Academic Catalog

Global Studies (B.A.)

The Global Studies program is designed for students passionate about understanding and being active participants in a globalized world. Students learn about global institutions, issues, and movements from an interdisciplinary perspective by:

  1. developing language skills, which are essential to global communication and cultural understanding;
  2. taking core courses in humanities and social sciences that provide students with an interdisciplinary and theoretical introduction to global studies; and,
  3. specializing in global politics and economies, health and environment, and cultures and identities.

Throughout the curriculum students will think critically about questions related to global justice, inequality, how globalization impacts different cultures and regions around the world, and the responsibilities of global citizenship. A Global Studies major can prepare students for careers in government, diplomacy, law, health professions, teaching, research, non-governmental organizations, development, and business.

Through the program students will.
  1. demonstrate intermediate-level skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in one language other than English, or elementary-level skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in two languages other than English.
  2. analyze ways in which global issues intersect with the individual and the social with respect to gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity.
  3. describe the processes of globalization from economic, political, environmental, historical, and cultural perspectives and how these processes impact social structures and people's everyday lives.
  4. connect globalization and global issues to the local, the regional (as it relates to regional issues within nation states), and the national.

Global Experience

Students must fulfill a "Global Experience" requirement. Options for fulfilling the Global Experience requirement include:

  1. an internship at a local agency that deals with global issues or is a global organization or company (GLS 5500);
  2. study abroad or internship abroad;
  3. field work or study abroad that is part of a specific course

All majors are also required to present their work in the form of a paper of poster session in a WSU venue.

Students wishing to pursue the major in global studies should meet with the program director and the undergraduate advisor in Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures for advising.

 

Program Requirements

Students should refer to the CMLLC program requirements for admission, degree, and general education requirements.

Major requirements consist of a minimum of 33 credits distributed as follows:

Language Courses
Select a minimum of three courses or 9 credits beyond 2010 in the same language sequence or complete the three-semester basic language sequence in a second language. 19-12
Core Courses
Select 3 of the 4 core courses9
Introduction to Global Stories (Select 3 of the 4 core courses)
Introduction to Global Issues and Institutions
Intercultural Competence for a Global World
Globalization: Theories, Practices, Implications
Global Experience
Students must fulfill a Global Experience requirement. Options for fulfilling the requirement include: 1) an internship at a local agency that deals with global issues or is a global organization (GLS 5500); 2) study abroad or internship abroad; 3) field work or study abroad that is part of a specific course.
Electives from Three Focus Areas15
Students must take a minimum of fifteen credits from the following areas of focus: Global Politics and Economics, Global Health and Environment, Global Culture and Identities.
Global Cultures and Identities
This focus area centers on questions related to global cultures, belief systems expressed through various types of cultural artifacts (including visual art, artisanry, literature, film and media), and peoples and identities, over time and geographical areas, in conjunction with questions of gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity.
Politics and Culture in Anglophone Caribbean
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Foreign Culture: The Africans
World Cultures
Digital Storytelling and Ethnic Detroit
The Inca and their Ancestors
Lost Cities and Ancient Civilizations
Language and Culture
Understanding Africa: Past, Present and Future
Native Americans
Cultures and Societies of Latin America
Arab Society in Transition
Urban Anthropology
Pre-Columbian and Mesoamerican Civilization
Teaching of Arabic as a Foreign/Second Language (TAFL)
Arabic Sociolinguistics
History of Modern East Asia
History of Japanese Pop Culture
Special Topics in East Asian Studies
Readings in the History of Modern China
Pre-Modern Japan
Modern Japan
Gender in Modern East Asia
Gateway to Chinese Civilizations
Chinese Mythology and the Supernatural
Contemporary Chinese Pop Culture
Introduction to Chinese Literature
Greek Identity from Antiquity to Modernity
Global Literatures: Writing about Texts
Topics in Global and Transnational Studies
Anguish and Commitment: European Existentialist Literature
Introduction to French Civilization I
Introduction to French Civilization II
Understanding the Fairy Tale
Resistance, Rebellion, Revolution: Transitional Moments in German Culture and History
Understanding the Fairy Tale
Short Fiction from Central Europe and Russia
Anguish and Commitment: European Existentialist Literature
New Soil, Old Roots: The Immigrant Experience
Topics in German Studies
Intercultural Competence for a Global World
Byzantine Civilization
Modern Greek Literature and Culture in English
Greek Identity from Antiquity to Modernity
Digital Storytelling and Ethnic Detroit
Gender in Modern East Asia
African Civilizations to 1800
African Civilizations Since 1800
History of Modern East Asia
The Age of Islamic Empires: 600-1600
The Modern Middle East
African American History I: 1400-1865
African American History II: 1865-1968
Twentieth Century Middle East
Civilizations of the Nile Valley: Egypt and Nubia
The Early Middle Ages: 300-1000
Europe, 1918-1939: Mass Politics and Culture in the Age of Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini
Nazi Germany
Russian History through the Revolution
History of the Russian Revolution
The Soviet Union
Britain in the Age of Empire
History of Modern Britain
Readings in the History of Modern China
Pre-Modern Japan
Modern Japan
Gender in Modern East Asia
Globalization, Social History and Gender in the Arabian Gulf
Anguish and Commitment: European Existentialist Literature
Italy and Italians I
Italy and Italians II
Italian Fairy Tales
Italian Cinema
Culture Studies in Japan (Homestay and Study Abroad Tour)
Chicano/a Literature and Culture
Puerto Rican Literature and Culture
History of Mexico
History of Puerto Rico and Cuba
Spanish American Cultures and their Traditions
Arabic Sociolinguistics
Introduction to Islamic Civilization of the Near East
The Age of Islamic Empires: 600-1600
The Modern Middle East
Trends and Themes in Films of the Middle East
Islamic and Near Eastern Philosophy
Topics in Middle Eastern Studies
Modern Israeli Culture: A Pluralistic Perspective
Arab Society in Transition
Globalization, Social History and Gender in the Arabian Gulf
Arabic Sociolinguistics
Muslim Personal Law
Quran: History and Interpretation
Islam and the Challenge of Modernity
Chinese Philosophy
Islamic and Near Eastern Philosophy
Survey of Polish Culture
Digital Storytelling and Ethnic Detroit
New Soil, Old Roots: The Immigrant Experience
Polish and Yugoslavian Cinema
Topics in Slavic Studies
Introduction to Russian Culture
Understanding the Fairy Tale
Digital Storytelling and Ethnic Detroit
New Soil, Old Roots: The Immigrant Experience
Nineteenth Century Russian Literature
Russian Literature Since 1900
Topics in Slavic Studies
Short Fiction from Central Europe and Russia
New Soil, Old Roots: The Immigrant Experience
Russian and East European Film
Polish and Yugoslavian Cinema
Topics in Slavic Studies
Chicano/a Literature and Culture
Puerto Rican Literature and Culture
Cities and Regions
Global Health and Environment
This focus area concentrates on issues related to global public health, medical systems, and environmental issues such as population, pollution, and climate change over time and geographical areas, in conjunction with questions of gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity.
Food and Culture
Introduction to Medical Anthropology
Anthropology of Health and Illness
Ecology and the Environment
Global Health
World Environmental History since 1900
Science, History, and Culture of Italian Cuisine
Science, History, and Culture of Italian Cuisine
Environmental Ethics
Ethical Issues in Health Care
Cities and Food
Global Politics and Economies
This focus area takes into account global political, sociological, economic, labor, and business theories, trends, histories, and configurations over time and geographical areas, in conjunction with questions related to gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity.
Politics and Culture in Anglophone Caribbean
Pan Africanism: Politics of the Black Diaspora
Anthropology of Business
Food and Culture
Arab Society in Transition
Shop 'Til You Drop: Consumer Society and Culture
History of Modern East Asia
Readings in the History of Modern China
Pre-Modern Japan
Modern Japan
Gender in Modern East Asia
Intercultural Communication
Telecommunications Policy: A Political Economy Approach
International Trade
International Finance
Introduction to Development Economics
Principles of International Finance
Global Supply Chain Management
Production Planning and Control
Gender in Modern East Asia
The World Since 1945
African Civilizations to 1800
African Civilizations Since 1800
History of Modern East Asia
The Modern Middle East
Latin America from Independence to the Present
History of Mexico
Twentieth Century Middle East
American Foreign Relations Since 1933
Twentieth Century Europe
Russian History through the Revolution
History of the Russian Revolution
The Soviet Union
History of Modern Britain
Global Cities
Readings in the History of Modern China
Gender in Modern East Asia
Pre-Modern Japan
Modern Japan
Globalization, Social History and Gender in the Arabian Gulf
Italian Rebels
International Marketing Management
Twentieth Century Middle East
Globalization, Social History and Gender in the Arabian Gulf
Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
Contemporary Moral Issues
Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
Introduction to Canadian Studies
Introduction to Comparative Politics
World Politics
Politics of Western Europe
Politics of Central and Eastern Europe
Politics of Latin America
Latin America in World Affairs
Politics of East Asia
Theory of World Politics
Middle East Conflict
Globalization and Politics
Foreign Policies of Major Powers
Ethnicity: The Politics of Conflict and Cooperation
United States Foreign Relations Law
Cities and Food
Total Credits33-36
1

For language courses, please see languages offered in Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Students must receive a passing grade (C) in their language courses for them to count towards the GLS major.

3

Areas of focus allow students to specialize within the program in ways that enhance their academic and professional goals. A minimum of 6 credits must be at the 4000-level or above. 

 
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