Global citizenship is embraced as an essential competence for the practice of medicine in the 21st century
The asynchronous online course Training for Global Citizenship, developed within the BeGlobal project, co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme and hosted on the Université Côte d’Azur (France) platform, is now officially part of the first-semester contents at the School of Medicine of Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas.
This is a 16-hour training programme structured around four modules: Responsible Global Citizen, Globally Competent Local Community, Global Citizens for Sustainable Hope, and BeGlobal Trainers’ Handbook.
Institutional support: a strategic decision
The integration of the course into the syllabus of Language, Grammar and Writing 1 was made possible thanks to the firm support of the Dean’s Office of the School of Medicine, which recognised in BeGlobal a tool aligned with the institution’s humanistic mission and with its historic commitment to training doctors who serve the most vulnerable communities. This is no minor decision: it means embracing global citizenship as an essential competence of contemporary medical practice, on a par with clinical and communication skills.
Benefits for students
Students enrolled in this course develop key transversal competences for the responsible practice of medicine in diverse contexts: intercultural communication, ethical thinking, sustainability, interprofessional cooperation and community engagement. The training also introduces them to the language of the Sustainable Development Goals and invites them to imagine sustainable futures grounded in hope and creativity. Upon completion, they earn digital badges (badges) that certify their competences and are visible online, enhancing their professional profile before employers and international academic networks.
Next steps: scaling the model across the institution
The pilot experience in Medicine paves the way for a greater ambition. With the cooperation of the Global Department of Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas, the model is expected to expand to the Schools of Nursing, Education and Music, so that global citizenship becomes a cross-cutting axis of the institution’s educational project. The goal is clear: that no student at Juan N. Corpas completes their training without having experienced a meaningful global learning journey.
An open invitation
The course is available on the BeGlobal project website (enrol here: https://opencourses.univ-cotedazur.fr/login/index.php) for teachers, students and institutions interested in joining this commitment to a higher education connected with the challenges of our time.
By: Ivonne Buitrago Gutiérrez.
