Effects of an undergraduate honors course on awareness of global justice

Ingrid W. Schutte, Elanor Kamans, Marca Wolfensberger, Wiel Veugelers

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Abstract

How can undergraduate students be prepared for global citizenship? This question was investigated in a mixed-methods case study of an international, blended one-semester course. Undergraduate honors students (N = 22) from the USA and the Netherlands collaborated to explore what it means to be a member of the global community. Curriculum guidelines from the social justice oriented education for global citizenship were used to analyze the course’s program and focus the case study. The research questions were as follows: 1. How did the course relate to the curriculum guidelines? 2. What and how did students learn from the course? Analyses of the program showed that the course partly reflects the social justice oriented global citizenship education, in particular by addressing intercultural sensitivity and experiential learning. Quantitative measures in a pre-post design with control groups (N = 40) showed some growth in ethical sensitivity and social awareness. Qualitative measures indicated that participants developed a broader view on society and demonstrated a more open and active attitude towards others after the course. Experiential learning was considered a powerful aspect of the pedagogical approach. The results are discussed in relation to a developmental process whereby students gain awareness of global justice issues. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages19
JournalEducation Sciences
Volume8
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • honors students
  • honors education
  • cosmopolitanism

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