Course Template

Courses satisfying this requirement will focus attention on the student’s civic role and place in the world and the dynamic interaction between locale (place and people) and global processes (international and transnational). In order for UK students to be prepared for careers in a globalized world, they must understand and appreciate global cultural diversity and the impacts of globalization processes. This new knowledge and attitude will also lead to the student’s heightened awareness of her/his own culture and society.

Issues like, but not limited to, environmental concerns (e.g., climate change, soil depletion, transboundary pollution), the built environment (e.g., architecture, urban planning, sustainable design), public health (e.g., sanitation, local-global disease transfer, nuclear and coal-fired energy risks), political and socio-economic structures and policies (e.g., social and political processes; diverse public policies; and social and governmental regulations) and the interaction of world cultures (including music, art, religions, literature and folklore) are among the topics that may be explored in the many possible courses fulfilling this part of the general education curricular framework.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a grasp of the origins and shaping influence of human diversity and issues of equality in this world.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the civic, and other, complexities and responsibilities of actively participating in a diverse, multiethnic, multilingual world community.
3. Demonstrate an awareness of how individual and collective decision making and civic responsibilities often generate ethical dilemmas, conflicts, and trade-offs that must be thoughtfully evaluated, weighed, and resolved.
4. Demonstrate an awareness of major elements of at least one non-US culture or society, and its relationship to the 21^st century context. However, this does not preclude a studied examination of the historical evolution of such issues, or an emphasis upon one prominent time period.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of how local features (economic, cultural, social, political and religious) of urban or rural communities, ethnicities, nations and regions are often linked to global trends, tendencies, and characteristics that often mutually shape one another.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of at least two of the following, as they pertain to the subject matter of the course: a) Societal, cultural, and institutional change over time; b) Civic engagement; c) Cross-national and/or comparative issues; d) Power and resistance

Guidelines for Course Designers:

1. Students will complete a project accounting for at least 15% of the course grade that explores a significant issue or problem from a global perspective.
2. The non-US focus must constitute at least 50% of the course.