Class Reflection

Guest Speaker Reflection

This semester has been packed full of guest speakers covering an incredibly wide range of topics and issues.  I have found many of the speakers to be very interesting,  from the talk on how drones will eventually change to world, to the outline of African American soldiers in Germany, it has been a very thought provoking fifteen weeks.  However, the speaker that I found to be most riveting was Professor Soren Larsen.  I could tell that he was very passionate about what was happening in Canada with the Cheslatta-Carrier Nation.  It was intriguing to learn about the culture of the group and the belief that places have "agency." Agency means that places are in essence held to the standards of a human being.  The                                                                                          
Cheslatta believe that our earth is very delicate and should be treated as such.  Agency can also be found at their cemeteries which are currently threatened by a Canadian aluminum company, Alcan (now known as Rio Tinton).  It is unfortunate that the Cheslatta nation has to deal with a major corporation that treats their culture with such little respect.  Yes, the company has given the society some financial help over the past few years, but the fact that they refuse to implement new technology to better control the flooding is somewhat disappointing.  However, I wanted to look at the other side of this issue which was not touched on in class.  Alcan is an international company that employs 68,000 people and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.  Does the  economic benefit that the company  provides for the world outweigh the interest of 330 individuals in an indigenous group?  The corporation had a net income of 7.24 billion in 2014 which allowed them to employ so many people.  One could argue that if it is making that kind of money; some of it should be spent on technology to better control the flooding.  But unfortunately it is not very feasible for Alcan as the company has consistently seen a decline in its stock price and revenues over the past five years.  Personally, I do not have a major opinion for either side of the issue.  The economic side of me makes me think that if a profit is being earned and people have jobs, let them do what they have to do, it is impossible to please everyone.  On the contrary,  the environmental/human rights side of me is saying that Alcan should stop all operations now!  The flooding of grave sites and displacement of a group is immoral. These contradictory beliefs lead me to be impartial on the issue.  Professor Soren was an interesting individual to listen to because of his passion for the issue and how much he had studied the group.  As you can tell from my lengthy rant on the Cheslatta Nation and Alcan I found him to be very challenging and ultimately very thought provoking.

Reflection on Cuba

In researching my country I gained so many insights.  Cuba has a fascinating history and is unexpectedly a very progressive nation.  Prior to studying Cuba the only thing I really pictured was a third world country with old run down buildings.  Little did I know that it is home to some of the most advanced cancer research in the world, and its scientists may be closer to finding a cure than anyone else.  I was also exposed to some of the brutal hardships Cuba is currently facing.  Poverty is very prevalent and human trafficking is a major problem.  Fidel Castro has been somewhat helpful in reducing poverty by revamping the education system, though the problem still exists.  Finally, I learned a great amount about the American embargo on Cuba and how it has impacted business in the country.  If the United States decides to lift the ban on trade, it may not be as beneficial to the citizens as we would like to believe.  I had little prior knowledge on the country of Cuba prior to studying it this semester, and I happy to have learned so much.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. It has been a nice get away from the business school, and a great creative outlet with the bi weekly blog assignments.  It has been eye opening and has made me really want to study abroad.  The course has taught me that there is a big world out there, and to only focus on what is happening in the United States would be a shame.


Sources:

marketwatch.com