisés Naím’s Illicit.

About the Freshman Inquiry Professor

Christopher Carey, (PhD, The Arizona State University, 2008; JD, Southern Illinois University, 1995), is a former Deputy District Attorney and currently an Associate Professor in Portland State University’s Interdisciplinary Program - University Studies. He is a graduate of Arizona State University's Hugh Downs School of Human Communication where his focus was intercultural, organizational, and health communication. He has studied at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands and his expertise extends to the application of international law with an emphasis on working with organizations and businesses to improve collaboration in intercultural settings.  He has worked with several groups within the field of human rights to develop strategic plans and collaboration strategies.

He served as the Executive Director of a US based 501c (3) international human rights organization that addressed human trafficking, safe migration, and gender-based violence through culturally grounded, rights-based solutions.  During his tenure as executive director he helped open offices in Kathmandu, Nepal, Kolkata, India, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mexico City, Mexico and received over one million dollars in external funding.  He has recently been identified as an expert in human trafficking and intercultural communication by the California Judicial System and the Mexican Senate where he testified as an expert witness on human trafficking and organizational related issues. His pedagogical interests center on civic engagement and the scholarship of teaching and learning. 

He is the author of diverse publications ranging from human trafficking, organizational development, and student engagement. He has also recently published two articles in Spanish (one with a student) on social policy in Mexico. When not learning about the world from his two children Eli and Lilah, he can be found fly fishing the rivers and climbing the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

If you have additional questions feel free to contact Christina Shafer (cshafer@pdx.edu) or Christopher Carey (ccarey@pdx.edu). You may also contact residence life at 503.725.2450.