Thinking about Global Citizenship
In 2008 SMC's original Global Citizenship Task Force decided to craft a working definition of the concept of Global Citizenship for the college. That first definition was not intended to be the final word on the subject. In April 2018 the definition was re-examined and a new definition was created.
To be a global citizen, one is knowledgeable of peoples, customs and cultures in regions of the world beyond one's own; understands the interdependence that holds both promise and peril for the future of the global community; and is committed to combining one's learning with a dedication to foster a livable, sustainable world.
Global Citizenship has grown and is expressed in many ways across the campus including being incorporated into the college's Vision, Mission, and Goals, but none of these statements are intended to be the final word on the subject. Indeed, global citizenship for SMC is as much about the perpetual discussion of what it means to be part of the global community of human and other beings on Planet Earth as it is adherence to any set of presumably timeless values.
The following is a short list of key resources that might inform our evolving understanding of global citizenship. Rather than comprehensive, the list below is intended to just be a start. Thus, we welcome suggestions of additional resources from a wide range of historical, geographic, and ideological perspectives.
Email your ideas to Delphine Broccard, Chair of the Global Citizenship Committee.
Landmark Documents
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Magna Carta (England, 1215)
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The Declaration of Independence (U.S.) (Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress, 1776)
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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (National Assembly of France, 1789)
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The Rights of Man (Thomas Paine, 1791-92)
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948)
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EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (European Union, 2000)
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The Earth Charter (Earth Charter Commission, 2000)
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Charter 08 (China) (Liu Xiaobo et al., 2008)
Additional Resources
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Taso G. Lagos, Global Citizenship--Towards a Definition, from the Global Citizenship Project of the University of Washington's Center for Communication and Civic Engagement