• University of Bristol

Unleash Your Potential: Global Citizenship

Get an introduction to what it means to be a global citizen and the opportunities it creates.

18,788 enrolled on this course

Unleash Your Potential: Global Citizenship

18,788 enrolled on this course

  • 4 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

Find out how to make a difference on a global scale

As our world continues to face some grand challenges, how can we act as global citizens to create a fairer society for all?

Get an introduction to what global citizenship is, and what it means to be part of a global community, with this online course from the University of Bristol.

You’ll explore approaches to globalization and citizenship, and the opportunities and challenges that a global community creates.

You’ll learn about global inequalities in healthcare, science and technology, and the tensions between local and global issues.

Finally, you’ll find out what you can do to make an impact.

Skip to 0 minutes and 12 seconds What does it mean to be a global citizen? It’s easy to think that with the growth of the internet and social media, that whether we like it or not, we have all become global citizens. But is that really the case? Doesn’t the concept of citizenship relate to our place in a local or national community? Can we extend that notion to help us to understand, our place in the wider world?

Skip to 0 minutes and 40 seconds And what about the millions of people who don’t have access to technology? Global citizenship is a notoriously difficult concept to define and therefore we have approached it through an exploration of some key questions. What makes someone a citizen? How can we care equally about those physically closest to us, as well as those on the other side of the world? Is it our similarities or our differences that define us? Can we really think local and act global? Over the course of four weeks we’ll hear from over 16 experts and explore the tensions, challenges and opportunities that come from thinking about global citizenship.

Skip to 1 minute and 23 seconds We’ll cover a range of complex and challenging topics, including religion, climate change, peace and conflict and equality, in order to help us consider what it means to be a global citizen and how you can make a difference in the world.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 Introduction: An ethic of care for the world – Hannah Arendt.

  • Citizenship: what does it entail and can it be global?
  • Equality and Difference: how should we approach global challenges?
  • Peace and Conflict: the challenges of global responses and responsibilities.

Week 2 Introduction: There’s a moment when you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up - Malala.

  • Forming Societies: questions of nations and nationalism.
  • Connected World: relationships and tensions between local, national and global interests.
  • Demographic Challenges: migration and the issues surrounding inequalities in wealth and resources.

Week 3 Introduction: It always seems impossible until it is done – Nelson Mandela.

  • Health and Well-Being: working to overcome global inequalities.
  • Technological Advances: to share or not to share?
  • Climate Change: the physical challenges of living on a changing planet.

Week 4 Introduction: A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm – Henrik Ibsen.

  • Freedom of Speech: is it a basic human right?
  • The Religious and the Secular: past, present and future.
  • Democracy and citizenship: the issues and challenges of our global age.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Develop an understanding of what global citizenship might involve through the exploration of some of the key current, multidisciplinary, global issues and concerns.
  • Engage with the cultural and political challenges that come from global interactions.
  • Explore the fundamental issues of some of the key social, cultural and economic challenges facing the world today.
  • Investigate how to get involved in practical ways at local, national and international levels in ways that aim to make a positive difference in the world.
  • Debate three different areas of specific health, scientific and technological challenge.

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at anyone interested in globalization and citizenship, but may be of particular interest to students who are looking to develop their transferable skills for the workplace and general day-to-day life.

Who will you learn with?

Senior Teaching Fellow in Digital Education
in the Faculty of Arts
at the University of Bristol

@gloriavisi (#FLculture)

I am a retired academic and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol where I worked for over 30 years. I am a potter, crocheter and recently began to learn linoprinting.

Who developed the course?

University of Bristol

University of Bristol is one of the leading institutions among the UK’s Russell Group of universities and is recognised for its research and academic excellence.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$134/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 25 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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