Implementing global issues can start with the suggestion that discovering the causes of global problems and their solutions is one of the issues that binds all cultures together. Joining new global issues to existing intercultural topics introduces the former gently yet effectively. Although I always include intercultural communication, I leave the remaining content up to the students. To help students become lifelong proactive thinkers, I strive to center students. The truism about today's youth becoming tomorrow's leaders demands success from global issues educators.
Students choose their content with great care and consideration.
Besides the choice of which global issues to cover, other decisions are also best left to learners. My students create a foundation that covers the basic issues of how the course will be run. Students often plan to reject tests, research a small number of global topics deeply, and decide their final grade themselves. With students making such plans independently, they discover the intrinsic importance of human rights or environmental issues they choose to study. Another way to be sure of the quality of their course is through various forms of continual feedback.