Wow, where to begin. Although the past 8 months of ASTU have gone by incredibly quickly, they’ve definitely contained a wide range of moments that have prompted me to reflect upon my own personal experiences throughout the years that relate to the overriding theme of our CAP stream, global citizenship. Growing up as a third culture kid I feel as though I have some sort of predisposition for viewing things through a global lens. In fact, I rationalized choosing this CAP stream over others because of this. So in a sense I view this as a culmination of growing up abroad, taking the knowledge that I have gained through living in such a diverse setting and applying it in an academic context.

Furthermore, there have been several moments throughout this course that have enabled me to make connections that I wouldn’t have necessarily made in the past. The strongest example of this didn’t necessarily occur in one moment, but rather over the course of the year as we explored the war on terror. Some of the texts we read in class, such as Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Redeployment by Phil Klay reminded me of just how horrible and gruesome warfare can be, especially for those caught in the crossfire. This in turn reminded me of the responsibility that developed nations such as Canada and The United States have in protecting and helping people who have to leave areas that have been adversely effected by military intervention from them.

Ultimately this course has significantly broadened my worldview and made me consider current affairs through a much more critical lens. This combined with exploring literary and scholarly works that have arisen from these events has most definitely allowed me to gain a better understanding and knowledge of what it means to truly be a global citizen.