What Do We Ask of Global Citizenship Education? A Study of Global Citizenship Education in a Canadian University

Abstract

This article presents findings from a study of a Canadian university that has named 'global citizenship' as a key educational goal. Drawing on theories of globalization, deliberative democracy, and deliberative processes including discursive closure, this study examines the multiple demands made of 'global citizenship' in higher education and the subsequent educational projects that are designed to meet this educational goal. The research questioned whether discursive closure was being engaged to limit 'global citizenship' to a modernity project where, as the literature suggested, (neo) liberalism and universalism ultimately served to make the world the un-gated playground of the elite where they might work, play, and consume without national or local political and cultural restrictions. In contrast, we wondered whether these policy openings might also be reflections of shifts in practices toward justice, equity, and inclusion with considerations of the historical and cultural histories and legacies of international relations of colonialism and imperialism. Using deliberative dialogue as a data collection method, the researchers were able to surface educators' multiple understandings of global citizenship as well as possible discursive closure and/or emerging social justice in the courses, projects, and policies of this institution.