The International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) Global Citizenship Curriculum Project, coordinated by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, has been working with a growing community of professors across the global Jesuit network since its launch in 2023. The program has worked with over 200 faculty members from 65 institutions in 28 countries. Thanks to the support of these colleagues, more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students have participated in the global citizenship course module and global student dialogues, so far.
During fall 2023, and again during the fall 2025 semester, María Eugenia Ibarrarán Viniegra of Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla in Puebla, Mexico incorporated the module into both an undergraduate macroeconomics class and a graduate-level course in environmental economics. She noted that her students appreciated the offerings of the project and the global student dialogues on Zoom. “Many that do not have access to an exchange program had an experience learning and sharing with people across the world,” she emphasized. “Students say it is an opportunity they are grateful for!"
“Students from different backgrounds found the information novel and interesting and were able to share their insights on how they could become global citizens.”
At Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, Mark Anthony Abenir has incorporated the module into his courses over two semesters and has seen positive impacts for his students. "Integrating the module into my [Community Development and Social Change course] has strengthened my course’s formation goals,” he said. “Students, in particular, appreciated concrete cases from diverse contexts, including conversations about migration and diaspora in the Americas, which sharpened their comparative understanding and empathy.” Abenir also highlighted the impact of the online global student dialogues.
“The required Global Student Dialogues opened a respectful space for intercultural exchange. Learners connected with peers across Jesuit universities, discovered common challenges, and articulated shared commitments to justice and solidarity.”
Faculty Leadership
Ibarrarán Viniegra and Abenir are part of a new faculty working group designed to share best practices and improve pedagogical strategies and learning outcomes for the project going forward. The group also includes Juan Javier Aguiar Román and Liliya Harutyunyan of Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Roxana Henriquez Maugard of Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Chile, Laura Muro from Saint Louis University (SLU) at the Madrid campus in Spain, Cyrus P. Olsen III at the University of Scranton in the United States, Theboral P. at Loyola College, Chennai in India, Francesca Parmeggiani at Fordham University in the United States, Ildikó Szegedy-Maszák from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and Catarina Vieira da Silva from Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Portugal.
Berkley Center Director Thomas Banchoff, who authored the module and works closely with Project Manager Jane Fitzpatrick, emphasized the importance of the working group moving forward.
“As we further expand and deepen the work of the IAJU Global Citizenship Curriculum project, close collaboration among faculty across the international Jesuit higher education network will be a top priority. The working group brings together dedicated teachers eager to share their experiences and increase the impact of the project for new cohorts of students eager to contribute as global citizens in our divided and troubled world.”
Learn more about the Global Citizenship Faculty Working Group.