Evanston Native Named To Global Scholar Program

EVANSTON, IL — A first-year college student from Evanston was named among 16 students selected for the Global Scholars program at Ohio Wesleyan University. The four-year program includes a $4,000 research grant for use on a study project of their choice, according to the Delaware, Ohio-based university.

Katie Peterson of Evanston was among the college freshmen picked to join the Global Studies Institute due to their high academic potential and passion for international issues, according to the university. The institute aims to be an inter-disciplinary hub for faculty and students from the arts and humanities, as well as social and natural sciences, to work toward real-world solutions to problems across academic subjects.

New members of the Global Scholars program participate in a first semester course delving deep into a single subject and taught by a team of instructors. This year, the course, "Climate, Capital and Culture" is being taught by Assistant Professor of Geography and Geology Nathan Amador Rowley and Assistant Professor of Modern Foreign Languages Mary Anne Lewis Cusato.

"The course is meant to guide students through various aspects and perspectives of the global world we inhabit and introduce them to the field of global studies," Cusato said in a statement. "Throughout the semester, we explore aspects of global significance (for example, climate change, nationalism, multiculturalism, immigration) through the lenses of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences."

In addition to the funding for a personal research project and special classes, those who complete a faculty-supervised thesis in the program graduate from Ohio Wesleyan with a global studies certificate, according to the university.