{"id":1118,"date":"2016-02-23T13:26:22","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T13:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/?p=1118"},"modified":"2019-11-07T09:03:58","modified_gmt":"2019-11-07T09:03:58","slug":"liberal-arts-education-to-combat-global-citizenship-and-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/2016\/02\/23\/liberal-arts-education-to-combat-global-citizenship-and-community-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberal Arts: Education to Combat Global Citizenship and Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sonipat, Haryana, 23 February, 2016:\u00a0 <\/strong>Societal-cultural uniqueness, globalization, political change, technology and economic variegation introduce \u2018difference\u2019 as a cornerstone of our \u2018civic\u2019 and multi-cultural lives. How does \u2018citizenship\u2019 then, and along with it \u2018community engagement\u2019, power the Liberal Arts as a quintessential form of education to combat today\u2019s multilayered challenges? Indeed, how does today\u2019s University establish a rewarding, ongoing, and mutually beneficial commitment with wide branches of society and the world?\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a bid to answer these questions, The Jindal School of Liberal Arts\n& Humanities (JSLH) organised a workshop on Liberal Arts, Global\nCitizenship and Community Engagement, at its Sonipat campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor (Dr.) C Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor O. P. Jindal Global\nUniversity spoke of the need to re-define liberal arts education, \u201cJindal\nSchool of Liberal Arts and Humanities is about reimagining liberal arts\nstudies. One of the important focus areas at JSLH is to understand what liberal\narts studies means for community engagement and Global citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Kumar further noted, \u201cThe workshop is an attempt to discuss\nthe methods and contents of engaging with the complex social challenges of the\nworld today. The workshop will raise questions about how each specific and\nlargely interdisciplinary wing of the liberal arts & humanities develops a\nmethod for usefully connecting, interpreting and perhaps changing the world\noutside the university, even as it forms an enriching linkage with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivering the welcome address Kathleen A. Modrowski, Dean Jindal school\nof Liberal Arts and Humanities (JSLH) spoke about redefining liberal arts at\nJindal \u201cWhile being multi-disciplinary, the school also engages with community\nservice and community building. The common question of what will you do once\nyou graduate is not applicable here. In JSLH, it is not about what you learn,\nbut how you learn it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dean Modrowski further stated, \u201cThrough JSLH, one gets to forge local,\nregional and international ties. The programme of study explores the meaning of\nbeing a global citizen, so the process of learning becomes a transformative\nprocess for everyone. The joint degree programme between Rollins College and\nJSLH is also a first of its kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Thomas Lairson, Gelbman Professor of International Business, Rollins\nCollege, Florida in his inaugural address spoke of liberal arts being just as\npragmatic as other disciplines or fields of study and pointed out that \u201cJSLH is\nabout creating international opportunities for students. This is a process of\ninteractive education which brings students different perspectives and\ninsights. Liberal arts education creates responsible leaders who understand\nfully the effects of their choices on others and can adopt a model perspective\nfor judging these consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking about the need for universities to engage with communities for\nbringing about positive change Niti Saxena, Senior Scientist – Rural Research,\nSehgal Foundation said, \u201cRelationship between civil societies and communities\nare of a transformative nature, It is also a transactional relationship. The\nUniversity through a civil society negotiates its relationship with the\ncommunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Nandita Bhatt, Program Manager, Participatory Research in Asia\n(PRIA) laid focus on giving back to society through community engagement \u201cWe\nare living in challenging times. There is widespread inequality. Higher\neducation needs to be conscious and re-define their traditional roles. Youth is\nthe primary agents of change, and must learn to give back to society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radha Mahendru, Programme Manager, Khoj International Artists\nAssociation, India shared her experiences at Khoj which is located in Khidki\nvillage and is an example of how urban space can be utilized as a tool to\nunderstand people, \u201c art is a method, a process, not just an aesthetic\nexercise. Its aim is to positively build skills that can improve the livelihood\nof marginalized people.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the transition from school to university and the tools which\nare needed to adjust to a completely different atmosphere and being in charge\nof your own decisions in the university space, Ms. Ranjoo Mann, Pro Vice\nChairperson, Delhi Public School, Sonipat said \u201cThe moment one arrives in\ncollege, there is a disenchantment at the personal, professional and social\nlevel. The student is disconcerted because time is managed by themselves,\nunlike school where everything was routine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on giving back to the community Ms. Radhika Suri, Director,\nEnvironment Education at World Wildlife Fund, India said \u201cHigher education\nshould work on sustainable development. Education should work for raising\nawareness to save wildlife and ecology. For example, work involving species\nliving in polar climates can be through involving student volunteers for\nresearch and writing.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Neel Kamal Singh, Deputy Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society spoke\nof the benefits of engaging with the Red Cross Society as volunteers, \u201cRed\nCross increases global tolerance. It believes in the principle of humanity, it\nnegates barriers like colour, creed, religion, gender to give medical aid and\nrelief. One volunteering with organizations like Red Cross gets exposed to a\ndeeper understanding of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting building bridges through inter-cultural understanding Ms.\nRidhima Chabbra, Specialist – School Relations, American Field Service, India\nsaid \u201cAFS battles intolerance by spreading knowledge of cultures, one\u2019s own and\nothers. There are student exchange programs where students are sent to other\ncities\/ countries and invited to stay with a host family and engage in\ncommunity service. This helps the students to have an understanding of\ndifferent communities, imagined or otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussing the role of the internet, social media and technology for\ncommunity engagement, Mr. Prabhat Garg, Founder, DemoKranti, noted \u201cSince the\ntraditional media is under the control of the state, social media is an\nimportant tool for dissent. Social media feeds back into mainstream media.\nInformation has been bought to the public through crowd-sourcing. Social media\nis becoming the way where one can have a collaborative government and a\nparticipatory democracy. It is promoting a 2-way governance with citizens,\nlawmakers and government bodies all having the equal chance to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a brainstorming session about liberal arts in the service of others\nMs. Vanita Shastri, Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Ashoka University\nunderscored the importance of integrating liberal arts study into the regular\ncurriculum. She pointed out the value of collaborative learning among students\nand the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event drew in practitioners from across the spectrum of Liberal Arts\n& Humanities including educationists, historians, lawyers, philosophers,\nsociologists, geographers, filmmakers, language specialists, religious and\ncultural studies scholars, environmental activists, career academics,\neconomists, litterateurs, performing artists and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sonipat, Haryana, 23 February, 2016:\u00a0 Societal-cultural uniqueness, globalization, political change, technology and economic variegation introduce \u2018difference\u2019 as a cornerstone of our \u2018civic\u2019 and multi-cultural lives. How does \u2018citizenship\u2019 then, and along with it \u2018community engagement\u2019, power the Liberal Arts as a quintessential form of education to combat today\u2019s multilayered challenges? Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsroom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1118"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions\/1319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}