Ok, so I wrote this story for the Grecourt Gate, but they edited it before publishing it and I don't like the changes they made, so I thought I should make the original available. If you're interested in reading the edited version, here's the URL: http://www.smith.edu/news/2007-08/JYAJournal-BritniSteingard.php
The story's below. I couldn't figure out how to copy it from word to the blog, and had to retype it. If you find any typos, please let me know.
Learning the Lingo in Geneva, Switzerland
by Britni Steingard, '09
I have studied French language, literature, and culture from the age of six, thanks to my hometown's French immersion program, but I am not a French major. In fact, I am a Biology major and, if I can complete all the requirements, an Environmental Science and Policy minor. I had thought about going for the Bio-French double major -- I think I've completed most of the requirements -- but ES&P was just too important. I did feel a strong desire to prove to myself that I am fluent in French, but you see, I am a budding conservationist. For as long as I can remember, I have been a firm believer that by "protecting" -- I actually prefer the term "conserving" now -- our environment, we help ourselves. I've also always preferred the biological aspects of environmental studies, but one of the the first things I learned in college was that anyone involved int eh conservation and/or sustainable development movement(s) absolutely must have a familiarity with each of three disciplines: the natural sciences (which I've got covered), the social sciences, and the economic sciences. No sustainable development plan will ever come to fruition if scientists, community leaders, and economists -- the stakeholders -- cannot work together. We must all be able to speak the same lingo.
Unfortunately, I had never thought of myself as a politically or economically minded person. I barely followed national politics, rarely read more than the local and school newspapers, and, frankly, had always found the thought of taking most social science classes slightly nauseating (no offense meant to social science majors and professors). It thought I was a scientist through and through. I especially didn't want to have to take a lot of introductory and prerequisite courses just so I could take environmental policy ones. Nonetheless, I knew that for a conservation biologist to have any sway in the environmental debate, (s)he needs to be familiar with the social and economic sciences to work with the people in power to "save" the planet, namely politicians and business-(wo)men. I knew that to become the biologist I want to be, I would need to learn to speak their language in case they couldn't speak mine.
As a science major with many requirements to fulfill, I was hesitant to go abroad for a whole year, but the JYA: Geneva program presented a unique opportunity. Not only would I have a chance to finally prove to myself that I am fluent in French, but where better to learn political lingo than the international hub that is Geneva, Switzerland? Former home of the League of Nations and home to the Graduate Institute of International Studies, several branches of the UN, and hundreds of NGOs, I was certain I would find and environmental policy course or internship I could stomach. With any luck, I would not only return from Geneva fluent in French, but also conversational in politics and economics.
Switching from the natural sciences to political science and economics was a strange and difficult transition for me, but it was well worth the effort. I not only found one environmental policy course, I found four courses at two different institutions, two of which were in French. "Economie du Developpement Durable" ["Economy of Sustainable Development"] at the University of Geneva Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, and "Interdisciplinary Seminar on Environmental Issues," "Managing the Global Commons," And "Politiques Agricoles pour un Exploitation Soutenable des Ressources Renouvelables" ["Agricultural Policy for the Sustainable Exploitation of Renewable Resources"] at the Graduate Institute of International Studies and Development. having no background in economics or political science, I had to dive right in and hope I could swim; I suppose you could say I had started another immersion program. So far, I've managed fairly well. And having so many Government majors in the Geneva program around to help was a big bonus. On top of getting to jump right to the the environmental topics, Smith's contact at the International Labor Organization found me an internship in one of my areas of interest: sustainable development's impact on employment. Since January, I have been researching the impact of green jobs and eco-industries on the job market in developing countries. I not only get to learn the theory behind the hypothesis that green living is a good living -- at some very competitive Universities, I might add -- but I also get to be part of proving it at a prestigious international organization. Personal and professional development in one paints a pretty nice picture, if you ask me. Now as the year draws to a close and I prepare to return to the states, I can't say that I'm fluent in political lingo, and I'm not sure I ever will be, but I know that when the time comes, I'll be able to hold my own in the environment debate, in both English and French.
