Global Citizen Scholars | Prof. Sinha Roy

GLOBAL CITIZEN SCHOLARS PROGRAM
INVESTING IN EMPOWERING WOMEN
2020-2022

Visit the Global Citizen Scholars Cohort IV website

Front Row L-R: Annaliese Stone, Emily Mullen, Rutendo Mavunga, Katherine Perez, and Samantha Minor

Back Row L-R: Prof. Doug Luman and Prof. Sinha Roy

During the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown, a small team from Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars Program, pictured above, worked with Media Studies Professor Ishita Sinha Roy, their Teaching Assistant Nicolle Long ('22), and the local community partner -- Women's Services Inc. in Meadville -- to write a children's anti-domestic abuse resource book called You are Not Alone.

Illustrations for the book were by Annaliese Stone, an Art, Science, Innovation Major ('24).

Professor Doug Luman (Computer Science) helped with the layout design and publishing of the book.

Michael Williams, former Director of Community Engaged Learning, provided invaluable guidance, and funded the completion of the project through a community outreach grant.

The book has been used in professionally guided sessions at the local YWCA for teaching young children how to spot and report different types of abuse.

The Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program at Allegheny College (currently, on temporary hiatus) provides select first-year students with unique learning opportunities in three areas — civic engagement, global learning, and in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students collaborate with their faculty co-leaders in the interdisciplinary exploration of a specific global theme, combining academic research with experiential learning in the field.

For the 2020 Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) cohort IV, the theme was "Empowering Women & Girls Worldwide." In their first semester, the cohort had an introductory seminar with Dr. Roncolato, the Program Director. Subsequently, my faculty co-leader, Prof. Caryl Waggett (Global Health) and I co-led academic seminars each semester, between spring 2021-spring 2022. In these seminars, students have investigated the challenges of women’s/girls' empowerment, through the lenses of education, social justice, economic advancement, and female health. This program integrated academic and experiential learning opportunities for investigating how women/girls are important cultural change-makers.

Using readings, class discussions, community engaged learning, and the expertise of local and international panelists who work on women's issues, this cohort of Global Citizen Scholars critically unpacked what terms such as ‘empowerment’ and ‘development’ mean when considering cultural differences and the intersectionality of factors such as class and caste, religion, age, location, etc. Students are encouraged to adopt a non-ethnocentric lens in approaching readings, discussions, and fieldwork. Global Citizen Scholars also take a foreign language during their four years at college. At the end of the spring 2023 semester, students who successfully met the GCS Program requirements were able to use their scholarship for a study abroad experience.

Students were expected to attend and participate meaningfully in all academic sessions. They had to successfully complete all assignments, class and community engaged learning activities/projects, and deliver a capstone project at the end of this three-year commitment, in order to remain a GCS scholar and receive the travel award.

Find out more about the Allegheny College Global Citizen Scholars 2020-2022 Cohort here.