Essay on Importance of Becoming a Global Citizen

In an increasingly globalized world, it is important for one to consider how best to be a global citizen, and engage effectively with the trends and developments of an interconnected world. Issues such as terrorism, transnationalism, immigration, climate change and technological disruption are fundamentally issues founded in a globalized world, and it is therefore important for individuals to understand the impact of these issues on their lives and communities. This paper will begin with making a clear distinction between “globalism” and “globalization”. The paper will then discuss the personal, academic and professional benefits of being a global citizen in the world of advanced technology, and then explain the nature of disagreement on the definition of global citizenship, before proposing a personal definition of global citizenship. The paper will then discuss environmental sustainability and social justice as key outcomes of global citizenship, and explain why these outcomes are most crucial in becoming a global citizen. Finally, the paper will discuss two personal events and two specific general education courses that influenced this student to develop a stronger sense of global citizenship.

Distinction between “Globalism” and “Globalization”

The video and article discuss the distinction between “globalism” and “globalization” in terms of their scope, definition and global impact. Globalism refers to the global network of connections across finance, while globalization refers to the integration and free flow in labor, finance and ideas that have brought the world closer. For example, the video noted that Latin’s America’s socialist revolutions have been a result of a backlash against globalization as a concept which has promoted inequality and stagnant living standards, as opposed to globalism as a basic network of labor and capital. Globalization and delocalization of manufacturing has also led to offshoring of jobs by multinational corporations, which have provoked a backlash from populist movements, rather than the globalism of manufacturing and supply chains. Furthermore, globalism and globalization differ in degree, as the globalism of labor, capital and innovation networks has been distinct from the globalized reforms linked to neoliberalisation and multinational expansion. In other words, we should consider the globalism of these networks as distinct from the positive and negative impacts of globalization-driven reforms that have concurrently brought about significant prosperity and economic volatility.

Benefits of being a global citizen

Being a global citizen in the world of advanced technology can be beneficial to one’s financial investment strategies, managerial capabilities and intellectual foundations, which can help significantly with one’s personal, academic, and professional goals. Foremost, being a global citizen allows one to identify the impacts of technological automation, pandemics and climate change on specific industries, and avoid industries such as oil and gas, travel and aviation which are set for a decline, while joining high-growth industries such as technology and e-commerce. Secondly, being a global citizen allows one, as a manager, to understand, assess and navigate developments in immigration policy, climate change and cross-border supply chain regulation to skillfully adjust the organization’s policies in areas such as human resources, finance and procurement accordingly. Thirdly, being a global citizen allows one to build strong intellectual foundations to understand how and why specific global events and developments are occurring, and to explain these developments within a global and historical context satisfactorily. Finally, being a global citizen allows one to investment financially with prudence and acumen, by identifying key growth sectors that would benefit from an increasingly globalized world.

Debates on the definition of global citizenship

Theorists have disagreed on the definition of global citizenship based on the degree of global awareness and normative environmental consciousness required, as well as the types of behaviors and characteristics exhibited by global citizens (Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013). The distinct academic perspectives and terminologies used by theorists to define global citizenship, on the basis of cultural, environmental, political and ethical concerns, have also caused theorists to be unable to agree on a common definition (Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013). Furthermore, distinct values of intergroup empathy, valuing of diversity, sustainability and a responsibility to act have been sources of discord for a common definition of global citizenship. Reysen & Katzarska-Miller (2013) thus find that two key factors, namely global awareness and the normative environment, encourage a sense of global citizenship and its associated values. Based on the definitions reviewed, global citizenship can be broadly defined as a familiarity and comfort with cultural and ethnic diversity, which is applied to contexts such as social injustice and climate change, and accompanied by attempts to integrate and acculturate into global society.

Two key outcomes of global citizenship

Two key outcomes of global citizenship and becoming a global citizen would be environmental sustainability and social justice.

Environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability refers to a general conviction in the interconnectedness between humans and their natural environment, with a sense of personal responsibility for protecting the natural environment for the benefit of future generations. Environmental sustainability is crucial in developing a sense of global citizenship because it promotes a general understanding of the deep and mutualistic relationship between human activities and the global environment. By having a sense of environmental sustainability, individuals and communities are then able to shape their consumer choices accordingly to promote the use of less carbon intensive and more emissions friendly products and services. Individuals can thus choose to reduce, reuse and recycle their products in the name of global sustainability. This then fosters a sense that one’s actions and buying decisions have impacts on the collective natural environment, and compels the individual to develop a broad awareness for the environmental impact of specific decisions across global supply chains and the global environment. This is one of the most important outcomes for global citizenship as it also fosters a deep desire to act on key global issues, and put beliefs into practice.

Social justice

Social justice refers to a belief that all humans are entitled to specific and inalienable rights, and that they deserve to be treated fairly and equitably on the basis of those rights. Social justice is a key outcome of global citizenship because it encourages the individual to think of human rights and equitable treatment of individuals across a variety of global contexts, such as marriage, healthcare and employment, and question whether these rights are applied equitably. Furthermore, as discussed by Arditi (2004) in his work on the politics of resistance, social justice inherently fosters a sense of global citizenship because of the global nature in which human rights have to be applied under ideal conditions, across supranational and transnational borders. Marriage equality in the West does not represent full social justice if it has yet to exist in the East. This encourages individuals to think beyond their specific communal contexts toward a broader view of equity in various areas globally, and encourages the individual to connect specific miscarriages of justice in the news to a broader sense of global social justice (Arditi, 2004). This is one of the most important outcomes for global citizenship as it also fosters a deep desire to act on key global issues, and put beliefs into practice.

Personal examples and global citizenship outcomes

First Personal Example on environmental sustainability

A personal example that motivated this student to think more carefully about environmental sustainability was in watching the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and then seeing the health impacts of a Superfund site near my community. The documentary demonstrated that the local air pollution in my community was a global, rather than local, issue, and required concerted and coordinated global activism to resolve the issue.

Second Personal Example on social justice

A personal example on social justice would be the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests amid the killing of George Floyd in my town’s civic center, which demonstrated how police brutality and social injustice had become national, if not global, issues. These were occurring in Hong Kong at the same time, and showed the interconnectedness of a global resistance against hegemonic authority and police brutality.

Overview of global citizenship in previous courses

The two courses previously taken that facilitated personal development as a global citizen were ‘BUS 437 Business Plan Development’ and ‘BUS 455 Internet & Social Media Marketing’, with the University of Arizona Global Campus. This is because these two courses were firmly situated in the global political, economic and legal situation. For example, specific cultural sensitivities and regional media consumption patterns had to be taken into consideration when formulating a global social media plan. Concurrently, a business plan had to take into account the patterns of globalized supply chains and transnational regulation in order to ensure a legitimate license to operate effectively in different international jurisdictions. While these courses were catered toward business considerations, the ubiquity of globalization in a business context encouraged this student to think globally about business plans and social media marketing strategies. This necessitated regular understanding, assessment and application of knowledge from the news on the evolving global business context, and thus fostered a global perspective to business that facilitated the development of a strong sense of global citizenship.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this assignment has demonstrated that globalization’s impacts and development are distinct from globalism, and that being a global citizen can help with one’s financial investment, career choice and intellectual outlook. Furthermore, this assignment has shown that a working definition of global citizenship is still subject to debate by theorists. Finally, this assignment has discussed how social justice and environmental sustainability are critical issues for global citizenship, and outlined how they can be found in personal examples and general education courses, as with other events in the course of everyday life. Globalization is here to stay, and global citizenship will thus help us to adapt effectively to its impacts.

References

Arditi, B. (2004). From globalism to globalization: the politics of resistance 1. New Political Science, 26(1), 5–22. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1080/0739314042000185102

Reysen, S., & Katzarska-Miller, I. (2013). A model of global citizenship: Antecedents and outcomes. International Journal of Psychology, 48(5), 858-870. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2012.701749

Stucke, K. (Writer). (2009). Globalization at a crossroads [Series episode]. In M. Stucke & Claudin, C. (Executive Producers), Global issues.https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?token=39350&wID=100753&plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&fWidth=660&fHeight=530