students are grappling with the reality of becoming global citizens by way of a unique initiative called the Global Classroom, where they engage with their peers from around the world in a rich melting pot of cultures, languages, disciplines and viewpoints. yesterday Global Citizen holds graduation for 15 student in Parktown where 15students get thier certificates from NIGERIA SA AND KENYA NAIROBI
UP’s Global Online Teaching and Learning initiative consists of more than 35 online teaching and learning projects that cuts across disciplines, from architecture and occupational therapy to marketing management and political science.
The projects are spread across at least 30 countries, from Austria and Australia to Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, France, India, Kuwait, the UK and the US.
One such project is the Global Classroom for UP Political Sciences honours students, which has been running since 2018 and is a four-way collaboration among UP, the University of Akron in the US, Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado in Brazil and Le Mans University in France. Students are able to engage, share and collaborate online – not necessarily in the same language or from the same point of view.
“The project is a vista into other ways of thinking and other perspectives, not from lecturers but from their peers,” says Dr Heather Thuynsma, a lecturer in UP’s Department of Political Sciences, who started the Global Classroom project almost five years ago with fellow Political Sciences lecturer Roland Henwood.
The results of this kind of virtual cross-border interaction can be eye-opening.
South African Political Sciences students are often surprised to discover that while climate change might be low on their list of priorities, it is right at the top for students in France, Brazil and the US.
“Climate change is a big issue in these countries, but not really for South Africans,” Dr Thuynsma says.
Similarly, students from different countries attach completely different meanings to identity.
While identity and race tend to be seen as synonymous in South Africa, American students associate identity with patriotism; the French are seemingly “colour blind”; and Brazilians are Brazilians, first and foremost.
These different perspectives can lead to some heated debate, with some South African students taking offence at French students’ apparent lack of understanding of race-based identity, and American students objecting to the South African viewpoint.