GLOBALIZATION

Globalization

Globalization

In recent years, the issue of globalization and cultural diversity on campus has become an increasingly important issue in higher education. Specifically, there is a strongly rooted belief that colleges and universities must work at preparing students for this “newly interconnected world” (Gearhart, 2009). Although globalization as an educational term is relatively new, many scholars believe that the United States needs to prepare their “citizens to participate in world affairs” (Akpan & Martin, 1996, Odell, Williams, Lawrence, Gartin, & Smith, 2002; Zhai & Scheer, 2002 in Zhai & Scheer 2004). Academic scholars are not alone on this belief, Politicians and employers find that a global perspective is increasingly more important in today's economy (Gearhart, 2009). However, many of these employers find that American students are not being well prepared to compete in this global society. According to the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education & America's Promise (2008), American employers are dissatisfied with the skills and abilities of recent college graduates, stating that an alarming 63% of graduates have the skills needed to success in the current global economy. This number is sure to increase if a course of action is not taken.

As the United States population continues to become more ethnically diverse, students will need these global perspectives in order to be able to succeed, both inside and outside of the United States. The cross- cultural skills that can be acquired from a global education will become imperative throughout the world (Gearhart, 2009). However, even with all this knowledge and consensus on the need for global education, little has been done to help fulfill this need. In order to work on creating a global education, institutions of higher learning must work incorporating a liberal education curriculum that focuses on the skills and competencies need to foster global citizenship. According to Howard Gardner (2004) schools need to help students develop the following skills: an “understanding of the global system,” the ability to think analytically and creatively, to be able to solve problems outside of their comfort area, the capacity to work with individuals from different backgrounds, knowledge of one's own culture, and fostering of identities and tolerance (Gearhart, 2009). This paper will discuss these skills and apply them to higher education in the United States.

II. Purpose of Essay and Plan

The purpose of this paper is to explore the need for globalization in higher education and to discuss ways to apply this important need to the curriculum at colleges and universities. The paper will begin with an introduction and literature review that documents the importance of globalization in higher education. The paper will then continue with an analysis of the need for global skills and discuss how this could be applied to curriculums already in place. This section will also included a brief discussion on the obstacles of integrating this to the curriculum and a discussions on the implications for the future. The paper will end with a discussion of this issue and the information presented, and a conclusion on ...