Global Studies

The College of Arts and Sciences, in cooperation with the Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Studies and the Office of Study Abroad, houses a family of interdisciplinary programs devoted to the study of global and international issues and major regions and cultures of the world. These programs include a broad, interdisciplinary major and several interdisciplinary minors. Although course offerings for these programs are primarily in the College of Arts and Sciences, other colleges also provide appropriate courses.

In addition to their interdisciplinary structure, international and area studies programs are designed to maximize opportunities for foreign study and academic experiences outside the United States. Extensive foreign language study is required in the major; although the minors can be completed without foreign language courses, most students include some in their programs as appropriate. With advisor approval, courses taken at colleges and universities through study abroad, either in English or in other languages, may be used to complete program requirements.

Course listings for international and area program are very extensive and may be found on the Web at http://www.wmich.edu/international/academic.programs or in printed materials available from advisors. All course work in international and area studies programs must carry a grade of “C” or better. For additional information on international academic activities and study abroad opportunities, see the “International Programs” section of this catalog.

African Studies Programs

Academic tracks devoted to the study of Africa are available through the Africana Studies Program, described elsewhere among “Interdisciplinary Programs” in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Global and International Studies Major (42 hours)

Director
Room B 200, Ellsworth Hall
(269) 387-3985

This program is designed to allow a broad, integrative approach to the study of global and international issues, supported by the methods and theories of several disciplines and regional case studies. The major requires a minimum of 42 hours, of which at least 24 hours must be in course work at the 3000-level or above. Overall the major must include course selections from at least four different departments or course prefixes. Students should see the program advisor to select a course to satisfy the University’s baccalaureate-level writing requirement.

Required Courses

INTL 2000 - Introduction To Global and International Studies Credits: 3 hours
INTL 4900 - Seminar in Global and International Studies Credits: 3 hours

Courses from Participating Departments

Course selection must include a disciplinary focus consisting of four courses from one of the following departments (with at least half of the course work at the 3000-level or above; in some circumstances courses from these department not on the attached list but required for access to advanced courses may also be counted):

Anthropology
Economics
Geography
History
Political Science
Comparative Religion
Sociology

Course selection

Course selection also must include either a regional, a comparative, or a foreign language option:

Regional Option

The regional option consists of at least three courses dealing exclusively or substantially with one of the following:

Asia-General
Asia-Japan
Asia-China
Asia-Middle East/Islamic
Africa
Europe-General/comparative
Western Europe
Russia/Eastern Europe
Latin America

Comparative Option

The comparative option consists of four advisor-approved courses extending the comparative and cross-cultural nature of the program. It may include thematic, theoretical, and area studies courses. The course work must be drawn from at least three different departments/prefixes.

Foreign Language Option

The foreign language option permits the exploration of comparative and cross-cultural issues through the study of a second foreign language in addition to the required foreign language component in the program. Up to four courses in a second foreign language beyond the 1000-level may be incorporated into the major.

Foreign Language Cognate Requirement

Proficiency in a second language is a key goal. The program requires at least two courses beyond the 2010-level in a single language other than the student’s native language and appropriate to the chosen regional focus. Intermediate proficiency is required if the chosen language is not offered at WMU beyond the 2000-2010 level. Some advanced courses in foreign languages may be included in a regional focus within the major as listed. Students whose native languages are other than English should consult the program advisor on fulfillment of the cognate requirement.

No minor is required for students choosing the major, although development of a foreign language minor is strongly recommended.

In addition to listed courses for the major, appropriate subtopic titles in topical courses may be used with advisor approval.