Education for world Unity

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Global interdependence is inexorably increasing in the face of population growth and ecological problems, as well as in the face of military and communication developments. In fact, over the last twenty years, such interdependence has been accelerated beyond all expectations, particularly by science and technology, business and trade, mass media and traffic.
However, the changes happened at different speeds in different areas: quickest in the field of technology and economics, slower in terms of political and legal reactions, at an even more reduced pace in respect to education and public opinion) and slowest with regard to social norms and ethnic attitudes. At the level, of anthropological behavior traits, it is difficult to detect any change at all.
Owing to these unequal developments, more and more people live in a state of uncertainly since they have to cope with considerable value clashes, with growing anonymity and incalculable complexity. The anonymity and complexity of the political sphere result, inter alia, from increasing mobility and migration (with the effect of multiculturalism), from the absorption of national specifics by transnational units (Comecon and EEC), and from the internationalization of crises (in terms of indebtedness or pollution). Since all these complicated developments demand attention but are one of reach for the individual, frustration is great.
Faced with growing conflicts that are difficult to comprehend and manage on the basis of traditional experience, learned concepts, and established institutions, people react in two different ways. On the other hand, they strongly favor international peace and global cooperation and, on the other, they search for more stable social patterns ― such as ethnic identity. At second glance, however, it becomes quite clear that both inclinations result from the same frustration and fear.
Here education is called upon to help people cope with their identity problem, so that life becomes more meaningful, and to cope with global demands, so dial: conflicts can be mastered. But the opportunities of education are generally overestimated in the face of competing socializing forces.
Education is stringly interrelated with and dependent on public opinion, which functions as a catalyst of competing political points of view, articulates the political, culture, and greatly influences the value and cultural articulates at a pre-cognitive level and in day-to-day relationships. Since public opinion simultaneously influences politics, education, and socialization iii the home as well as in the neighborhood, its impact: can hardly be overestimated with regard to ethnic and global attitudes.
Thus, in order to make education for international understanding more realistic and successful, it has been analyzed here: 1. What are the prerequisites for international understanding? In other words, which global awareness is needed to survive, to what extent do stereotypes influence politics, and which concepts were used for international education" in the past?
2. With this in mind, public opinion has been analyzed with regard to existing preconceptions, prejudices, and the abilities to evaluate global developments. Obviously, public opinion depends quite strongly on cultural traditions and national ideologies ― it is primarily concerned with national affairs and little informed regarding global dependence. Yet, the greatest problems are expected from international conflicts.
3. In the face of these socializing impacts on the young, one might expect that educational policy would try to increase the awareness of global interdependence. However, comparison of initiatives from international and national agencies shows that national education-politics is more concerned with its own ideological and political interest than with international problems. Thus, education for international peace and human rights has only limited opportunities.
4. Finally, some important points of departure for schoolteaching have been considered in order to ascertain whether school reality falls in line with educational policy, here it became evident that the young are poorly informed on international affairs, that teaching in this area starts too late, that it is too unilaterally concerned with the cognitive domain, and that the source material is still very much geared towards national affairs. On the whole, blame for the poor education of international understanding given to the young belongs to national educational, policy since it is too strongly oriented to national affairs and care too little about the socialization effects of public opinion.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Public Opinion and the Need for Global Awareness
• a. Importance of public attitudes
• b. Need of global awareness
• c. Development of global education
• 3. Public Concern for Global Affairs
• a. Prerequisites for global awareness
• b. Public concern for national affairs
• c. Public concern for international affairs
• 4. Educational Policy For International Understanding
• a. Policy of international organizations
• b. Policy of the United States as a world power
• c. Policy of Germany as an industrialized country
• 5. Education For Global Awareness
• a. Students' concern for global affairs
• b. Source material for global education
• c. Difficulties in teaching global understanding
• 6. Summary
• NOTES