Global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity are broad and diluted words on the Elon University campus. Elon’s goal of teaching students how to broaden their horizons is admirable, but current university practices are leaving students without vital background knowledge as to why these concepts are important.
In recent years, Elon has placed a heavy emphasis on promoting these three main institutional concepts. These ideas can be seen prevalently throughout events held at Elon each year. The university brings in a wide range of speakers from all paths of life and holds cultural events pertaining to these ideas.
Elon must recognize that its role in developing engaged citizens extends past simply hosting cultural events. There must be a deeper component to put the importance of panel discussions, dance shows and speakers in a global context.
This context will shed light on why Elon promotes global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity instead of telling students how to embody these broad concepts.
During the month of January, the university held seven official diversity themed events that intended to promote its core institutional concepts. The majority of diversity and global events held on campus are speakers. These lecture style events have become lackluster in recent years. The unvaried diet of diversity that Elon feeds to its students appears to assume that simply attending these speeches will transform students into a more globally-engaged citizens. This is a lazy approach to reinforcing concepts that the university promotes ardently.
All Elon students take “The Global Experience” during their first year at Elon. This course is an attempt by the university to teach its students the value of understanding the world around them. According to one “Global” class syllabus, the goal of the course is “to broaden and heighten your understanding of the world around you.” Despite this worldly goal, these courses are not effective in inspiring students to explore the world around them.
Although every student has taken this course, there is a drastic lack of uniformity in how these courses are taught. This lack of consistency divides the student body. Some students are left with a more enlightened view of the world around them while others walk away from the course with no further appreciation of the global outlook than they had when they entered the university.
To provide its students with a firmer understanding of global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity, Elon should make an attempt to create a homogenous “Global” course. This course would discuss the three concepts of civic engagement, global citizenship and diversity and provide background information as to why the university promotes these concepts.
Although this would not guarantee that all students would progress to become civically engaged global citizens, it would provide every student with the same platform from which to grow.
Elon spares no expense teaching its students about how to live life as globally aware and engaged citizens but does little to provide the reasons why these concepts are so important. Simply bringing in speakers and teaching a one-semester course does not do enough to train students to appreciate living in a more culturally aware world.
The concepts a university chooses to promote and project onto its student body are important. They should be valued in the classroom as well as around the campus. Without Elon professors providing uniformed and detailed explanations about the importance of these pillars, students are missing out on a key piece of the Elon Experience.
Creating a more culturally aware and engaged student body is a timely and modern goal for Elon to have. The university has taken great strides in striving to educate its students about the world around them but there is still work to be done.
The current practices in place do not inspire students to re-envision their outlook on the world around them. The university must take the time to teach its students about the importance of embodying the concepts of global citizenship, civic engagement and diversity if it wants to create a more culturally aware generation.