Global and International Studies/Political Science

Global and International Studies/Political Science Joint Major

Our world is rapidly globalizing, bringing exciting opportunities and daunting challenges. Global and International Studies, hereafter referred to as Global Studies, seeks to tackle this brave new world in all its complexity. We train students to be global citizens, global thinkers, and global problem-solvers, and prepare them for global careers in academia, business, government, and the non-profit sector, among others. A unique feature of our program is that we train students in foreign languages. Language is the entry-point for understanding the world’s cultures and equips students for studying and working abroad.
Global Studies is a holistic and timely field of study whose scope is the whole Earth and whose eyes are on the future, aiding a global transformation toward healthy, just, peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable societies for all. The focus of our program is on the ‘big picture,’ international to global. Students emerge from our program with knowledge of the macro-level structures, actors, processes, ideas, issues, and events shaping our planet and its societies. This is accomplished in multi-disciplinary, multi-perspective, local-to-global, and critical ways of thinking.

Joint majors are designed for students interested in combining two related fields of study. They normally involve a specific set of course requirements selected to provide solid specialization in each of the two fields. The graduation requirements for a joint major can normally be met in four years of study.