Committee on Global Thought

The Committee on Global Thought advances interdisciplinary research and programs on globalization at Columbia University.

"Global thought," an even broader concept than globalization, calls for a collective reflection on the way we teach, analyze, and make our way in the world. Analysis and pedagogy must be adapted to meet global challenges in such a way that they make a difference to the policies and decisions we live by.

Although universities recognize the global scale and context of today's social, political, and economic problems, it is no easy task to develop the methods and concepts suited to that scale and context. Even the salutary goals of inter-disciplinary inquiry and multicultural understanding fall short of the means needed to deal with the sorts of deep integration that globalization has brought.

The work of the Committee of Global Thought (CGT) complements existing initiatives at Columbia University. Many departments and schools are offering new courses, diversifying their faculty and students, and seeking to interpret the changing world around us. CGT hopes to strengthen and expand these efforts.