Offered as both a major and minor, Global & Cultural Studies (GCS) introduces students to the world of the 21st century by encouraging them to explore contemporary problems and issues from a number of different perspectives and points of view.
Majors of the program have an opportunity to concentrate on a specific area of interest within a broad interdisciplinary framework – national/ transnational institutions, culture, geographical area, and issues – which then structures the student’s pathway through the major.
National and Transnational Institutions
This concentration examines the role and function of political, economic or other institutions in the global context. It could include a focus of any of the following: nation states, corporations, NGOs, international organizations or other non-state actors.
Culture
This concentration enables student to explore the changing face of cultural and social institutions in the 21st century. It could include a focus on gender, kinship, marriage, demographics, or other cultural patterning.
Geographical Area
This concentration allows the student to explore the impact of multiple forces of globalization within a specific geographical region, i.e., Latin America, Asia, or Europe.
Issues
This concentration allows for in-depth exploration of a particular social or environmental issue. Examples include human rights, terrorism, AIDS/health, environment, population, refugees, sustainability, intellectual property, etc.
As part of the GCS program, majors are required to participate in a cultural immersion experience, preferably a semester-long study abroad, to get first-hand knowledge of their area of concentration.
