Hello all! My name is Sophia Nguyen. I’m a junior double-major in International Affairs and Art History with minors in Human Rights, Anthropology, European Studies, Swahili, and Law, Jurisprudence & the State.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to study abroad on two occasions with the Center for the Study of Global Issues (GLOBIS). This past summer, I studied Middle Eastern Politics in Morocco. Before this, however, I had the chance to study human rights in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Summer 2024.
The Ireland program runs every summer from June-July. While it took a brief hiatus last year, I encourage everyone to apply this year! It provides an irreplaceable opportunity to learn about The Troubles, civil rights discourse, and critical responses to government repression. You make your way to a variety of cities: Galway, Belfast, Dublin, Derry, and more. You also study with Dr. Chad Clay, an incredible research mentor and arguably one of the best human rights scholars nationwide.
Like many others in my cohort, this trip was my first look at human rights in a political science context. Two courses are available: Repression & Dissent and Human Rights in the European Union. The trip supported each course with excursions to protest markers, museums, and cultural heritage sites throughout the country. When we were not immersed in heavy material, we were immersed in Irish culture instead. We competed in Gaelic football matches, watched Irish dance and music performances, admired breathtaking landscapes and murals, and joined our guides in exploring the country—castles and cliffs, government buildings, human rights commissions, and the best ice cream chain in the world (Murphy’s)!
The Irish people were also welcoming and conversational. Many of them were knowledgeable about The Troubles themselves, meaning any conversation could teach us something new about how we should respond to our in-class material. Should we memorialize violent events? Should we take sides? Is there ever a winner or loser, a correct or incorrect approach to peace? The answers were up to our personal insight, and they ultimately inspired my final project for the course: a video game on The Troubles that placed in the UGA Undergraduate Libraries Research Award Competition the following year.
By the end of this trip, I was motivated to continue exploring human rights at the University of Georgia. I joined Dr. Clay’s human rights classes and eventually made my way to his GLOBIS Human Rights Lab. I work on human rights measurement projects, but I also continue making educational games that teach others about the concepts I learned on this trip.
If you’re AT ALL interested in human rights or research at SPIA, I’d argue this is the perfect opportunity for you! It opened so many doors I did not know existed on campus.
My only warning is to watch out for the confusing laundry system.
Otherwise, take your chance and apply if you can! You won’t regret it!
