Prof. Arjun Appadurai '70 spoke about the importance of globalizing American universities in order to make them part of civil society and to enhance understanding of global matters in his keynote address at a symposium held by the Office of Global Affairs last Tuesday.A Wien International Scholarship Program, Appadurai is the senior advisor for global initiatives at the New School in New York City and has written extensively on globalization. His works include Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization (1996) and Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger (2006).

The symposium was about the role of education and scholarship in an international context. The primary focus of Appadurai's keynote address was the extent to which universities have become "major actors" in the global society, acting as a " set of connected ... institutions and networks, which are dedicated to improving human life with some degree of independence from market forces."

Associate Vice President of Global Affairs Daniel Terris introduced Appadurai and cited the scholar's talk as one of the "major events of the year for [the] Office of Global Affairs."

Terris said that the expression "The Global" refers to the trends, developments and communications generated by wide-reaching issues. "'The Global' matters to Brandeis more than most places," Terris went on to say, citing the fact that a generous portion of Brandeis' faculty and student body hails from overseas. He said international research and focus on matters composing "The Global" make for a more progressive atmosphere. The digital age has made it so that research institutions and universities are globalized in order to receive the most information possible.

Appadurai said that, in the past, American universities' involvement in the global society was fairly static. Now, however, with many campuses becoming homes to grassroots movements dedicated to the exploration of human rights issues, civil war and literacy, among other topics, universities are becoming increasingly involved in the global movement for human development, he said.

As a result of this change, American universities have become hybrid institutions where the line between being inside the civil society and outside of it has become increasingly blurred, with schools acting as guardians of free speech and progressive lobbying while still being quasi-commercial enterprises dependent upon outside funding, Appadurai said.

According to Appadurai, universities are currently at a crossroads in regard to what extent they should participate in global society. During the course of his address, Appadurai discussed three possible options available to universities.

The first option is an isolationist approach in which schools would distance themselves from global conflicts. The second approach, which Appadurai said Brandeis currently practices, is a middle-of-the-road take on a University's role. Under this model, universities participate actively in the market of global ideas by recruiting staff and students from different parts of the world while enhancing the experience of undergraduates by sending them abroad.

The third approach focused on a complete revitalization of the curriculum for higher learning. Appadurai, citing the importance of global matters and their increased integration into modern research and industry, speculated about the incorporation of classes offered by professional schools, such as law schools and medical schools, into the undergraduate curriculum. For instance, the standard college requirements would include taking courses on global health and multiple classes centered on law, said Appadurai.

Closing his address, Appadurai stressed the importance of amplifying campus globalization so that students might properly experience and adapt to the shifting environment brought about by the digital revolution and the increased move from the "international to the global.