FOSTERING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP AND GLOBAL COMPETENCE: A NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM COMING TO TERMS WITH COSMOPOLITANISM, GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP & GLOBAL COMPETENCE Discussion Paper 1 Changes induced by new technologies, and the unprecedented mobility of Professor Zlatko Skrbiš people, goods and capital across the Professor of Sociology and globe, are creating a world that contains Vice-Provost (Graduate Education) a set of characteristics without parallel in Monash University human history. A whole new vocabulary is needed to explain this different world. August 2014 Terms such as ‘cosmopolitanism’, ‘global citizenship’ and ‘global competence’ are often used in this context to explain this new reality. Similarly, it is also often argued that the new globalised conditions require our future generations to possess different skills in order to successfully negotiate the opportunities and challenges brought about by globalisation. In this discussion paper I provide an overview of these concepts as they pertain to the higher education sector. In particular, I argue that an inclusive ethical and moral framework should be seen as the foundation for how we think of global competencies and how we operationalise them in practice. DISCUSSION PAPER 1 INTRODUCTION 3 GLOBALISATION: THE CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY 3 GLOBAL COMPETENCIES 4 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP AND COSMOPOLITANISM 5 EDUCATING FOR A COSMOPOLITAN FUTURE 7 SUMMARY 8 CRITICAL ISSUES 8 REFERENCES 9 INTRODUCTION In his 1999 BBC Reith Lecture, Giddens tells the story of his friend, presumably an anthropologist, who The world we inhabit has been profoundly examined village life in central Africa. He describes reconfigured through globalisation. To navigate how “… she paid her first visit to a remote area where this world, people need to be equipped with she was to carry out her fieldwork. The evening a new repertoire of knowledge and skills. As she got there, she was invited to a local home for educators, we are often reminded that schools, an evening’s entertainment. She expected to find colleges or universities must prepare students to out about the traditional pastimes of this isolated negotiate this new intricately interconnected community. Instead, the evening turned out to world, communicate efficiently and establish be a viewing of Basic Instinct on video. The film at productive relationships at both the local and that point hadn’t even reached the cinemas in global level. We also hear that it is important London” (Giddens 1999). This example illustrates to embed the doctrines of ‘global citizenship’ how technological advancements, in the areas and ‘global competence’ into our teaching philosophies, policies and curricula. Although of communication and mobility in particular, have this is undoubtedly right and necessary, the revolutionised people’s capacity to transcend way these concepts are used and understood the local and immediate. Not only do we have vary a great deal. television and movies, but we can also ‘Facebook’ and ‘Tweet’, ‘Snapchat’ and ‘Skype’. ‘Google’ With this discussion paper I aim to outline a has become a verb and, if you believe the Vanity DISCUSSION PAPER 1 framework that may facilitate our discussion Fair website, “Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and involving concepts such as ‘global citizenship’ new dating apps like Tinder, Grindr, and Blendr and ‘global competence’, and how they have increasingly become key players in social relate to policy and learning and teaching interactions, both online and IRL (in real life)” (Sales, agenda within the higher education sector. I 2014). The phenomenon of the ‘global village’ has begin by broadly summarising the challenges reached colossal proportions, far surpassing anything and opportunities accompanying globalisation and how these should be addressed by the Marshal McLuhan (1962, 1964), the author of this education sector. I will then clarify the terms term, might have imagined. ‘global competencies’, ‘global citizenship’ Alongside changes at the level of personal and ‘cosmopolitanism’. Finally I discuss how an and intimate experience, we are witnessing understanding of cosmopolitanism can help us the emergence of a global economy in which to orientate our students towards a more global future. geographical boundaries matter less, production is While we need to prepare our students to both survive concentrated in low-wage areas and consumption and thrive in this new era, we must also situate their operates on a planetary scale. This economy is educational experiences within an inclusive ethical and moral framework. By emphasising the cosmopolitan not only driven by the old fashioned processes of principles of responsibility, openness, commitment production and consumption, but also by relentless and compassion we will better equip our students to and algorithm-driven financial markets (e.g. Brady become effective and responsible global citizens. et al. 2007; Brady and Denniston 2006; Gomez et al. 2013). Not surprisingly, we are also witnessing Globalisation: the emergence of new challenges, which have new and planetary consequences. For instance, the Challenge & Opportunity environmental threats, global pandemics, and Although the mobility of people, goods and ideas terrorism all challenge how we view the nexus across the globe is not a new phenomenon, the between local and global issues (Beck 1992, 2006). speed and intensity at which this movement now occurs is having a profound impact upon how These new interdependencies make our lives and human beings connect and relate to each other our individual and collective fates inextricably (Beck 2000; Giddens 1990, 1999; Held et al. 1999). intertwined (Appiah 2008; Skrbiš and Woodward The phenomenon of globalisation, described by 2013). No longer are we cocooned within the social theorist Anthony Giddens (1990:64) as an confines of our local and national boundaries. “intensification of worldwide relations”, has created Instead, we are required to view everyday a degree of global interconnectedness and opportunities and challenges, such as those we interdependence that is historically unprecedented encounter in the context of education, work, and and accompanied by new paradoxes. leisure, from a more global frame of reference. 3 We ought to avoid excessively optimistic or Global competencies DISCUSSION PAPER 1 pessimistic portrayals of this globalised world and its Educational discourse is laden with implications for the future. On the positive side we assumptions that today’s students should be now have ready access to new ideas, resources and ‘globally competent’ in order to face the knowledge quite unimaginable only a couple of challenges brought about by globalisation. decades ago. Evidence of this abounds all around A simple search of the internet provides us. Even our humble daily newspaper contains more evidence that this is a topic on the agenda information than the average person a few centuries of many educational institutions (e.g. CRLT ago could access in their entire lifetime. 2014; CCSSO 2014). It is also apparent that different terminology is being applied to what Although this new world provides unprecedented is basically a similar concept. While here we opportunities, they are also accompanied by use term ‘global competence’, others may increased disruption and uncertainty across many talk about ‘intercultural competence’ (e.g. spheres of everyday life. At the personal level, Deardorff 2006, 2011), ‘cultural competence’ new patterns of production and consumption (e.g. Johnson et al. 2006) or similar terms (for have reconfigured job markets and altered what an expanded list see Fantini 2009). In some used to constitute a ‘typical’ life course trajectory. instances the concept ‘global competence’ Previously linear transitions from schooling, to full- has been imbued with different meanings, time employment and eventual retirement are now generating some ambiguity about its use. no longer taken for granted (Sennett 1998). Periods As Deardorff (2006, 2011) has noted, it is not of employment are increasingly interwoven with uncommon that some educational institutions bouts of unemployment or educational interludes. are relying on varied and unique in-house Offshoring challenges job prospects for some and interpretations and assumptions about the provides opportunities to others. In this way, new meaning of global competence. I daresay opportunities are intertwined with new risks and that participants at this forum may have a threats. German sociologist Ulrich Beck captured range of understandings of what ‘global these in his seminal text Risk Society: Towards a competence’ means, or what skills we need New Modernity (1992) in which he shows how to impart upon students in order that they advancements intended to make our lives simpler, become ‘globally competent’. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, hopefully, by the healthier and safer are also exposing us to new risks end of the symposium we will be a step closer and dangers – some of which yet to be fully realised. to a shared understanding of ‘global competence’ Globalisation presents higher education institutions and the overall framework of skills and dispositions with new and diverse challenges. It is necessary underpinning this concept. for students to develop new competencies which Over the past decade (with varying degrees of adequately equip them for life in this complex success) different authors have endeavoured to bring and rapidly changing global environment. These together what they consider to be