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First I'll start by saying you are very right in the way the question is phrased; students DO need to be globally aware and they also need to learn to at least have a basic understanding of other people's cultures. Now as for tye reasons, I'll list the reasons below:
Cultural Relativism: cultural relativism is a rather fascinating concept I came across just a while ago. What cultural relativism is saying basically is that not every culture is created the same way, not every culture has the same tenets and values and therefore all cultures should be respected for their various differences.
It means there is no absolute, singly correct culture. Therefore the theory of absorption or imperialism has no basis. Every culture has their own differences and before you can even aspire to alter the ways of life of people the least you can do is try to understand the eccentrities of those cultures as much as possible.
Which is where student education comes into play. It is highly important that this tenets be incorporated into kids and students from as young an age as possible.
There have been a lot of assumptions, erroneous ones at that, made about people from different culture. Basically every culture is at once a subject and object of this erronoeusness to various extents. For instance westerners used to believe Africans had no history prior to coming in contact with the Europeans and Africans used to believe white people slept in heaven.
Educating children and youtj about other cultures right from an appropriate age is the most effective way of combating and correcting so many of these historical discrepancies/myths/inaccuracies.
Another reason why a global awareness and understanding of other cultures is highly important is to foster peace and tolerance.
It is not uncommon for a peoples brought up with the same uniform way of life to not only believe that that way of theirs is the absolute and most appropriate but also to chastise or even hate and be appalled by peoples of a different culture with differing values than theirs.
But the kind education proposed here would make sure that from understanding and respecting diversity, and then understanding the reasons for this, we can be able to only cultivate more tolerance towards other people and culture, but in fact be able to see the beauty in it than we would have been able to otherwise.
And of course you'd agree that getting exposed to the riches of other cultures not only increase our tolerance it also expands our horizon and brings us genuine beauty and inspiration such as is possible only in a few endeavors in life.
Having an aleternate point of view from which to encounter and analyze a situation is a luxury that can not be overrated, especially for artists and creatives and problem solvers all over the world.
Cosmopolitanism is an attractive trait. And a wide and far-reaching education might just be the first and most effective way of attaining this.
Finally I should act as a caveat that wrongly educating people about other cultures might be as dangerous or eveb more dangerous an event as ignorance about these cultures. So it is highly imperative that whoever puts it upon him or herself to undertake that endeavor must be careful to make sure to go by this in the most accurate and sensible manner as possible.
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Yes this article reeks of political correctness. That just happens to be how Im feeling. Sue me.