Global Studies - History and Context

History and Context

The development of global studies in secondary and tertiary education is arguably a product of globalisation, and its consequent results on the international community. Globalisation is said to have really begun in the 15th century when European countries began colonizing to increase trade, power and status. However, it has been in the last few decades that the world has experienced an unprecedented rise in technology software quality, again enhancing the processes of globalization: “it is a shift in our very life circumstances ... the speed of change is closely allied to the growth of communication, and development in information and communication technologies have been exponential ... globalisation is a fact of life from which we cannot retreat.” - Ben Gilpin (an expert in the field). As a result of this constantly changing global community, education providers began to see a need for the introduction of global studies into secondary school curricula (i.e. introduction of global issues through already existing subjects), and to create global studies degrees for tertiary students (i.e. sole degrees with a global focus). The benefits of integrating global knowledge into education are plentiful and include cross cultural understanding, a sense of global community and the ability to critically analyse foreign affairs issues.