Worcester in the World Mission Statement

In the current era social problems are increasingly defined in global terms. Threats to health, political stability, and the environment can best be understood as arising within a world that is increasingly integrated in terms of trade, communication, and transportation. 

This complex interconnectedness also allows expanded opportunities for positive social change through increased democratization, economic opportunity, and conflict resolution. 

Worcester in the World will explore the ways in which globalization is presenting new problems and opportunities, and will emphasize that the “global” cannot be understood without reference to the “local.” As communities are affected by globalization, so too they respond, resist, and contribute to it, in a mutually reinforcing cycle.

These complex processes require a deep and multidisciplinary analysis. Thus, Worcester in the World will involve students, faculty, administrators, staff, and the larger community joining together to build a “learning community” that will investigate the problems and opportunities inherent in globalization.