by Ryan Yang ‘19
The latest addition to St. Mark’s diverse course offerings, Advanced Global Citizenship, is the talk of the town around campus. Led by the director of Global Citizenship Dr. Warren, the course seeks to equip students with knowledge of global issues challenging humankind in the 21st century, as well as helping students gain a comprehensive understanding of the forces at play in the world today.
With the small class setting and the personalized learning experience that the course provides, students report that they have not only been able learn more about the world but also about the roles they play in the ever-changing world. According to VI former Ryan Yang, “the class has been an eventful and enriching learning experience ever since our first day. Even in the short time we have had in class so far, the readings and discussions have provided me with a new perspective on the world.”
This sentiment is echoed by VI Formers Leo Xie and Aidan White, who commented respectively: “I like how we are learning about different countries and cultures” and “I love the focus on anthropology and how the material helps facilitate better discussions.” Some examples of students’ learning experiences include: a thought-provoking project tasking students to consider specific ethnic minority groups around the world and an analysis of concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism in a myriad of different readings. Students are also looking forward to the final project, where they will identify a global challenge faced by the world today and construct a feasible solution to that issue.
The addition of Advanced Studies in Global Citizenship comes as no surprise given St. Mark’s commitment to Global Citizenship. As Dr. Warren put it: “The school’s emphasis on global citizenship is in alignment with our mission. The value of leadership, service, creativity, critical thinking, cooperation and the exploration of the larger world, which is reflected in our mission statement, is also reflected in what it means to be a global citizen.” With an increase in the number of Global Citizenship academic and extracurricular offerings, we look forward to how these classes and travel opportunities will inspire St. Marks students to better themselves as global citizens and lead lives of consequence.