Global Studies - Major

Coordinator: Corinne Dempsey, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies

The global studies major is an interdisciplinary program leading to a B.A. degree. It is designed to educate students about the effects of cultural, social, economic, and political processes across the globe and about conceptions of race and identity formed trans-nationally. The scope of global studies includes explorations of human trafficking, fair trade, women’s movements, microfinance, disaster relief, religious nationalism, media, and world literature and art. Students are asked to consider how we here at Nazareth relate to these concerns and what our ethical obligations are as citizens in a cosmopolitan world.

The GLO program helps prepare students for careers in international law, international development agencies, the foreign diplomatic service, intelligence agencies, international business, journalism, refugee settlement work, and international service organizations. It also provides a unique pathway to graduate school in more specialized areas.

The GLO major offers four tracks of study to help students focus their area of interest. Students must also demonstrate the ability to read, write, and speak a foreign language by completing a minor in Spanish, Italian, French, German or Chinese, or by working up to the intermediate level in Arabic. Students may also take courses up to the intermediate level at nearby campuses in languages such as Russian, Japanese, or Korean.

A semester study abroad is required for GLO majors, offering opportunities for sustained engagement with other communities and cultures. The Center for International Education at Nazareth has a wide variety of study abroad programs from which to choose.

Core Curriculum Requirements

All Nazareth students complete Core Curriculum coursework as part of their degree requirements. The Core provides a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences while guiding students to pose and explore their own intellectual questions. See Academic Policies and Procedures for specific core curriculum requirements.

Global Studies Core

The Global Studies major has a total of 39 to 45 required credit hours (depending on language study). Students complete introductory and upper level course sequences, courses from an elective track, and extensive study in a foreign language. Study abroad is also required.

A. Introductory Sequence (6 credits)

GLO 201 Introduction to Global Studies Credits: 3
Social Science PEQ Credits: 3 (choose one course from the following):

B. Upper Level Sequence in Global Processes (9 credits)

Complete three of the following:

C. Foreign Language Requirement

Complete one of the following:

Chinese, French, German, Italian, or Spanish - students complete an 18 credit Minor
Arabic - students complete a four-course sequence
Japanese or Russian - students complete a four-course sequence (courses available at a nearby campus)

D. Senior Seminar and Comprehensive (3 credits)

The senior experience has two parts. The Global Studies Junior/Senior Seminar (GLO 400) ties together and demonstrates the interconnectedness of the various courses and disciplines of the GLO major. Particular attention is given to global trends in political, economic, and social development, and to contemporary problems faced by the international community. Students undertake a major research project in which they analyze a specific international issue and make a policy recommendation toward its solution. They are also required to do a public, oral defense of it. The Senior Comprehensive Examination (GLO 499) provides an opportunity for graduating seniors to demonstrate, in both oral and written form, a proficiency in the discipline appropriate to the undergraduate level.

GLO 400 Junior-Senior Seminar Credits: 3 or PSC 440 Junior/Senior Seminar in Political Science plus GLO 499 Global Studies Comprehensive Credits: 0