Josephine Wilson didn’t know about the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, when she started her “Advanced Composition” course last quarter.

But by the end of the class, she was among 24 students confidently presenting posters with their research and recommendations on California issues related to at least one of the goals to build a discrimination-free, peaceful and prosperous world.

“This has been a cool class with interesting perspectives,” said Wilson, a fourth-year student majoring in human biology. 

It was just a year ago that her instructor, Melissa Bender, a continuing lecturer at the Writing Center, was herself a student in a campus program called Teaching for Global Learning. 

“I wanted to bring a stronger, better global perspective to my classes,” Bender said. “I knew the program would help me think about how I could incorporate global issues into my teaching.” 

Since the Global Affairs program started in 2018, more than 60 alumni have infused their courses with global learning for thousands of students. Ten more faculty — from three professional schools, three colleges and the Writing Center — start the program’s sixth offering Friday (April 10).

Global Education for All

The program supports the Global Education for All initiative to provide all UC Davis students with global learning opportunities — at home and abroad — to develop skills for an interconnected world. While it enhances the classroom for all students, the program helps provides global learning for students who — because of financial, immigration, family or academic considerations — may be unable to study abroad.

“It introduces global learning to faculty and provides them with tools so they can globalize their curriculum,” said Aliki Dragona, faculty director of academic programs for Global Affairs and a senior continuing lecturer at the Writing Center.

She co-teaches the program with Esther DeLozier, assistant director of partnerships and faculty engagement for Global Affairs.

DeLozier said they have had participants from every college and professional school. “Each faculty member has been able to grab these tools and translate them into their course,” she said.

Participants identify a course to change

Instructors come to the workshop with a course they want to change a little or a lot. In the first three workshops, they explore global learning through activities that demonstrate the interconnectedness of the world; identify global learning outcomes for their course; and develop student activities, assignments and projects to support those outcomes. They also have the opportunity to learn how technology can be used to internationalize the curriculum. Guest speakers address topics related to intercultural learning, the U.N. SDGs, and what inclusive excellence means in other parts of the world.

In a fourth session, each participant makes a presentation on how they’ve changed their course.

A seasoned instructor for study abroad programs, Bender got the idea to use the U.N. SDGs in her course at an event for study abroad faculty. Jolynn Shoemaker, senior director of global engagements for Global Affairs, spoke about the goals. 

Bender said she had to learn a lot about the U.N. SDGs, adopted by all members states in 2015. Ranging from no poverty to peace, justice and strong institutions, the U.N. says the goals are an urgent call to action “to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.” 

The biggest challenge, Bender said, was to integrate two sets of learning outcomes, for writing and global learning, without overburdening her students.

At the beginning of the course, Bender said, students seemed worried about the unexpected content of the U.N. SDGs. “But knowing they could pick a topic they were interested in and put it in the global framework, they were pleased,” she said. “By the end of the quarter, they were so into it.” 

Jens Pohlmann, a lecturer and researcher in science and technology studies since January 2025, participated in the workshops to add more global content to his course “Free Speech Online and the Regulation of Internet Platforms.” He found it helpful to work with Bloom’s Taxonomy to describe the desired learning outcomes.

“The thing that I took away,” he said, “was the certainty that UC Davis values things that are also very important to me — namely, global learning in the sense of exposing students to different cultures and complex political challenges that need to be addressed internationally and collaboratively.”

DeLozier said the program fosters a community of faculty who continue to exchange ideas, collaborate and support one another.

Grant for global learning

Another benefit: Program alumni are eligible to apply for the Peter and Marion London Global Learning Expansion Grant of up to $3,000 to develop or enhance global components of a course. 

One of five recipients last year, Pohlmann used $3,000 to invite an academic from Brazil to speak to his class about speech regulation in her country and to facilitate a class project in which students designed, conducted and analyzed a survey on attitudes towards free speech on social media and the campus. 

Bender used an award of $1,400 to print the posters for two writing classes and to pay the fee for a U.N. staff member to talk by Zoom with students about the SDGs.

At the presentations by Bender’s class, invited guests and classmates worked their way around the outside of a large room at the Writing Center to view the posters and talk with students about their assignment. Each student had incorporated as many as four of the U.N. SDGs into their research and recommendations on state issues ranging from food insecurity to wildfires.

Wilson, one of the students, focused on goals for good health and well-being and reduced inequalities. She advocated for simplified credentialling and training for doulas, and increased Medicaid reimbursement for their services to reduce the high rates of cesarean sections and maternal mortality among African American women. 

“I’ve learned a lot about the U.N. goals and written about things I care about,” Wilson said.