Students having discussion

Department of World Languages and Cultures

Menu Display

Global Studies

Housed in the School of Liberal Arts, Global Studies is an interdisciplinary program intended to prepare students to live, work, and make sense of an increasingly interdependent and multicultural world.  The program offers a Core Pathway, an academic minor, on-campus internships, and customized interdisciplinary advising to create a globally informed academic plan.  The Global Studies Program also organizes the biannual "From the Field" Lecture series and works closely with the Center for Multicultural Affairs to support all global activities across the curriculum, on campus, and in the community.

Students with an interest in international studies, as well as in careers in business, communications, education, global health, environmental science, history, and politics are encouraged to consider the minor as a supplement to their major. Courses in the minor focus on the critical study of cultures and systems outside of the United States, as well as on the political, economic, social, and cultural interrelationships within the contemporary global system.

In addition to the required academic coursework and experience in world languages and cultures, the program actively encourages students to expand their global interests with a regional specialization in their Core and major courses, and with participation in the Marist International Club, Model UN Club, and in community or international organizations. Advanced students have the opportunity to give formal lectures on campus about their global projects or commitments and can link non-classroom international experiences with their chosen field of study.

The Global Studies program also works closely with the Department of World Languages and Cultures to offer customized support for language study, with Marist Abroad to integrate new destinations, with the Office of Graduate School and Fellowships to prepare for post-graduation work in international fields and for Fulbright applications, and with the Center for Multicultural Affairs to engage the community of international students on campus. 

Requirements for a Minor in Global Studies 

Coursework

  • GBST 103L - Introduction to Global Issues 3 credits
  • Five qualifying electives chosen from at least three different disciplines (e.g. Business, Foreign Language, Political Science) 15 credits

Total Credits 18 credits

Other Requirements

  • Foreign Language requirement: Students must demonstrate the equivalent of one year of successful college-level study in a foreign language. They can do this by either (i) taking two college-level foreign language courses at the elementary level, or one course at the intermediate level or above, which would count as electives for the minor, or (ii) getting approval by the Department of World Languages and Cultures to waive the requirement by demonstrating the equivalent of one-year college-level study in a foreign language. Note: In Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, one semester at the Elementary level II will fulfill the requirement.
  • An approved international experience: In this component of the minor, students must take part in an experiential project which is international in scope and will normally include foreign travel. The Marist Abroad experience is strongly recommended, but not required. Other options for the international experience requirement must be approved by the Program Coordinator. These may include independent work abroad with a humanitarian organization; study abroad during a leave of absence; or fluency in a culture other than North American from extended living abroad. Participation in the experience must be certified by appropriate documentation.

 The courses listed below are pre-approved as electives for the Global Studies minor. Special Topics courses offered on campus and abroad may also be submitted to the Global Studies Coordinator for approval as minor electives with appropriate documentation.

Internships

INTERNSHIPS in any discipline may be eligible for GBST approval as an elective if a component of significant global relevance can be documented. Please contact the GBST coordinator to obtain approval.  

Anthropology

  • ANTH 102 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  • ANTH 232 Religion and Culture

Art

  • ART 255 Pre-Columbian Art
  • ART 256 Chinese Art

Business

  • BUS 202 Global Business and Society
  • BUS 430 International Trade Management (prerequisite: BUS 100 or ACCT 204)
  • BUS 442 International Marketing (prerequisite: BUS 100 or ACCT 204, BUS 340, BUS 382)

Computer Technology

  • CMPT 305 Technology, Ethics, and Society

Communication

  • COM 325 Intercultural Communication (prerequisite: Junior standing)
  • COM 400 Gender, Culture and Communication (prerequisite: Junior standing)
  • COM 488 Comparative Communication System (prerequisite: Junior standing)

Criminal Justice

  • CRJU 350 Organized Crime
  • CRJU 377 Politics of Crime and Terrorism (prerequisite: CRJU 101 or POSC 101)
  • CRJU 440 Cross Cultural Criminal Justice Systems (prerequisites: CRJU 370; Criminal Justice majors with Senior standing)

Economics

  • ECON 150 Economics of Social Issues
  • ECON 305 Environmental Economics (prerequisite: ECON 103)
  • ECON 340 Economic Development: Towards Global Equality (prerequisite: ECON 103, 104, or 150)
  • ECON 432 International Financial Policies ans Issues (prerequisites: ECON 103 and 104)
  • ECON 442 International Economics (prerequisites: ECON 103 and 104)

Education

  • EDUC 379  Culturally Responsive Education

Environmental Science

  • ENSC 101 Introduction to Environmental Issues
  • ENSC 202  Environmental Politics and Policy (prerequisites: ENSC 101, POSC 110)
  • ENSC 230  Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (prerequisite: ENSC 101)
  • ENSC 340 Epidemiology

English

  • ENG 201 Introduction to Linguistics
  • ENG 302 World Englishes
  • ENG 353 Ethnic American Literature
  • ENG 370 Modern Jewish Literature
  • ENG 373 Literature of the Holocaust

Fashion Merchandising

  • FASH 306 Sustainability in Fashion
  • FASH 455 Global Merchandising Strategies (prerequisite: FASH 265)

Foreign Language and culture

All foreign language, culture, and civilization courses, including foreign literature in translation courses.

Global Studies

  • GBST 392, 393  Special Topics
  • GBST 394-398 Internship in Global Studies (one to three credits)

History

  • HIST 206 Afghanistan and its Wars
  • HIST 242 Introduction to the African Diaspora
  • HIST 252 Modern Europe 
  • HIST 255 Catholic Church in Modern Times
  • HIST 262 History of Russia: The Russian Revolution
  • HIST 263 Eastern Europe and Russia from 1928 to the Present
  • HIST 267 Women in Asia
  • HIST 269 Modern Asia 
  • HIST 271 Modern China 
  • HIST 274 Modern Latin America
  • HIST 280 Modern Africa
  • HIST 285 The History and Political Culture of Ireland
  • HIST 313 The Vietnam War (prerequisite: six credits in History)
  • HIST 318 Drug Trade in Asia (prerequisite: 6 credits in History)
  • HIST 320 American Diplomatic History (prerequisite: 6 credits in History)
  • HIST 349 Modern Germany: Between Dictatorship and Democracy
  • HIST 355 History and Politics of the Modern Middle East (prerequisite: 6 credits in History)
  • HIST 375 Race in Latin America History (prerequisite: 6 credits in History)

Honors

HONR 340-343 Honors Seminar in Global Engagement

Media Arts

  • MDIA 326  Race and Ethnicity in Film (prerequisite: Junior standing)
  • MDIA 422  Topics in Global Cinema  (Topics must be pre-approved by GBST coordinator; prerequisite: Junior standing)

Music

Music 226 Music Cultures of the World

Philosophy

  • PHIL 301 Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 325 Contemporary Continental Philosophy
  • PHIL 340 Marx and Marxism

Political Science

  • POSC 111 Introduction to Comparative Politics
  • POSC 113 International Relations
  • POSC 202 Environmental Politics and Policy )prerequisites: POSC 110 or ENSC 101)
  • POSC 213 Politics of Human Rights (prerequisite: POSC 112 or 113)
  • POSC 236 Politics of Developing Areas (prerequisite: POSC 111)
  • POSC 251 European Politics (prerequisite: POSC 111 or 113) 
  • POSC 271 Nationalism and Communism in China and Taiwan (prerequisite: POSC 111)
  • POSC 280 Model United Nations (prerequisite: POSC 111 or 113)
  • POSC 285 The History and Political Culture of Ireland (Dual listed as HIST 285; prerequisite: POSC 111)
  • POSC 290 International Law and Organization
  • POSC 321 Contemporary Political Theory (prerequisite: one 200-level class from any subfield)
  • POSC 325 International Political Economy  
  • POSC 350 Latin American Politics (prerequisite: one 200-level class from any subfield)
  • POSC 351 African Politics(prerequisite: one 200-level class from any subfield)
  • POSC 353 Comparative Politics of Developing Areas
  • POSC 355 History and Politics of the Modern Middle East -dual-listed HIST 355  (prerequisite: one 200-level class from any subfield)

Psychology

  • PSYC 222 Community Psychology (prerequisite: PSYC 101)
  • PSYC 330 Culture and Psychology (prerequisite: PSYC 101)

Religious Studies

  • REST 209 World Religions
  • REST 215 Religions of India: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam
  • REST 219 Sociology of Religion
  • REST 230 Religion and Politics
  • REST 231 Social Ethics and Economics
  • REST 232 Religion and Culture
  • REST 315 Global Liberation Theology
  • REST 320 Public Praxis I

Sociology

SOC 220 Sociology of Religion - dual-listed REST 219 (prerequisite; SOC 101). 

Marist Campus Special Topics courses

Each semester, some of the Special Topics courses offered by departments on the Marist College Campus may have a global focus that will warrant their approval as a Global Studies elective. Please consult with the Coordinator at the time of pre-registration to petition for additional approval as a GBST elective.

Special Topics Abroad

Before qualifying as Global Studies electives, all  courses taken abroad must first be approved within their home discipline  (History, Communications, Political Science, English, etc) by the departmental chair through the pre-departure process in place at  MIP  (Marist Abroad). Most will transfer back under an existing Marist catalog number that can then be checked against the list of approved Global Studies Electives.

If a chair approves the abroad course to transfer back as a Special Topics in the relevant discipline, please consult with the Coordinator at the time of pre-registration to petition for additional approval as a GBST elective.

If a course is deemed by the chair to be too interdisciplinary in nature to permit an approval within the discipline, the course may still be submitted to the GBST Coordinator for approval as Special Topic Global Studies (GBST 392 - 393).  The course can then be used for the Global Studies Minor, or  to fulfill a Social Science Distributive elective in the Core, or as a general elective towards the 120 credits credits requirement for graduation.