IN THE MIDST OF AN INTERNATIONAL CRISIS, USF STUDENTS FORM CULTURAL BONDS WITH PEERS IN MOLDOVA

Matthew Cimitile

For nearly a year, USF Political Science Professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan worked with international colleagues to plan a unique global classroom experience. Students in her constitutional law class would collaborate with law students in Moldova on research that compared and contrasted civil liberty decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

The first joint meeting with students from the Universitatea Libera Internationala din Moldova (ULIM), or the Free International University of Moldova, was to take place in late February. On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, which borders Moldova.

The international conflict completely altered the context of the collaboration and put in doubt whether it would continue. But McLauchlan, who was a Fulbright Scholar in Moldova in 2010 and 2012, and her colleagues more than 5,700 miles away, believed that by continuing, it would provide invaluable educational opportunities and benefits for everyone involved. So even with war and a looming international humanitarian crisis, law students from Moldova continued their work with USF St. Petersburg campus students in an effort to learn while forming cultural bonds during a time of chaos.

“I believe this project gave students at ULIM some sense of normalcy and that we were a source of support and solidarity during these tremendously challenging times,” McLauchlan said. “Despite having a war at your doorstep and massive amounts of refugees coming into the country, it was heartwarming to see the Moldovan students’ response and how our USF students connected with them.”

Students in the two countries met regularly for virtual discussions on the similarities and differences of constitutional law in the United States and Europe. They also worked together in smaller research groups using Facebook Messenger, Whats App and Google Docs to develop research papers and posters on specific issues, from the right to a fair trial to the freedom of assembly and speech. All the while, the backdrop of war posed significant challenges for the global classroom.

Despite having a war at your doorstep and massive amounts of refugees coming into the country, it was heartwarming to see the Moldovan students’ response and how our USF students connected with them.

“For our research partners in Moldova, missile strikes are heard in the distance. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the war in Ukraine and crossing Moldova’s borders. Russian strikes against nuclear plants instill fear of nuclear contamination that will spread to Moldova (and throughout Europe),” McLauchlan wrote on a blog post for the class back in March.

Despite these challenges, the global research partnership sustained throughout the spring semester because of the perseverance of the students and faculty in Moldova.

“This was a valuable opportunity for me because I had the chance and possibility to see and hear from other points of view, forming relationships and keeping in touch with others in a different country,” said Natalia Bodiul, a third-year law student in Moldova, who hosted several refugees from Ukraine in her home. “We have different experiences and sources of information, but we can share and through that improve ourselves.”

Out of this collaboration, students and professors from Moldova and USF presented their research on human rights as well as how to develop global classrooms at the Florida Political Science Association Meeting, virtual symposiums hosted by ULIM and the U.S. Embassy America House in Moldova, and during the USF St. Petersburg campus Undergraduate Research Conference. McLauchlan, who was recognized by USF World with a Global Excellence Award for being an early adopter of virtual global exchange, is currently working on a journal article with Larisa Patlis, senior lecturer in international relations at ULIM, about the impact of global classroom projects on the development of students’ understanding of global issues.

Beyond the classroom discussions and research, students said the most valuable lesson learned from this experience was forming bonds with others from a different culture at a historic time.

“This experience has been valuable to work with others our own age and who have similar interests on the other side of the globe,” said Taylor Herman, a political science major at USF. “It has also been inspiring to work with and see how they have dealt with the conflict happening so geographically close to them, getting to know these students and forming connections even with the differences in culture and circumstances.”

The experience has also confirmed that even in the darkest of times, especially during those times, the value of education.

USF St. Petersburg and Universitatea Libera Internationala din Moldova spring 2022 research collaboration logo.