Abstract:
The reading of world literature, literary works from cultures other than one’s own, offers
an effective means of creating greater awareness and sensitivity towards others. Research
on the subject makes it clear that world literature can help lay the groundwork for a sense
of world citizenship in students. To what extent have U.S. high school students been
exposed to world literature? Do they display more characteristics of world citizenship as
a result? How do U.S. high school students compare to their peers abroad? To answer
these questions, I conducted a case study of three high schools in the state of Oregon and
three high schools in the Bío-Bío Region of Chile (Region VIII) where I administered a
written survey to literature students. The survey included questions regarding students’
backgrounds, experience with world literature, knowledge of world affairs, and personal
opinions. I found that other factors (e.g. economic status and number of domestic authors
in each country) affect students’ access to and interest in world affairs. The reading of
world literature is one of a myriad of factors that contribute to the intricate idea of world
citizenship. While it is difficult to isolate reading world literature as an explicit cause of
greater world citizenship, it is clear that world literature can and should play an important
role in the development of global perspectives in students’ lives.
