St. Lawrence has opened Sal Cania ’07, of Hannawa Falls, NY
to a world beyond his small town. Having done some international
travel with his family, Sal was curious to learn about the world
and was drawn to St. Lawrence because of its global studies program.
Sal’s interest lies in human capacity for violence, the relationship
between violence and national identity, and the coverage of
violence in the media; he’s taken several classes on these topics.
His coursework led him to propose, and win, a University
Fellowship for summer 2006, working with his advisor
John Collins from the Global Studies department on a project entitled
“War of Words: The Post-9/11 Rhetorical Struggle between Israel
and Palestine.”
Sal is studying “the media and rhetorical tactics used by
different partisan groups as they try to characterize conflict and
violence.” Sal feels he has learned a lot working under the
guidance of a professor who knows the subject matter “inside
out.” “The best part of working with a
faculty member has been the freedom to come to my own conclusions
and share them with someone who understands what I am doing,” he
says.
Sal’s global interests have taken him to France
as part of St. Lawrence’s international programs. He got the
opportunity to learn not just about France and the French; but also
about French Canadian and Senegalese culture, as weeks were spent
in all three nations. “Abroad trips are as much about what you
learn outside of the classroom, about the country and yourself,”
he says.
Amnesty International Chapter at St. Lawrence has helped give Sal’s
academic interests meaning through its various activities. Sal
is excited about serving as Amnesty’s president his senior year, as
well as serving as the public relations director for the student government
association, and plans on gaining some work experience before
going to graduate school in the future. Sal graduated from The Clarkson
School and also attended Potsdam Central School.
