A Global Classroom for International Sustainability Education

Arnim Wiek, Michael J. Bernstein, Manfred Laubichler, Guido Caniglia, Ben Minteer, Daniel J. Lang

Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research, Faculty Sustainability, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany.
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA.
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, USA Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, USA.
School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2013.44A004                

Abstract

Sustainability studies put emphasis on social-environmental-technical problems with local manifestations and global impacts. This makes especially poignant the need for educational experiences in which students confront the challenges of crossing cultural, national, and geographical boundaries in a globalized world and understand the historical, epistemological and ethical underpinnings of these diverse cultural conditions. The success criteria to evaluate the educational experiences demanded by the globalization of education, however, are yet to be specified and used in novel educational opportunities. A brief review of international sustainability education options currently available to students reveals a gap between the knowledge students may need to succeed in a globalized world and the opportunities available. Into this landscape, we introduce The Global Classroom, an international collaboration between Leuphana University of Lüneburg in Germany and Arizona State University in the US. The project strives for an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach to equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to take on sustainability challenges in international settings. We discuss the structure and organization of the Global Classroom model and share preliminary experiences. The article concludes with a reflection on institutional structures conducive to providing students with the international learning opportunities they may need to tackle sustainability problems in a globalized world.

Keywords

Sustainability Education; International Education; Project- and Problem-Based Learning; Interdisciplinary Education

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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