Bachelor of Arts - Global and Cultural Studies

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.

This concentration enables students 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 another cultural patterning.

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.

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 Global & Cultural Studies 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.