Preparing Students for Global Citizenship: Role Play as a Pedagogical Tool

Abstract

Preparing students for global citizenship is a mission that requires innovative teaching and inspired learning. Instruction in political science fields such as International Relations and Comparative Politics challenges educators to identify teaching tools that awaken students to citizenship beyond their immediate borders. Identifying such tools is no simple task given the varied interests of students and their general reluctance to reach beyond their comfort zones in real life. This paper explores role play as a pedagogical tool and examines its potential for preparing parochial minded students for global citizenship. The paper reviews techniques for promoting global citizenship and illustrates how allowing students to switch citizenship roles with persons of the other world can enthuse them with global understanding and ready them for global leadership and service.

Keywords: role play, pedagogy, global citizenship, empathy, tolerance, foreign service, career options