Undergraduate Research Awards for 2020-2021 have been awarded to 95 students from disciplines and departments across campus. This year six Global Studies Majors were URA recipients!  Mark your calendars to attend Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 to support your fellow majors as they present their research findings.
URA’s provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate students to support their research or creative work with a UMBC faculty mentor on an original project. UMBC students of all years and disciplines are invited to apply, as long as they will remain enrolled at UMBC long enough to complete the proposed work.

Lois A. Akomeah
“Political Corruption and Poverty in Ghana”
Global Studies
Christopher Brown

Violeta Brito (Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Research Awardee)
“A Culturally-Sensitive College Readiness Mentorship Program for Latino American Youth in Baltimore”
Global Studies
Felipe Filomeno

Katherine Poteet
“Building a Nation: How National Service Requirements Affect Patriotic Sentiment”
Political Science
Carolyn Forestiere

Patrick Reid
“How did Media Coverage Impact the Black Lives Matter Movement?”
Political Science
Fernando Tormos-Aponte

Cira Roxana Tapia
“Latino Students Enrolled at Howard Community College with very Low Participation in the Success Programs Offered by the College”
Global Studies
Christopher Brown

Kateryna Yakusheva 
(Center for Social Science Scholarship Undergraduate Research Awardee) 
What type of government is the most efficient at dealing with pandemics?”
Global Studies
Brigid Starkey

The Dresher Center for the Humanities stands in solidarity with members of our Black community and other communities suffering across the nation. We mourn and condemn the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others. We recognize the injustice of a system of mass incarceration rooted in white supremacy under which Black and Brown women and men, including queer and trans people, are unduly subject to violence. We rededicate ourselves at this time to calling out and taking action to oppose white supremacy and the powerful systems of racial injustice that remain at work in the United States, including in institutions of higher education. We will use our platform, programming, and voices to bring the tools of the humanities to work against racism and for social justice.

To start, we offer the following list of resources for work against anti-Black racism. While not definitive, it is our hope that this list provides articles, books, podcasts, films, and other media that will be stepping stones towards a wider conversation.

Anti-Black Racism Resources

Also, in partnership with the Center for Social Science Scholarship, we invite you to attend an online Faculty Drop-in Session on Friday June 12 at 10:00 A.M. to consider how can we use our roles as faculty, teachers, chairs/directors, or mentors to work towards racial justice, social change, civic action, community action, and pedagogical engagement. Registration and details are forthcoming.

In solidarity,

The Dresher Center for the Humanities

This is a time like no other.  In an effort to do and be our best, we must be committed to provide meaningful engagement opportunities to youth, our future leaders.   

UMBC student receives national attention in the Washington Post and the New York Times for his part in the coordination of the Washington DC BLM Protests with American progressive political action organization Our Revolution! As quoted in the NewYork Times, "Malik Harris, 23, a global studies major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, rented a house in Washington with friends for the weekend to join the protest. 'I’m supposed to be doing my homework right now for the summer semester,' he said. 'But I definitely want to be present for everything.'"

We celebrate and support Malik and all our students actively involved in the current demand for racial justice that is sweeping our city and our nation.  As students of global studies, we pride ourselves on the promotion of a value system that has at its core social justice for all.

For the full pieces featuring Malik: 

D.C. on edge as anger over George Floyd’s death launches protests through the nation’s capital. Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-on-edge-as-anger-over-george-floyds-death-launches-protests-through-the-nations-capital/2020/05/30/01be2956-a2af-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html

Protests Near White House Spiral Out of Control Again. New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/politics/washington-dc-george-floyd-protests.html

View the full FAQs Page HERE

If I am approved for an Incomplete (I) grade for a course taken in the Spring 2020 semester, will I still have the option to change the grading method to a Pass (P) or withdraw from the course once the final course grade is posted?
In accordance with the Incomplete grading policy, students will have the option to request an (I) grade for a Spring 2020 course if they have completed a majority of the work at a satisfactory level. Students approved for an incomplete grade will be given until the end of the Fall 2020 semester to resolve any remaining coursework. Once a final course grade is submitted, students will have until January 11th 2021 to change the grading method to the Pass (P) option or withdraw from the course.

What are my options if I have an Incomplete (I) grade from a previous semester and was trying to complete it over the Spring 2020 semester?
To ensure timely progress toward a degree, students are encouraged to complete any remaining coursework associated with an incomplete (I) grade. Likewise, course instructors are encouraged to provide flexibility where possible so that remaining coursework can be satisfied. When it is possible to do so, grade changes for outstanding incomplete grades should be submitted by course instructors by the May 27th submission deadline. Once a final course grade is posted to replace the (I) grade, students will have until June 10th to change the grading method to the Pass (P) option or withdraw from the course.

Undergraduate students may request to have their final course grade changed to the (P) option by submitting a request to Student Records. Undergraduate students may submit a request to withdraw from a course by submitting a request to Registration. When submitting a request to the Registrar’s Office, students must include the course number (i.e. PSYC 100) and the term in which they enrolled in the course and received an (I) grade (i.e. Fall 2019).

If a final course grade is not submitted by the May 27th grade submission deadline, an automatic one semester extension of the Incomplete will be granted to the end of Fall 2020. Students will have until the end of the Fall 2020 semester to resolve any remaining coursework. Once a final course grade is submitted by the course instructor, students will have until January 11th, 2021 to change the grading method to the Pass (P) option or withdraw from the course.

Participating students can enroll in the Community Service & Learning  Practicum 096 through The Shriver Center! Please see the info below and email elgrose1@umbc.edu to enroll and for more details!

Opportunity info!

We invite you to sign up now to volunteer for our next online adult ESOL session, May 18-June 25 (only training first week). The major change is that you will be paired with one student for the whole 5-week session. Please read on for the details.

Adult ESOL Online May/June Session Details:

Trainings: May 18-21 (Attendance at one online training required for new and returning volunteers)

Session: May 26 – June 25, 2020 (5 weeks)

Schedule:          

Monday, Wednesday 10am-11:30am

Tuesday, Thursday 6:30pm-8:00pm

(Volunteers, choose one or more of these 4 days when you sign up)

Cost to students: $20

Location: Zoom

Technology expectations:

Volunteers must have a computer, stable internet connection, and the ability to use the following features of Zoom during your teaching: share screen, annotate, and chat. If, after the training, you are not fully comfortable with using these features, we invite you to wait until we’re back in person to continue volunteer-teaching. 

Class length:

Classes will be 90 minutes long instead of 1 hour, based on feedback from some students and volunteers.

Please use this link to sign up to volunteer.**