Fernando M. Reimers et al.

developing the skills of a historian or an archaeologist. The discipline of his—
tory is also threaded horizontally throughout the curriculum with a focus, for
example, on historical agents of change within each topic. Each year draws
upon content that crosses and combines disciplines, which is most clearly
evident in the projects discussed in detail in the section in this paper on
pedagogy. Students are required to draw upon knowledge across disciplines
in the creation of a product such as a media presentation or a mock summit.
It would not be possible to create these projects solely within a science class
or a history class, for example, as both of those disciplines, and others, must
be brought to bear on the topic of the project. Transformative action, which
is addressed through pedagogy and curriculum, is a main focus of the World
Course. The pedagogical practices that support transformative action, such as
student choice, are discussed in detail in the section on pedagogy. However,
transformative action is also addressed within the curriculum through an
examination of others, both historical and contemporary, as agents of change
as well as through introspection and self—reflection on how each student is
also an agent of change.

In order to innovate and collaborate on a global level, young people need to
develop the skills to understand perspectives and practices other than their
own and to operate between local and global levels. Supporting students
in stepping outside of themselves and developing the ability to understand
multiple perspectives on multiple contextual levels is complex and challeng—
ing. Part of the challenge is that it requires exploration both of the self and
of others as well exploration of local and global communities. In addition
to these explorations, another part of the challenge lies in navigating the
linkages between the self and others and between the local and the global.
A third part of the challenge lies in exploring linkages over time through
historical, present, and future perspectives.

In order to be clear and accessible, global education must be tied to definable

and defensible frameworks and goals. Here, we have argued that the human—
ity we share undergirds the project of global education as a commitment to

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