PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — Colleges around the country are increasingly adopting classes and programs into their schools that focus on opening students’ eyes to the world. Schools are offering more than just the typical types of hard sciences and more course options that students are truly interested in. As students are more connected to the world than ever before, many students have garnered increased interest in global poverty and global poverty education.
Statistics
A Pew Research Center survey has stated that 39% of millennials have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Millennials and the younger generations are more likely to be socially conscious due to having more education about global poverty topics. A Forbes survey cited that almost 80% of millennials favor companies that “care about their effect on society” and work to alleviate poverty. Millennials are more likely to care about global poverty than any preceding generation.
Point Park University
Many universities that teach about social issues have an emphasis on global poverty education either as a course alone or integrated into different courses offered to students. Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania offers majors in global cultural studies, environmental journalism, liberal studies, political science and social justice studies. Along with the majors, minors exist in world cultures and societies, community engagement and social change and women and gender studies. It is important for college students to be able to stand up for those around the world living in poverty. Students who take courses in Global Cultural Studies gain an education that will allow the students to “make meaningful contributions to both local and global communities,” according to Point Park University.
Dr. Dora Ion
Point Park Assistant Professor of Political Science Dr. Dora Ion stated in an interview with The Borgen Project that Point Park provides students with a “comprehensive understanding of the condition of poverty itself and the necessity of collective, including government efforts to eradicate poverty both nationally and globally.” Dr. Ion teaches courses ranging from Theories of Justice and Human Rights to Introduction to Government Systems and each of the courses focuses on global poverty education. Dr. Ion’s global governance course provides students with an education on different institutions designed to reduce poverty including the U.N. Development Program, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Dr. Robert Ross
Dr. Robert Ross, a Point Park Associate Professor, stated that it is important to learn “history as it is written by those on the margins.” Dr. Ross believes that there are not enough universities and opportunities that offer students the ability to take similar courses. The professor teaches both Introduction to Human Geography and Introduction to Social Justice Studies to educate students on all poverty levels.
“Watching students open their eyes to these things, take that knowledge as their own and then work to develop potential approaches to the problem is one of the greatest joys of teaching,” Dr. Ross said.
Further Statistics
The education that students receive today relates directly to their ability and desire to volunteer their time to help others in the future. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it found that the more education an individual receives the more likely that person is to volunteer throughout their lives. Among the individuals who are 25 years of age and older, 38.8% of U.S. citizens who have a bachelor’s degree or higher volunteered. This number is compared to 15.6% of people who have a high school diploma and 8.1% of people with less than a high school diploma who volunteer. The college education that students receive provides a greater sense of giving back to the community or the world.
Conclusion
People who receive a college education are more exposed to real-world situations. Students who take courses possess a wide variety of career options in the future. Students looking for jobs in this field can work as a Foreign Service Officer, media analyst, international lawyer, grant writer and international aid worker among others. Higher education students who take global poverty education in some format often are likely to care about measures to eradicate global poverty.
– Julian Smith
Photo: Wikipedia Commons