Faculty Inquiry Groups - Civic and Global Engagement

The complexities of globalization emphasize the need to balance core academic competencies (associated with a General Education curriculum) with innovative and participatory forms of co-curricular activity. As faculty members of a community college in one of the largest public university systems in the country, we have the double mandate of preparing our students for meaningful civic engagement as a global ethic while developing their learning processes in a locally integrated, supportive fashion. But we must first ask some key questions about what we mean by terms such as civic responsibility, defined beyond the individual or national borders that have so often restricted it in the past. While current models of interdisciplinary curricula and learning communities are vital ways for our students to grasp their world and demonstrate material progress, we must seek further ways in which faculty can play a truly innovative role in developing curricular content and co-curricular experiences, sharing the risks and benefits of both with our students. For more information or to join this group, please contact Eben at eben.wood@kbcc.cuny.edu. Our work can be seen on our wiki.