Daniel Morales MA Transnational Studies, 2013

University Lecturer in Mexico

Hi, I'm Daniel Morales and I studied MA Transnational Studies within Modern Languages at the University of Southampton.

For years I had been looking for a challenging postgraduate programme that could help me develop and discover new ways of exploring subjects of global relevance, and the MA in Transnational Studies has been the vehicle through which I have brought my academic plans to fruition. Before I came to live and study in Southampton, I had spent some time in South Africa and had done a Fulbright-Teacher Exchange Programme in the United States where I discovered the challenges of living and working abroad. As an international full-time student I anticipated many challenges such as culture shock or homesickness; yet I found it very easy to become a part of the international student community in Southampton.

Currently I teach Sociolinguistics in a public university in Mexico where there is a pressing need to implement a new focus on the study of society, language and migration given that my home country historically has been culturally and linguistically diverse and more recently has seen a number of phenomena such as return migration and the influx of people from different countries. Hence my job requires the creation of new forums for academic discussions, which are to be extrapolated to socially relevant situations in order to contribute to further understanding in a place where the social fabric and linguistic needs are constantly evolving. In my current job position I have the opportunity to work with university students and academics from different disciplines such as Anthropology, Sociology, and Linguistics and I have found the experience very enriching.

 

My advice to new students

I highly encourage every new student at the University of Southampton to benefit from their lecturers´ expertise which eventually will be of great benefit for their future careers. It is important for students to know their lecturers´ work and the research that they undertake as students will realise that they are under the tutelage of leading academics that at all times will demand the best of their students. Also new students should try to get involved in the various student societies from which students can get a significant experience for future job projects not only locally but internationally.