Abstract:

What is the role of the humanities in the global university? This question is widely debated by scholars, educators, and institutional administrators as programs of study become more specialized and industry-driven in the global university. This paper investigates the role of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in Humanities courses in supporting the develop of cultural competence in the 21st century university classroom. One of the key skill sets that universities are now charged with is developing communication and critical thinking skills that promote cultural competence in the academy and professions. While 21st century skills primarily focus on the development of technological literacy in 21st century contexts, the role of cultural competence is becoming increasingly significant in post-graduate employability skills. Among others, these skills include digital literacy, tolerance, and global awareness. With this complex context in mind, this paper argues that deploying PBL techniques in a Humanities curriculum supports the development of cultural competence skills and contributes to the larger goals of 21st century and global competence and suggests that now, more than ever, the humanities serve an important role in producing educated global citizens.

This paper utilizes a Cultural Studies methodology to consider the role of globalization in the development of Humanities curriculum. By considering Jurgen Habermas’s work on the public sphere, Jacques Derrida’s theories of constructions of hierarchy, and Stuart Hall’s deconstruction of the notion of culture, this paper underscores the significance of discourse as power in the space of an educational context. The role of the humanities becomes even more significant when designing the type of information that students receive in their studies and their participation in their own knowledge acquisition. This paper suggests that this is especially significant in the the digital post-modern space of academic discourse. Using this theoretical schema as a platform, this paper argues that PBL is significant in: developing and supporting flipped, student-centered learning spaces; creating sustainable and meaningful engagement with material and students; and underscoring relevance of learned material to career paths and emergent global networks.

The trajectory of these ideas is developed through a case study of the application of PBL techniques to an Introduction to Humanities course at DeVry University in the United States. The goal of the curriculum in this course is to translate study into action by developing opportunities for students to engage in creative practice and create networks within their own communities. The Introduction to Humanities course at DeVry covers about 3,000 years of Western Civilization Studies. The goal of deploying PBL is to not only make this vast curriculum accessible, to to create meaningful connections for students. First, this paper examines the literature of Cultural Studies theoretical methodologies that informs the curriculum design. Second, this study provides developed descriptions of course assignments and learning outcomes. Third, this study considers assessment metrics for determining the success of global competence developments through internal and external university architectures. Finally, this paper concludes with linking PBL techniques to not only global competence, but to the larger goal of life-long learning.

Keywords:

Humanities, pedagogy, project based learning.