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Ethics & Leadership Connecting Experiences

All Ethics and Leadership students are required to participate in at least two Connecting Experiences as part of their BDP work. Take a look at what some Ethics and Leadership students have done recently for their BDP Connecting Experiences, then read on for additional information and resources.

Spotlight
Past Connecting Experiences

Connecting Experiences Spotlight

Shayna Goldblatt

Major: Plan II Honors
Type of Experience: Research, “Soccer as a Tool for Conflict Resolution”
Mentor: Madeline Maxwell, Department of Communication Studies


What was the origin of this research project?
My major requires each senior to conduct research and write a thesis on a topic of their choice. I have been interested in conflict resolution studies because I plan to become an attorney-mediator. After completing an internship working with a non-profit that uses soccer as a tool for conflict resolution I became fascinated with the topic and chose to write about it for my thesis.

Discuss the process you went through to conduct your research.
I asked two faculty members to advise me on my project. I chose faculty from two very different disciplines—sport psychology and communications studies. I spent a semester conducting research trying to bring the two disciplines together. At first, my findings explained that soccer could be used as a tool for conflict resolution, but my advisors encouraged me to think critically about the how and why behind my question. My final product included a model of the explicit benefits of soccer for conflict resolution on teams (between individuals) and between teams.

Describe your research project and your interest in the subject area.
I’m interested in conflict resolution because I like to help people solve problems. It’s rewarding to bring people together to resolve their differences. My internship with a soccer-focused non-profit gave me access to the idea of this type of conflict resolution. I also learned about other organizations that use sports-based programs to help kids in a variety of ways – from drug prevention to academic support. Nelson Mandela said it best, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

How did this experience connect to your BDP?
My experience connected to my Ethics and Leadership BDP by allowing me the opportunity to think outside the box for solutions to problems that result within the strand of social justice, politics, and law. My project took a non-traditional focus in the sense that it is more common to use diplomacy and funding to try to solve a problem, and not a game. But, as I learned from my entire experience in the Ethics and Leadership BDP, sometimes the most effective leadership decisions involve innovation and unprecedented creativity.

In what ways has this CE shaped your plans for the future?
Academically, this project allowed me to take an abstract concept and make it concrete – a skill that will undoubtedly be helpful as I pursue higher education and a life dedicated to problem solving. From a career standpoint, I gained more experience with the field of conflict resolution, which will serve me well as I seek to become an attorney-mediator. Also, I had the opportunity to make a poster and present it at the BDP poster session. I had to explain my findings in a clear and concise manner. That type of experience will serve me well in graduate school and in the working world.

Read about past Connecting Experiences spotlights for Ethics & Leadership.

Past Ethics and Leadership Connecting Experiences

Important: There is no “list” of possible Connecting Experiences to choose from—because Connecting Experiences are designed to fit your own personal interests and goals, the “list” is as long as your imagination and creativity allow. With that in mind, here are some of the internship and research experiences Ethics and Leadership students have had in the past. They might help you get started brainstorming what you might want to do for your Connecting Experiences.

Past Internship Placements

Past Research Projects

In the past, students have conducted research on

  • Access to education in Brazil
  • African immigrant entrepreneurs
  • The Army’s process of ranking and branching cadets and officers
  • Best practices for leadership training models
  • British bankruptcy law in London, England
  • Campaign finance and Hollywood contributors
  • Collegiate athletic funding in softball and baseball
  • Communication in health care settings
  • Conflict accommodation theory in mediation
  • Corporate social responsibility in Wroclaw, Poland
  • The effectiveness of public health campaigns
  • Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN) in Mexico
  • Ethics of medical treatment for severe epilepsy
  • Ethical considerations surrounding live organ donation
  • Ethical implications of the Affordable Care Act
  • Federalism in the U.S and European Union
  • The framing of international events in U.S.-based and Middle Eastern-based media
  • India’s nuclear weapons program in the 1960s
  • International human resource management in Belgium
  • Leadership style and ethical practices in the corporate world
  • Marketing and the food industry
  • Mediation techniques
  • Mexican American children’s access to health care services
  • Motives behind the formation of biotech alliances
  • Non-violent methods of conflict resolution
  • Opinions on military culture held by military personnel and civilians
  • Political and legal rhetoric
  • Politics of art in Renaissance Italy
  • The School for International Training in Switzerland, on migration in European Union
  • Race, ethnicity, and migration in the European Union
  • Soft power and diplomacy
  • “The Education of Shelby Knox” documentary film
  • Treatment of transgender inmates in Texas County Jails

Past Research or Internship-Based Courses

  • ACC 366P: Accounting Practicum
  • GOV 374N: Political Internship
  • FIN 373: Advanced Studies in International Finance
  • MKT 372: Community Development and Social Enterprise