In February 2002, the Center for International Studies and the Office of Undergraduate Studies successfully applied for a grant awarded by the Association of American Colleges and Universities entitled "Liberal Education and Global Citizenship: The Arts of Democracy." The national initiative is a curriculum and faculty development project supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education. In addition to UD, institutions chosen to participate are Albany (Ga.) State University, the American University of Paris, Beloit (Wis.) College, City University of New York-Brooklyn College, Heritage College of Toppenish, Wash., John Carroll University of Cleveland, Pacific Lutheran University of Tacoma, Wash., Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The UD project calls for implementation of global citizenship education through a multiyear threaded curriculum that will integrate courses, international discovery and service learning opportunities, technology, general education and major study. UD students will ultimately be able to accumulate credit toward a global citizenship certificate at graduation, and select one of three global citizenship tracks:
- "Enacting Democracy," which will focus on the challenges facing the establishment, evolution and operation of democratic forms of governance;
- "Global Community," which will focus on similarities and differences across communities and highlight local and individual issues and community responses;
- "Transnational Issues," which will focus on the transnational forces that shape global actions, such as technology, environmental degradation, population growth and migration, the arms trade, and international human rights standards.
The three-year project will support faculty and administrative teams with a series of activities: a four-day faculty institute, an online faculty development seminar, grant funds to support campus-based faculty development activities and working forums at AAC&U's regional and annual meetings.
For more information, contact Lesa Griffiths or Sean Cox at the Center for International Studies (831-2852) or John Courtright at the Office of Undergraduate Studies (831-3330)
