By Bradley Cornelius. In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Anne Gerritsen of the University of Warwick traces globalization to its sixteenth-century roots.
Dr. Anne Gerritsen – The Rise of Globalization
Global historians have long argued about when exactly the economic and cultural connections between disparate parts of the world increased to such an extent that one can begin to speak of ‘globalization’.  Perhaps the most persuasive arguments have been made by those who see globalization emerging in Europe around 1500. 
My research on the porcelain production centre of Jingdezhen in southern China shows it was by no means a uniquely European invention.  Around 1500, the Jingdezhen potters manufactured goods destined for consumers not only in China but throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East.  By 1520, the Portuguese, too, were able to put in orders with the Jingdezhen potters.  Foreign delegations to the Chinese court were strictly limited, and foreign merchants certainly were not allowed to enter freely, so how did sixteenth-century Chinese potters tailor their production processes to such different market demands? Read more...

By Matthew Lynch. Visit the website of your favorite college or university, find the search box, and type in the words “international programs,” “study abroad,” or something to this effect. What you will find out is that, odds are, your favorite institution has a department that serves as the international arm of the university, developing partnerships with countries and organizations around the world. They are part of one of the biggest trends to hit today’s modern university. The trend that I speak of is commonly referred to as the “globalization of higher education.”
For this installment of “Diverse Conversations,” I interviewed Dr. George B. Forsythe, president of Westminster College, concerning the “globalization of higher education.” During his presidency, this private undergraduate liberal arts college has been transformed into a global leadership community nationally ranked for its diversity. Read more...

IAU Horizons, the Association's news and information magazine is addressed primarily to IAU Member Institutions and Organizations, but is also sent to a selected audience beyond the IAU Membership such as Ministries of Higher Education, international organizations, national and regional associations of universities and others.
It Takes Two to Tango: Higher Education Institutions and the Employers (IAU Horizons Vol. 18, no.3 & Vol.19, no.1)
By Pam Fredman, IAU Vice-President and Rector University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Tomorrow’s society will be formed by the on-going globalization. There are many definitions of the word globalization, but the one given by Dr Nayef R.F. Al Rodhan and Gérard Stoudman (19 June 2006), “Globalization is a process that encompasses the cause, course, and consequences of translational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities”, is well in line with the topic of the 14th IAU General Conference, in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2012, “Higher Education and the Global Agenda: Alternative Paths to the Future”. Globalization will continue with its positive and negative consequences and the future challenges have to be met with the perspective of a sustainable development of society, encompassing environmental, economic, cultural and social aspects.
It is generally held that the development of tomorrow’s society will require large numbers of knowledgeable and engaged individuals. This need is reflected in an increase of HEIs around the world and national goals concerning HE. The attitude to and the knowledge and recognition of sustainable development perspectives carried by these students will have a great impact on our future society. That HEIs have a crucial role and responsibility in the development of a sustainable society is obvious. New knowledge has to be created and developed through disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary challenges. Global challenges like environmental destruction, economic crises, social exclusion, ageing populations and transmission of diseases all have to be approached from a range of different perspectives. This demands multidisciplinary knowledge and a holistic view that must be transferred to all parts of society through our students, the future workforce and our future leaders... Read more in IAU Horizons Vol. 18, no.3 & Vol.19, no.1.

IAU Horizons, the Association's news and information magazine is addressed primarily to IAU Member Institutions and Organizations, but is also sent to a selected audience beyond the IAU Membership such as Ministries of Higher Education, international organizations, national and regional associations of universities and others.
Higher Education and Globalisation: an Indissolubly Technical and Ethical Partnership (IAU Horizons Vol. 18, no.3 & Vol.19, no.1)
By Monique Castillo, Professor of Philosophy, Université Paris-Est Créteil, France.
First Vision of Globalisation: Multipolarity as a Division of the World
Difference encourages competition between nations and continents In a world where everyone is looking out for him or herself, students are striving for a dominant place amongst the new elites of globalization, which for them represents a mass of opportunities there for the taking; they are devoting all their energy to contributing to the new achievements of the “information age”.
Consequences for universities: No public world culture; Manipulative elites; Achievement vs. ethics.
In an international context dominated by uncertainty, we have to accept change in order to turn it into opportunity; our utmost duty is to ensure that, as humans, we mobilise ourselves to keep up with change. The type of person who establishes him or herself as an elite inspires neither confidence nor envy, especially a ‘fighter’, unafraid of compromise, with a mercenary view of the knowledge economy.
Second Vision of Globalisation: Irreversible Technological Homogenisation
The race for diplomas and patents anticipates and precipitates the advent of a mangerialised world Globalisation is seen as inevitable and irreversible cultural homogenization. Basic knowledge which lets students be part of this globalization is the sort of knowledge which needs no culture; knowledge is passed on thanks to its cultural anonymity. An exclusively utilitarian concept of knowledge leads to a generalised deculturalisation of the elite, with excellence being limited to the possession of what is known as “cognitive capitalism”, which integrates knowledge into the productive dynamic.
Consequences for universities: A public world culture founded on a general deculturalisation; Citizens of the world who have neither faith nor rules; Knowledge as cognitive technology.
Expert debates just bring together decultured individuals, with globalisation acting as a dispossessor of universal culture. The disengagement between professional success and culture favours inculture: the winners of this deculturalisation become indifferent world citizens (L’économie mondialisée, Reich).
Third vision of globalisation: the need for common cultural good
The promotion of a pluralist public culture becomes a universal goal At a time when fierce competition is dividing people, we need a public culture capable of favouring the creativity of each one of us within a climate of universal peace. Pluralism as a common good can become a universal goal, provided that we fight against both cultural homogenization and cultural tribalism (favouring one’s own culture, disdaining the other’s)... Read more in IAU Horizons Vol. 18, no.3 & Vol.19, no.1.