"Global citizens are able to adopt different perspectives and critically assess their own views against those of others."
Welmoet Boender Vice-Dean Education
Global citizenship in our education
A Broader Mind – a truly broad perspective – of yourself, others and your place in the world. That is what we want to instil in our students at VU Amsterdam. In the new strategic plan, this is referred to as global citizenship. In doing so, we emphasise the importance of a global outlook, ethical conduct and taking responsibility in a world full of complex societal challenges. Global citizens are able to adopt different perspectives and critically assess their own views against those of others.
Over the past year, as the faculty’s education portfolio holder, I have seen the central role that this broad way of thinking plays in our teaching. In the Social Sciences, transdisciplinary education is growing rapidly. Teaching is designed in collaboration with societal partners, and students work on issues relating to social inclusion, safety, technology, climate change and accessible healthcare.
In Religion and Theology, dialogical learning is central. Students with diverse religious and philosophical outlooks meet in the classroom, and their learning takes shape precisely through exchange and dialogue.
In the Humanities, too, students learn to look beyond the boundaries of their own discipline. For example, students of Media, Art, Design and Architecture explore the relationship between design and urban energy issues. All programmes have a dedicated place for philosophy. We organise dialogue sessions, promote Community Service Learning and encourage students to take a Broader Mind Course.
"We want our students to dare to look beyond borders, approach the world with an open and curious mind, and make a difference in creating a fairer world."
In this way, we hope to lay a strong foundation for students to take social responsibility. After all, our students are helping to shape the society of tomorrow. We want them to dare to look beyond borders, approach the world with an open and curious mind, and make a difference in creating a fairer world.
Our story is clear, as is our commitment across the programmes. The question remains: how do we know if we are succeeding in our mission to educate global citizens? Can we make this measurable? Our faculty has the methodological expertise to investigate this thoroughly. This enables us to demonstrate that our educational concept works.
At the same time, it is up to the students themselves whether and how they put the VU’s philosophy into practice. Not every student will explicitly recognise it as such. That is precisely why we believe it is important that this broad way of thinking and philosophy is demonstrably embedded in our programmes. So that our students can reap the benefits and – we hope – later look back on a time of study that has truly made an impact.
Welmoet Boender
magazine for social sciences and humanities alumni june 2026