About World View

The world is much smaller than it used to be.  In this age of information technology, even exotic places thousands of miles away are only a few hours or a click away.  They can, and do, affect the way we live.  

The world's geopolitics has also been restructured with the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.  And since September 11, 2001, the way we see the world has forever changed.  The next generation's future rests heavily on its recognizing and being prepared for these challenges as well as the opportunities in a restructured, more interconnected world. 

For school and college administrators, the facts of globalism bring two major challenges. First, young people from all over the world -- Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East -- are now sitting in our classrooms.  Dozens of languages are represented in most school districts and colleges.  Helping these newcomers adjust to an American culture that is new to them and teaching them what they need to know to be responsible, productive citizens is a great challenge for educators. Second, all students need to understand their smaller world and acquire the skills and attitudes that will enable them to live and work effectively within it.  That is where World View comes in.

World View Programs

World View was established in 1998 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to help K-12 and college educators anticipate and respond to the challenges of a smaller, more interconnected world.  It collaborates with other international programs on campus, other UNC campuses and private universities, and global businesses to sponsor the following programs.

Annual Symposium for K-12 Educators.  Symposium themes are examined during presentations, classroom application sessions, and preparation of action plans for back-home application. Each Symposium explores a major topic of global significance:

• A Global World (1998)

• The New Global Order (1999)

• Immigration (2000)  

• Creating Global Schools and Colleges (2001)

• Understanding Conflict in an Era of Globalization (2002)

• Globalization: What It Means and How to Teach It (2003)

• Global Education: Infusing Global Themes into Every Classroom (2004)

• Global Science: What Every Educator Needs to Know (2005)

• Best Practices in Education from Around the World (2006)

• Best Practices in Global Education from Around the United States (2007)

Annual Symposium for Community College Educators.  In 2005 World View introduced its first annual symposium exclusively for community college educators. Prior to 2005, community college and K-12 educators alike had been meeting in one symposium (see above). Like the K-12 symposiums, this program explores major topics on globalization.

• Global Science: What Every Educator Needs to Know (2005)

• The Global Economy (2006)

• Globalization's Impact and Model Global Programs at Community Colleges in the U.S. (2007)

Seminars.  Back-to-back seminars, keyed to specific regions of the world, are offered in the spring.  Emphasis is on understanding the region's history and culture, plus practical guidance and exchange of curriculum ideas.  One seminar always focuses on Latin America and supporting our Latino students. The second seminar is on the geographic region to be visited by the summer study abroad trip. Seminar topics have included:

• September 11 and Its Aftermath

• Europe After the Fall of the Berlin Wall

• Sub-Saharan Africa

• Latin America and North Carolina

• Europe and the European Union Today and Tomorrow

• East Asia: Traditions and Transformation

• South Asia: Cultural Traditions, Contemporary Challenges (Community College Seminar)

• Contemporary Africa

Global Education Leaders' Program.  Each June educational leaders come to UNC for a week-long residential "Crash Course" on globalization. The program’s objective is to help key educators plan and implement programs and curriculum changes that will increase global awareness and understanding.

International Study Visit.  World View takes educators abroad each June for a two-week study visit.  The purpose is to widen educators’ lenses, deepen their appreciation of cultural dynamics, and expand their comfort level in cross-cultural settings.  Visits are made to classrooms and communities, and discussions are arranged with administrators, teachers, and students.  Through home stays and visits to historic and cultural sites, participants are immersed in the culture and language of the country.  World View has taken educators to Russia and Finland, South Africa and Swaziland, Guatemala and Belize, Mexico, Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary), Spain, China, and India. World View will travel to Honduras and Senegal (2008), Turkey (2009), and Brazil (2010).

Outreach

Partners.  World View has partnerships with school districts, independent and charter schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges.  Each Partner demonstrates a commitment to global education and agrees to prepare its faculty and students to live and work in a changing, globally connected world.  Part of this commitment is the Partner’s agreement to send educators to World View’s programs.  World View provides focused services and resources and reserves spaces specifically for Partners at all World View programs.  World View also produces a special summer program for its Partners.  Please contact the director if you are interested in a partnership.

Newsletter.  World View’s semiannual newsletter (ThinkGlobal) informs educators about upcoming programs and updates readers on activities, books, and websites that are valuable classroom resources.

Web Site. (www.unc.edu/world). World View’s web site provides program information, permits online registration, and has a resource section with links to important global web sites.

Online Course.   Six-week online courses immerse educators in a careful exploration of the rapid global changes in government, economics, environment, health, culture, and technology impacting their schools and colleges, their communities, our country, and the planet. Separate courses for administrators, teachers, and community colleges.

Action Plans.   World View asks participants (usually as part of a school or college team) to prepare an action plan for back-home application.  World View provides on-site and off-site technical assistance to carry out the plan.

Workshops, Visits, and Linkages. The faculty visit schools and colleges by request to speak on globalization's impact and how to include it in classroom instruction. World View also works to connect schools and colleges to other University programs and faculty working in the international arena.

Global Updates.  A monthly electronic update highlighting books, activities, and global opportunities.  

College Updates. A bi-monthly electronic update highlighting books, activities, and global opportunities for Community Colleges.

The 2007-2008 academic year will bring two fall symposium, two spring seminars, a workshop for K-12 librarians, two international study visit, and a residential program.  For more information about these events and other World View activities, please visit other areas of our website or contact our office.  To view this information in brochure format, please click here.

Robert Phay, Director
Neil Bolick, Associate Director
Julie Kinnaird, Assistant Director for Outreach
Regina Higgins, Assistant Director for Curriculum
Lauren Feng, Program Manager
Carina Brossy, Assistant Program Manager
Vacant, Program Associate