I don’t know about you, but in the last six months there has been a feeling of shifting in the world. Now maybe that is the collapsing global economy, continued wars in Central Asia, and the looming question of how the United States participates in the world community. Of course part of that is the new administration and Congress, but still the world looks different. The last school year saw a continued movement towards a mainstream embrace of international education.
If you agree with the statement above, and want to start to add some more international issues into your classroom, where do you begin? I would recommend CNN on Sunday morning. GPS or the Global Public Square the “talking heads” show for the international set. Hosted by Fareed Zakaria, journalist jack- of-all-trades, the show welcomes the worlds great thinkers and politicians to discuss not just the recent events of the past week but to also provide sound opinion on what the future will hold. The most recent episode included an interview of with the president of Rwanda, and a discussion on the recent increase in violence in Afghanistan. Past shows have included round table discussion with economists from around the world, in-depth discussions with the presidential candidates about America’s role in the world, and comments from leading pundits.
GPS is only a 30 minute program, you and your students will be amazed at how much ground is covered so quickly. The shortened program is also ideal for use in the classroom. For those students in your classes that may want to dig deeper provide them with a copy of the GPS Required Reading list.
In our world of multimedia you don’t have to assign weekend homework, simply ask your students to watch the show on-line or download the weekly podcast version:
