Designation of Distinction in Global Engagement

The Designation of Distinction in Global Engagement (DDGE) is a unique and individualized program of learning for Earlham undergraduates. Your DDGE program leads to a designation that tells your future employers, graduate schools, community involvement organizations, and others that you are prepared to participate in a diverse, global community. It is intended to complement any Earlham program of study.

Quick Facts:

The DDGE is a rigorous program of academic and experiential learning through high-impact practices (HIPs) with opportunities that foster your global perspective and intercultural competence.
The DDGE is designed to be pursued alongside any academic major at Earlham. All interested students are encouraged to pursue it.
The professional world of the 21st century is increasingly competitive, and the global context of nearly every professional area requires all of us to be globally competent in order to be most effective in our roles.
Upon completion, the DDGE will be recorded on your Earlham transcript.
While the program must consist of substantial engagement, it is individually designed, allowing for the flexibility to accommodate varying pathways to meet the learning outcomes defined below.

DDGE Outcomes

In the process of completing the Designation of Distinction in Global Engagement, Earlham graduates will:

Intercultural Communication Skills and Cultural Competencies

• Gain an understanding of your own cultural constructions, become flexible in making cultural shifts in a new context, and be able to adapt to new cultural frameworks.

• Acquire language and communication skills in order to be effective in interacting in other cultures and within culturally diverse groups.

Global Forces and Transnational Phenomena

• Learn how global forces and processes have affected ideas, groups, institutions, economies and the natural environment.

• Analyze issues such as social conflict, gender/class/ ethnicity/language, environmental challenges, and community aspirations within a local and global framework.

Personal Development and Transformation

• Take initiative to move out of your comfort zone, to develop cultural humility, and to understand your identity and role in relationship to others.

• Engage in meaningful reflection on your own learning and with others to understand a larger context, and to be able to assess your own learning in light of multiple understandings of the world.

• Seek to understand situations from others’ points of view, and build inquisitiveness, confidence, and independence in lifelong learning.

Social Responsibility and Transformation

• Develop effective skills, analytical tools, and ethical perspectives to make positive contributions for the betterment of the common good.

• Understand yourself as an agent of change, imagine alternatives to the world we live in, and work for justice, peace and sustainability
DDGE Components

Your individualized DDGE plan should include your approach to engaging with each of the following components:

• On-campus coursework and research (courses, Collaborative Faculty-Student Research, independent studies, summer research, McNair program research, etc.).

• Off-campus study (semester, academic year, May Term, and/or an EPIC Advantage-funded summer program).

• Language study and language ability (satisfying at least the 201 level or equivalent in a second language, or L1 first-language competency in a language other than English; additional language study is strongly encouraged).

• Co-curricular activities on campus (student government, participation/leadership in campus organizations or committees, participation in cultural centers or friendship houses, LIFT program, etc.).

• Community engagement experiences off campus (internship, Bonner program, community-engagement participation, Richmond Residency, and/or involvement in local, national or international agencies or organizations).
DDGE Documentation Process

1. Proposed Plan of Engagement: The first step is to complete your proposed Plan of Engagement. Think it of it as ‘declaring’ your DDGE plan. The plan may be submitted at any time up until either September 30 or February 15 in your final semester at the College, but most students submit it in the sophomore or junior year. The plan should be submitted by email to Roger Adkins, with the subject line DDGE PLAN, by the deadline listed here. Note that some students may have follow-up steps to edit the plan and/or to meet with Roger Adkins for a discussion of the plan.

2. Final Report: The last step is to file your Final Report on completion of your DDGE plan. The report is due by either November 15 or April 1 in your final semester at the College. The Final Report should be completed on this fillable form and submitted by email to Roger Adkins, with the subject line DDGE FINAL REPORT, by the deadline listed here.
Queries to Help You Frame Your Plan of Engagement

Queries are a traditional Quaker method for deliberating about one’s core values and commitments. The following queries are designed to guide you in reflecting upon the significance and application of global engagement as you write your introductory and concluding essays and plan your curricular and co-curricular choices.

• What do I need to know and what skills do I need to develop in order to live in a global, pluralistic world?

• What ethical and political issues do I expect to encounter in my major and my career?

• How do my coursework, off-campus study, community engagement, and internships help me to understand myself as an agent of change?

• How do my coursework, off-campus study, community engagement, and internships help me to understand and effectively address global and intercultural issues?

• Who are the constituencies I anticipate working with in my profession and what intercultural skills do I need to work with them?

• How do I ‘live into’ my commitment to diversity, global awareness, and sustainability in my everyday life and community?

Examples of Components that Could Be Included:

Coursework

• Courses that address issues of global politics, economy, natural resources, or social systems.

• Courses that address intercultural relations.

• Courses that engage diverse interpretations of religion, culture, ethics, politics or environment.

• Courses that promote understanding of global modes of expression in the arts and literature.

• Courses that offer a student an in-depth historical perspective about a particular region or people.

• Courses that are specifically designed to prepare students for, or build upon, off-campus study experiences.

Experiential Learning

• Active membership in an intercultural (global/diversity/social justice) organization, whether domestically or internationally focused, that sponsors dialogue.

• Active participation in planning or implementing an international/intercultural event.

• Participation in convocations or other community events addressing difference, such as anti-racism workshops, panels, etc.

• Community engagement with Amigos, Girls Inc., Boys and Girls Club, Townsend Center, etc., or tutoring students, for at least a semester.

• Planning of an event off-campus that addresses global or intercultural issues.

• Participation in a substantial community-engagement project.

• Gospel Revelations for at least a year.

• Leadership in a theme house that sponsors global or intercultural activities.

• Advocacy related to student political organizations on campus (e.g., divestment, labor, solidarity work, Students for a Free Tibet, etc.).

• Active participation in Earlham Student Government.

• Participation in global/intercultural organizations or activities, nationally or internationally.

• Attendance at conferences or events off-campus, nationally or internationally, that address global or intercultural issues.

• Summer projects/internships/community engagement related to global or intercultural themes (e.g., Projects for Peace, Bonner placements, Davis Prize projects, etc.).