| Abstract: |
This paper presents a rationale for establishing a global education curriculum at Ocean County College (OCC) (New Jersey) and proposes a workable curriculum, along with suggestions for implementation. The author distinguishes between multicultural and global education--both curricula address issues of cultural diversity, human rights, and prejudice reduction, but multiculturalism is primarily concerned with these issues in a single country context and global education makes cross-national comparisons. The author summarizes a number of research studies of American college students' international knowledge and provides OCC student demographic data as a means to highlight the need for global education at OCC. The author notes the challenge of increasing the perceived relevance of international knowledge among students who are primarily concerned with graduating, transferring to a four-year institution, paying tuition, and finding employment and childcare. Global issues that should be addressed through the development of a new OCC global education curriculum include human rights, world population demographics, refugees, environmental conservation, global economics, health and nutrition, and global security. According to the author, the infusion of these topics into the OCC curriculum is a timely response to the heightened global awareness that accompanied the events of international terrorism on September 11th, 2001. (Contains 10 references.) (RC) |