The opportunity to work with students around the world furthers the already internationalised perspective in studying law at Kent Law School
Second year Law and English Literature LLB student Jasmine Kapoor joined the Global Campus Read with West Virginia University, USA Spring 2022. Jasmine, along with students at West Virginia University and beyond, shared a common reading experience to foster dialogue, critical thinking, and an exchange of ideas beyond their normal study community.
Throughout the academic year, students at Kent Law School are offered opportunities to participate in a variety of co-curricular virtual international learning opportunities, connecting them with students across the globe. Various initiatives introduce students to cross-cultural academic learning experiences online to complement their existing studies.
Upon completion of the experience, Jasmine successfully submitted an article for publication in the Journal of the Campus Read. (https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/jcr/)
As Jasmine explains ‘Last autumn, I had the chance to take part in the University of West Virginia’s Global Campus Read, an annual common reading experience designed to foster conversation and critical thinking. I was immediately drawn to this opportunity because of the chance to have important discussions with students worldwide about current, important topics and themes and learn together. The 21-22 selection is Francisco Cantú’s “The Line Becomes a River”.
Throughout the autumn term, I read the assigned reading and interacted with my peers online through two weekly online forums, as well as one group discussion that was required for an assessment. The asynchronous format meant that I could fit in this opportunity around my modules while meeting the set deadlines. The most beneficial part of this opportunity was that I got to learn from others and learn about different cultures and perspectives as well as learn more about the US-Mexico border.
Near the end of the course, I was made aware of an opportunity to publish an article in the University of West Virginia’s Journal of the Campus Read. For me, this was a fascinating insight into learning more about academic publications.
The article explores Cantú’s narrative and stylistic choices and how the reader engages with those. For me, these choices were something that I kept coming back to and found interesting, especially because as a joint Law and English Literature student, the way a novel is crafted is something I appreciate and analyse.
Overall, this experience helped me realise the interconnected nature of my degree and the potential it provides to give a unique perspective.’
Laura Charleton, Senior Lecturer at Kent Law School, and Director of Admissions and International encourages all law students to consider getting involved. “Over 80 students at Kent Law School have participated in a variety of virtual international opportunities this academic year, ranging from joining modules delivered by Hong Kong Baptist University to virtual exchange with law students at the University of Bordeaux. The opportunity to work with students around the world furthers the already internationalised perspective embedded in studying law at Kent Law School. I am thrilled that Jasmine enjoyed the Campus Read and extremely impressed that she managed to have her work published. This evidences a real recognition of her writing abilities.”
Global Learning Online experiences are facilitated by University of Kent Internationalisation Officer Emma Marku and Laura Charleton at Kent Law School. Current students should look out for emails advertising opportunities and more details can be found at https://www.kent.ac.uk/global/education#glo