Academic Catalog

GLS - Global Studies

GLS 2700 Introduction to Global Stories Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry, Philosophy Letters

Provides students with an introductory understanding of constructions and representations of global issues and globalization in literature, film, media and the visual arts and of the ways in which human stories contribute to complex matrices of representation. Offered Fall, Winter.

GLS 2800 Introduction to Global Issues and Institutions Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Global Learning Inquiry, Social Inquiry, Social Sciences

Provides a broad overview of some of the big and controversial questions facing our increasingly globalized world today and introduces some of the tools we have to confront these issues. Topics include the conflict and security threats, protection of human rights, global warming, and resource management. Offered Fall, Winter.

Equivalent: HIS 2800

GLS 2820 Topics in Emerging Global Issues: Russia and Ukraine: The Deep Roots to a Global Crisis Cr. 2

This course will introduce students to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by looking at its historical roots—including the histories, cultures, and politics of Russia and Ukraine—and its global context. It is designed to be an engaging overview of the region that will lead students to have a better understanding of global cultures and the current war in Ukraine, and will use the conflict to ask broader global questions about national identity, national sovereignty, human rights, the personal impacts of war, when and why global powers intervene in “regional” conflicts, and how wars affect individuals (including students at Wayne State), far from the theaters of battle. Offered Fall.

Equivalent: HIS 2820

GLS 2900 Intercultural Competence for a Global World Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry

The objectives of this course are to explore cultures via characteristics of intra-cultural communication (varieties of language marked by history and region, gender, and migration); to acknowledge regional and ethnic variations of cultural value systems as expressed in everyday interactions as well as cultural products; to learn to reflect on one’s own cultural “branding” or vantage point as determined by ethnicity, region, and language(s) as well as within the context of lifelong learning at home and abroad. Offered Fall.

GLS 3111 Digital Storytelling and Ethnic Detroit Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry

Students will learn about the ethnic, racial, and cultural history of Detroit and how to document elements of that history. This course introduces students to both theoretical and practical concepts around digital storytelling, drawing on extensive theoretical scholarship about placemaking, experiencing place, and the social production of heritage that spans the disciplines of anthropology, historical archaeology, heritage studies, historic preservation, media studies, and mobilities. Students will learn the practical steps involved in creating digital stories and will be introduced to best practices in multimedia development as discussed in the literature in the field of instructional technology. They will also explore the cultural, ethical and technological considerations involved in creating and disseminating digital stories. They will then create their own short digital story, which they will be able to share with the website Ethnic Layers of Detroit. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: ANT 3111, POL 3111, RUS 3111

GLS 3410 Global Health Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Global Learning Inquiry, Social Inquiry, Social Sciences

Introduces students to problems of disease and disorder worldwide and looks at various efforts to define and address these problems through a social science perspective. Offered Every Term.

Equivalent: ANT 3410, PH 3410

GLS 3700 Globalization: Theories, Practices, Implications Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Global Learning Inquiry, Social Inquiry, Social Sciences

Students develop analytical tools for appraising processes of globalization; acquire a familiarity with the current topical concerns of global studies; and examine economic, political, and cultural approaches to globalization. Offered Winter.

Equivalent: ANT 3700

GLS 3810 Topics in Global Studies Cr. 1

Special topics in global history, politics, culture, science, health, law, philosophy, language, and other fields and issues. Topics to be announced in the class schedule. Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

GLS 3830 Topics in Global Studies Cr. 3

Special topics in global history, politics, culture, science, health, law, philosophy, language, and other fields and issues. Topics to be announced in the class schedule. Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

GLS 4200 Orientalism and Occidentalism, Past and Present Cr. 3

This course, team-taught by one scholar of the contemporary (traditionally defined) East and one scholar of the (traditionally defined) ancient West, will explore many facets of the west’s creation of the eastern other, beginning in the time of the ancient Greeks through the current age in Detroit. Students will read primary sources, theoretical treatises, novels, and poems; they will watch films and view paintings. During spring break, the group will travel to Turkey and visit Ephesus and Istanbul, two places that defy definition as either East or West. Departmental permission is required. Offered Every Other Winter.

GLS 5500 Internship in Global Studies Cr. 3,6

Offered for undergraduate credit only. Internship in a public or private organization related to global studies. Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: GLS 3700 with a minimum grade of C-

GLS 5540 World Environmental History since 1900 Cr. 4

This course examines the transformation of the relationship between human society and the natural environment in global context since 1900. Available for undergraduate credit only. Offered Fall.

Equivalent: HIS 5540

GLS 5700 Climate, Environment, and Media Cr. 3

This course considers major environmental challenges, foremost among these climate change, through the interdisciplinary lenses of Environmental Media Studies and the Environmental Humanities. How do different media seek to tell the story of climate change, a massive problem that can be hard to visualize? How do the media tackle problems of disaster fatigue, environmental grief, and distraction, in order to continue to focus attention on one of the most significant challenges of the twenty-first century? How do they navigate the global scale of the problem while being mindful of local realities? What environmental impact do media themselves have? We will study an array of climate media from around the world, including feature films, documentary series, podcasts, and digital humanities projects, to analyze and critique genres and mediatic forms of climate protest, resistance, and activism. Offered Every Other Fall.

Prerequisites: GLS 2700 with a minimum grade of C-, GLS 2800 with a minimum grade of C-, GLS 2900 with a minimum grade of C-, ENG 2450 with a minimum grade of C-, ENG 3010 with a minimum grade of C-, COM 1700 with a minimum grade of C-, or COM 2010 with a minimum grade of C-

GLS 5993 Writing Intensive Course in Global Studies Cr. 0

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Writing Intensive Competency

Offered for S and U grades only. No degree credit. Required for all majors. Disciplinary writing assignments under the direction of a faculty member. Must be selected in conjunction with a course designated as a corequisite. Satisfies the University General Education Writing Intensive Course in the Major requirement. Offered Every Term.

Prerequisites: AFS 2390 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 2390 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 3010 with a minimum grade of C, ENG 3020 with a minimum grade of C, or ENG 3050 with a minimum grade of C

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

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