Promoting Creative Writing and Global Citizenship by Means of Contemporary Anglo-Chinese Literature in Higher Education

Abstract

In the current globalized age, the acquisition of intercultural competence has become a highly relevant tool. It is now more essential than ever to foster connections among diverse individuals, cultures, and nations. What is more, the 2030 Agenda emphasizes the need to promote this competence at all educational levels in order to encourage global citizenship, given the increasing global migration trends. Unfortunately, higher education often lacks the open-mindedness and critical thinking required, despite the longstanding existence of intercultural relationships. Therefore, our research experience proves how employing creative writing activities and travel literature in two subjects –Practical Literary Criticism Applied to English Literature and Literature (2nd Language): English– at the Universitat de València (Spain) became an extremely successful tool to raise awareness and achieve equality throughout all the implied agents, their cultures and diverse backgrounds. This educational approach was implemented throughout the 2021-2022 academic year and significantly impacted various studies during the second semester. A didactic unit, centered on the book Singing My China Stories to the World (2021), was initially developed to nurture global citizenship and intercultural competence. Subsequently, it was integrated into a virtual session featuring the American author. The results of our research involved the analysis of the opinions and perceptions of 79 undergraduate students regarding migrant narratives and the significance of contemporary literature in enhancing their knowledge of intercultural competence and global citizenship.