Teaching and Learning in the Global Era

Catalog description

We are living in an era in which economic, social, cultural, environmental and technological transformations are connecting people across the globe in new and unprecedented ways. Given that our world is increasingly interconnected, it is no longer adequate to prepare students to succeed simply as citizens of a particular nation. Students also must acquire the knowledge, skills, dispositions, understanding and aptitude to engage with people from different regions in the world who may hold varying or conflicting perspectives, forms of knowledge, and ways of knowing that are culturally and historically specific and informed. This course will focus on issues related to teaching and learning in the 21st century, and to preparing young people for global citizenship. We will consider what it means to be a global citizen as well as the various approaches to educating for global citizenship that have emerged in the U.S. and around the world. We will also explore instructional and curricular innovations that aim to enrich how young people learn about world regions and cultural traditions, engage with global issues and come to respect contrasting perspectives.