The world is becoming smaller and more accessible; distances are shrinking and borders are blurring. In order to make sense of our changing world, we must begin to think in new and critical ways. International studies is one such way to wrap our heads around the globe. A growing academic discipline, international studies is a multidisciplinary field of inquiry that examines the broad array of human relationships that involve cross-border interactions. Some of the fields that international studies draws upon include anthropology, business, communication, economics, geography, health care, history, languages, literature, political science, religion, and sociology.

In order to study the world, scholars in each of these fields focus on a particular aspect as a unit of analysis. Within international studies, the unit of analysis may be defined as kinds of “borders.” There are five different types of borders that characterize the international system: geographic, political, economic, social, and cultural. These five borders are crossed routinely as a result of technology and technological innovation, which transform how individuals relate to their political, economic, and cultural affiliations. This increased international interconnectedness can be understood as globalization.

Globalization is an emerging paradigm that is defined as the political, economic, social, and cultural flows across the international system and includes a broad range of interactions, from trade and financial relationships to integrated communication networks. Some scholars believe that we are in a state of hyperglobalization, or the progressive erosion of the borders that have differentiated national economies and sustained the centrality of nation-states. Other scholars believe we are in a third wave of globalization, the first two occurring during the age of the Silk Road in the third century BCE and the second in the age of sailing in the 1500s. This third wave is characterized by intense and quickly growing, but uneven, globalizing trends stimulated by technological advancement.

Most people can agree that globalization brings many challenges. There are some benefits to globalization, but also some serious detriments. On the one hand, overall standards of living can be improved through this increased interconnectedness, which may lead individuals to feel more empowered politically and economically. However, globalization has placed demands on societies in order to keep up. Journalist Thomas Friedman has described the policies that would be required to respond to these demands as the golden straitjacket. These policies are often difficult to achieve or even inadvisable, so many societies see themselves as being left behind.

Globalization has also given rise to global issues, or challenges that transcend state boundaries and require a collective response. One such issue is the question of citizenship, or the duties, rights, privileges, and responsibilities of individuals to and in the community in which they reside. While the traditional notion of citizenship dating back to the ancient Greek city-state has focused on the state as the key community, individuals today increasingly perceive themselves as members of a global community, or global citizens. Some people believe that globalization has eroded the traditional concept of citizenship, while others think that it still holds strong. Either way, global citizenship offers us a critical new perspective in thinking about the world and the issues we face together in the twenty-first century.