What better way to start the new year than by granting yourself access to information. By learning new topics and increasing your knowledge, you can expand your global awareness. What exactly is global awareness? It seems to be one of those terms for which everyone thinks they know what it means, but when asked to explain the meaning, they struggle. It is about more than being well-traveled, knowing your geography or speaking a foreign language. It’s about opening up to other people and the cultures they have grown from. It’s about learning about these cultures and foreign values which will, in time, enable you to look past them. But it is also about the responsibility you have towards people as a whole.

In today’s globalizing world, boundaries and borders are fading. The internet connects people from all parts of the world. Not just in terms of social connections, but also informative and consumer connections. People used to buy an apple on the local market from a local farmer, that same apple might now come from an American company, based in China, flown to you by a French airline and sold by a Dutch supermarket. More global connections are made and the world is, figuratively speaking, becoming smaller.

The choices you make as an individual create a rippling effect, impacting the lives of others across the globe. Many of today’s local problems are actually resulting in global issues. Hence the importance of global awareness. So why not start off the year by giving yourself some extra know-how with one of these Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for Global Citizens.

There are many courses available. These are just a few of our favorites. Just click the titles for more information or do your own search on FutureLearn, Coursera or Edx.

Environmental Humanities: Remaking Nature

This course, as offered by the University of New South Wales in Australia, examines the complex relationship between humans and the environment. By combining inputs from philosophers, historians, anthropologists, writers & scientists, the course attempts to look at environmental issues from a 360 degree perspective.

• Start: 11th of January
• Free online course
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Approximately 3 hours per week
• Certificate available
• Offered by: FutureLearn
• University: UNSW Australia

Smart Cities

By 2050 two-third of the world’s population will live in cities. Urbanization can stretch the world’s resources by putting pressure on water and energy supplies. Not to mention the increase of slums around the world. This course teaches you how cities can contribute to sustainable growth rather than harming it. By using technology to tackle these local and global challenges.

• Start: 18th of January
• Free online course
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Approximately 3 hours per week
• Certificate available
• Offered by: FutureLearn
• University: The Open University

Africa: Sustainable Development for All?

This course explores the reasons why some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are progressing while others are not. By assesing the progress made The assessment of the progress made while working towards the UN Millennium Development Goals provides information on future developments. A great course for anybody with an interest in development, human rights and humanity.

• Start: 25th of January
• Free online course
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Approximately 3 hours per week
• Certificate available
• Offered by: FutureLearn
• University: University of Aberdeen

The Global Financial Crisis

This course covers the several causes, events, policy responses, and aftermath of the recent global financial crisis.

• Start: 4th of January
• Free online course
• Duration: 11 weeks
• Approximately 4/6 hours per week
• Certificate available ($45)
• Offered by: Coursera
• University: Yale

International Law in Action: A Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague

This course explores the role of the international courts in their pursuits to contribute to global justice. For everyone who is interested in international law, international tribunals and the relationship between law & politics, this course could be very interesting.

• Start: 18th of January
• Free online course
• Available in English & French
• Certificate available ($45)
• Offered by: Coursera
• University: University of Leiden
• Duration: yet unknown

Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice

Terrorism and Counterterrorism provides an inside on the concept of terrorism and the countering techniques available. Although terrorism can be a local issue, it manages to have a global impact. This course reflects on those global effects of terrorism and critically discusses the myths surrounding this phenomena.

• Start: 11th of January
• Free online course
• Duration: 9 weeks
• Approximately 5/8 hours per week
• Certificate available ($45)
• Offered by: Coursera
• University: University of Leiden

International Business I

The university of New Mexico provides a thorough view on the global business environment by discussing the socioeconomic, political, cultural and linguistic environment of today’s international business landscape. The focus on the effects of culture on globalization provides students with a better understanding of the environments in which businesses operate.

• Start: 8th of January
• Free online course
• Certificate available ($45)
• Offered by: Coursera
• University: University of New Mexico
• Duration: yet unknown

Moral Foundations of Politics

This course explores the main answers given to the following question: when do governments deserve our allegiance, and when should they be denied it? It does so by covering the political theories of the Enlightenment, such as Marxism, the Anti-Enlightenment and the nature and justification for democratic politics.

• Start: self-paced
• Free online course
• Certificate available ($45)
• Offered by: Coursera
• University: Yale
• Duration: 8 weeks
• Approximately 12/15 hours per week

Anthropology of Current World Issues

By giving you the opportunity to look at the world through the eyes of an anthropologist, this course gives you the opportunity to see the current world issues from a new perspective. Enabling you to see the same world through different cultural glasses.

• Start: self-paced
• Free online course
• Duration: 8 weeks
• Approximately 2 hours per week
• Certificate available ($100)
• Offered by: Edx
• University: The University of Queensland

Globalization’s Winners and Losers: Challenges for Developed and Developing Countries

By examining the effects of globalization on workers and communities in the developed and developing world, this course attempts to investigate who benefits from globalization and who is hurt by it.

• Start: 25th of January
• Free online course
• Duration: 7 weeks
• Approximately 3.5/5 hours per week
• Certificate available ($50)
• Offered by: Edx
• University: Georgetown University