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Past Program

Feb 28 - Mar 07, 2013 ISP 55

Global Citizenship and Universal Human Rights (Miami Dade College)

Abstract

The Global Citizenship Program is a program offered by the Salzburg Global Seminar that provides and promotes global citizenship education in cooperation with a variety of individual and institutional partners. Global citizens are people who have developed the knowledge, skills, tools, values, and commitment to:

  • Understand the nature of globalization, including its positive and negative impacts around the world, and realize how it is transforming human society
  • Appreciate the diversity of humanity in all of its manifestations, from local to global, and interact with different groups of people to address common concerns
  • Recognize the critical global challenges that are compromising humanity's future and see how their complexity and interconnections make solutions increasingly difficult
  • Collaborate with different sets of stakeholders, by thinking globally and acting locally, to resolve these critical challenges and build a more equitably sustainable world

Broadly speaking, global citizens are consciously prepared to live and work in the complex interdependent society of the 21st century and contribute to improving the common global welfare of our planet and its inhabitants.

Session Overview

In an age of globalization which increasingly brings people in contact with other cultures as a result of changing social, political, and economic activities and technological advances, the need to understand international affairs, to recognize cultural values other than our own, and to understand world events from a variety of perspectives, has become increasingly critical. So has the need for people to think and act as global citizens in order to address some of the most pressing issues of global concern that are facing humanity in the 21st century.

The purpose of this program is to provide an intensive seven-day international experience that will allow participants to develop a better understanding of the processes and affects of globalization and to explore pressing issues of global concern from a variety of perspectives. Participants should leave with a better understanding of what it means to be a global citizen, why it is important, and how the core values of global citizenship can be incorporated into ones present and future actions. At the end of the session it is intended that participants will have the desire, ability and empowerment to envision and affect positive change on their own campuses and in their local and global communities.

Because of the importance of the United States as a global actor, the Seminar's location in the heart of Europe, and the historical circumstances under which it was founded over sixty years ago, the session will pay special attention to the political, economic and cultural history of the trans-Atlantic relationship, its future dimensions, and the impact such changes may have on the rest of the world. At the same time, mindful of increasing global interconnectedness, the session will consider issues of particular concern to regions of the developing world. In this way, the session will formally address issues related to the relationship between the historical legacy of the latter part of the 20th century, global responsibility, humanitarian intervention, social justice, and sustainable development.

Knowing that we cannot formally address all of the important issues related to global citizenship or all of the topics of particular interest and concern to those participating in the session, ample time is available during plenary discussions, informal conversations, small group work, and other formats for participants to raise, discuss, and address topics that are not formally listed in the program. The international session faculty, faculty advisors from partner institutions, and Seminar staff are available to engage in these conversations throughout the week.