Globally Competent at NAU?
Many college students aren’t aware of international news happenings around the world. Why is this, and how does NAU fare?
Greece’s Bankruptcy, the Charlie Hedbo Shooting and the ISIS killings are just some of the national news topics that have been floating around in the New York Times for the past couple of months.
While many working adults understand these topics stated above, when it comes to college students across the nation, how well would they fare if they were tested on such international topics?
The Pew Research Center is an American think tank located in Washington D.C that provides different info graphs, as well as quizzes on a variety of topics.
Recently, PEW put out a quiz on, “How well do you know the news,” and not only US news, but international news as well.
(Take picture of Union) In the University Union at Northern Arizona University, a study was conducted with ten random students, seeing if they knew / could expand on any of the topics above in the lead paragraph.
Seven out of ten students had no idea what is going on with Greece. Nine out of ten students had no idea what Charlie Hedbo even meant, while all students knew what the ISIS killings were. Even with one topic at 100%, if these questions were on a test, the ten students scored a 46% cumalative.
(Add created infograph showing stats)
Joshua Wells, a Masters candidate for Sociology at NAU elaborated on why he only knew one out of the three topics right.
“I’m not going to lie, I don’t pay attention to the news,” laughed Wells. “My time is devoted to my graduate classes. That’s my news, my girlfriend and my best friend.”
Kyrell Wright, a senior majoring in Biomedical Sciences, who knew all three topics, believes international news is a prevalent subject that everyone should have a grasp on.
“If we don’t know what’s going on in the world, then how do we expect to succeed,” quipped Wright. “Being able to talk to someone about anything that’s going on in the world should be required.”
Being that there is such a stark contrast between those who know about International news and those who don’t, Daniel Palm, Director for Asian Academic Engagement here on campus, elaborated on why he believes students lack the knowledge.
“First and foremost, lack of exposure, they simply do not come in frequent contact with international related events or people,” stated Palm. “Learning a perspective held by others can be uncomfortable as it forces one to challenge their own preconceived ideas. Feeling uncomfortable can be a learning barrier and leads to complacency.”
With this in mind, there are a variety of ways to engage student academically that will allow them to better understand international issues and become more globally competent citizens.
Students need to be exposed to international ideas and issues both inside and outside the classroom. Second, in order to effectively create a campus environment that provides this international exposure to students, there must be a continued commitment from the highest levels of the university.
Faculty and administrators must model international competencies through engaging internationally and bringing these understandings to bear both inside the classrooms and through the interactions they have with fellow colleagues and students.
Being Globally Competent is not just a phrase one can use to feel “cultured”, being globally competent is hard work, it requires action and a desire to seek out an understanding of issues that goes beyond ones national borders.
If more students on campus become globally competent, we will be creating an enviornment on campus that is not only more beneficial to us, but for future generations to come.
