Global Studies, BA

Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies (300106BA)

Global Studies is an multidisciplinary major within the College of Arts and Sciences that includes the humanities, social sciences, languages, and the natural sciences and prepares students to understand and appreciate the interconnected and interdependent nature of the local, national, and international communities that they will enter after graduation by developing a global mindset in relation to the academic, cultural, linguistic, and professional dimensions of a global environment.

Program Contact:
Yang Lin, Ph.D.
Director
Professor of Communication
Email: GlobalStudies@uakron.edu
Office: 411A, College of Arts & Sciences Building (CAS)

The following information has official approval of The Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences, but is intended only as a supplemental guide. Official degree requirements are established at the time of transfer and admission to the degree-granting college. Students should refer to the Degree Progress Report (DPR) which is definitive for graduation requirements. Completion of this degree within the identified time frame below is contingent upon many factors, including but not limited to: class availability, total number of required credits, work schedule, finances, family, course drops/withdrawals, successfully passing courses, prerequisites, among others. The transfer process is completed through an appointment with your academic advisor.

Requirements

Summary

General Education Requirements36
College of Arts & Sciences Requirements14
Mindset Courses12
Language Courses9
Elective Categories and Courses18
Additional Credits for Graduation *31
Total Hours120
*

Bachelor's degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation

General Education Courses

Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree must complete the following General Education coursework. Diversity courses may also fulfill major or Breadth of Knowledge requirements. Integrated and Applied Learning courses may also fulfill requirements in the major.
Academic Foundations12
Mathematics, Statistics and Logic: 3 credit hours
Speaking: 3 credit hours
Writing: 6 credit hours
Breadth of Knowledge 22
Arts/Humanities: 9 credit hours
Natural Sciences: 7 credit hours
Social Sciences: 6 credit hours
Diversity
Domestic Diversity
Global Diversity
Integrated and Applied Learning2
Select one class from one of the following subcategories:
Complex Issues Facing Society
Capstone
Review the General Education Requirements page for detailed course listings.
Total Hours36

College of Arts & Sciences Requirements

Degree requirements in Arts & Sciences include the demonstration of ability to use another language by completion of the second year of a foreign language.
Foreign Language14
101 Beginning I
102 Beginning II
201 Intermediate I
202 Intermediate II
Survey of Deaf Culture in America (American Sign Language option only)
Students must also complete a minimum of 40 credits (excluding workshops) consisting of either:
Upper-level (300/400) courses both in and outside of the student’s major;
or other courses outside the major department approved by the student’s major department chair (permission should be obtained prior to enrollment); these may not include workshops

Mindset Courses

Students must include at least three different disciplines from among these options. At least three credits must be at the 300 level12
World Politics & Government
Human Diversity
Special Topics: Literature & Language
World Regional Geography
Geography of Cultural Diversity
Humanities in the World since 1300
Philosophy of World Religions
Global History: Encounters and Conflicts
Philosophy of International Law
Population, Environment, and Health
Intercultural Communication
Total Hours12

Language Courses

Students must choose at least nine credits at or above the 300 level in the same modern international language.9

Education Abroad 

Students will participate in an education-abroad opportunity of at least one semester (or its equivalent) in length and which include courses and course credit that may be applied in fulfillment of appropriate Elective Categories and/or Language requirements, provided that they are transferable and meet with the approval of the program director.

Experiential Courses 

If they are unable to participate in a study-abroad experience, some students may be allowed to fulfill that requirement and earn credit from a university-approved community-based experience that includes global content and related opportunities at the discretion of the program director. That credit may be applied toward the fulfillment of elective credit for this program, provided that it is consistent with one of the Elective Categories.

 Internship

An internship may be used for Elective credit (the number of credits is flexible, though often 3 credits are earned) at the discretion of the program director, provided that its focus and activity is primarily related to a global theme and it conforms to one of the Elective Categories. Examples of internships can include service at institutions such as the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Council on Foreign Relations, the World Health Organization, an embassy or consulate, or a legislative committee dedicated to international activity and affairs.

Elective Categories and Courses

Students must choose their electives from within one of the following Concentrations and those courses must include at least two different disciplines. At least nine credits must be at the 300 level or higher and at least an additional three credits must be at the 400 level.18
Global Health
Human Evolution
Medicine & the Humanities
Evolution and Human Behavior
Medical Anthropology
Science and Technology in World History
Spanish Conversation: Health Professions & First Responders
Spanish Composition: Health Professions & First Responders
Food Ethics
Biomedical Ethics
Environmental Ethics
Philosophy of Science
Global Public Health Threats
Sociology of Health & Illness
Global Justice and Inequality
Indians of North America
Globalization and Culture
Anthropology of Sex and Gender
World Literatures
Modern European Fiction
International Poetry
Global History: Encounters and Conflicts
Spanish Conquest and Colonization of the Americas
Modern Latin America
The Vietnam War
Gender and Culture in China
Imperial Spain, 1469-1700
Modern India
Nazi Germany
The United States as a World Power
African-American Social & Intellectual History
African-American Women's History
Central America & the Caribbean
Ottoman State and Society
Race, Nation, and Class in the Middle East
Philosophy of World Religions
Philosophy of International Law
Philosophy of Race & Ethnicity
Philosophy of Law
Comparative Politics
Developing States in World Politics
International Law
European Politics
Politics of Developing Nations
World Politics in Film
Comparative Constitutional Law
International Security Policy
Wealth and Power Among Nations
Social Inequalities
Sociology of Law
Family Violence
Communities, Conflict, and Human Flourishing
The Literature of Greece
The Literature of Rome
Magic, Myth, & Religion
European Background of English Literature
Special Topics: Literature & Language
World Civilizations: China
World Civilizations: Japan
World Civilizations: Southeast Asia
World Civilizations: India
World Civilizations: Middle East
World Civilizations: Africa
World Civilizations: Latin America
Global Societies: Africa
Global Societies: India
Global Societies: Japan
Global Societies: Latin America
Global Societies: Middle East
Modern China
Modern East Asia
Europe from World War I to the Present
Women in Modern Europe
Modern Africa
Russia Since 1801
France from Napoleon to Degaulle
Islamic Fundamentalism & Revolution
Selected Topics: European History
History of Women in Latin America
History of Brazil Since 1500
Churchill's England
Special Studies: European History
Women and Gender in Middle Eastern Societies
Arabic Culture through Film
Arabic Media
Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature
Cultural Readings in Arabic
Chinese Culture Through Film
Chinese Conversation Through Media
Japanese Culture through Film
Contemporary French and Francophone Cultures
Contemporary French Society
French Cinema
20th Century French Literature
Contemporary Quebec
Hispanic Culture through Film
Survey of Hispanic Literature: Spain
Survey of Hispanic Literature: Spanish-America
Cultural Politics in the River Plate
20th Century Spain: The Avant-Garde in Literature & Art
Spanish Civil War & its Cultural Impact
20th Century Spanish-American Novel
Women in 20th Century Hispanic Literature
Hispanic Culture: Spain
Hispanic Culture: Spanish America
Philosophy of Science and Religion
Existentialism
Philosophy of Feminism
Psychology of Diversity
Sociology of Women in Global Society
Race & Ethnic Relations
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Experiencing Theatre
Introduction to the Visual Arts of World Theatre
History of Theatre and Dramatic Literature: 1800 to Present
History of Performance and New Media
Border Crossings and Migration
Introduction to Pan-African Studies
Human Cultures
Human Diversity
World Regional Geography
Geography of the United States & Canada
Africa South of the Sahara
Latin America
Europe
Asia
Political Geography
American Immigration
Selected Topics: North American History
History of Canada
Latin America and the United States
Mexico
History, Communities, and Memory
Arabic Cultural Experience Abroad
Chinese Cultural Experience Abroad
French/Francophone Cultural Experience Abroad
Spanish/Spanish-American Cultural Experience
Philosophy of Language
Eastern Philosophy
Population, Environment, and Health
Intercultural Communication
Multi-Cultural Theatre
Environment, Energy, and Innovation
Physical & Environmental Geography
Environmental Planning
Earth Science
Geology of Energy Resources
Introduction to Environmental Science
American Environmental History
Law and Morality
Digital Ethics
Engineering Ethics
Neuroethics
Social Entrepreneurship
Environmental Security and Climate Politics
Multiplatform Production
Global Human Origins
Women in Ancient Greece and Rome
Primates: Behavior, Morphology and Evolution
Human Paleontology: The Australopithecines
Human Paleontology: Genus Homo
Seminar: Human Origins
The Anthropology of Food
Historical Archaeology
Archaeology of Greece
Archaeology of Rome
Egyptology
Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology
Empires of the Ancient World
Humanities in the Western Tradition from Ancient Times to 1500
The Ancient Near East
History of Ancient Philosophy
History of Medieval Philosophy
History of Modern Philosophy
Security and Diplomacy
Europe from Revolution to World War, 1789-1914
The Crusades through Arab Eyes
United States Military History
Modern Iran
Iraq in Historical Perspective
Japan & the Pacific War, 1895-1945
Europe in the French Revolutionary Era-1789-1815
Advanced Topics in Ethics
Biomedical Ethics
Business Ethics
Ethics of Policing
World Politics & Government
Modern Political Thought
International Politics & Institutions
American Foreign Policy Process
Law, Mediation, and Violence
Terrorism: Perpetrators, Politics and Response
Future International Threats
Crime, Punishment, Politics: A Comparative Perspective
Political Extremism & Violence
Politics in the Middle East
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Al Qaeda and ISIS
National Security Intelligence
Counterterrorism
Intelligence Analysis
Human Rights in World Politics
Policy Problems in Political Science
Social Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Psychology of Hate
Total Hours18

Recommended Sequence

Plan of Study Grid
1st Year
Fall SemesterHours
ENGL:111 English Composition I 1 3
XXXX:101Beginning Foreign Language I 4
Speaking Requirement 3
Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic Requirement 3
Mindset Elective 2 3
 Hours16
Spring Semester
ENGL:112 English Composition II 1 3
Arts Requirement 3
XXXX:102Beginning Foreign Language Requirement 4
Mindset Elective 2 3
Concentration Elective 3 3
 Hours16
2nd Year
Fall Semester
XXXX:201Intermediate Foreign Language I 3
Social Science Requirement 3
Natural Science Requirement 3
Mindset Elective 2 3
Concentration Elective 3 3
 Hours15
Spring Semester
Social Sciecne Requirement 3
Natural Science w/ Lab Requirement 4
XXXX:202Intermediate Foreign Language II 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXMindset Elective (Upper-Level) 2 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXConcentration Elective (Upper-Level) 3 3
 Hours16
3rd Year
Fall Semester
Humanities Requirement 3
XXXX:3xx/4xxConcentration Elective (upper level) 3 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXUpper-Level Foreign Language 3
General Elective 4 3
General Elective 4 3
 Hours15
Spring Semester
Arts/Humanities Requirement 3
Domestic Diversity Requirement 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXConcentration Elective (Upper-Level) 3 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXUpper-level Foreign Language 3
General Elective 4 3
 Hours15
Summer Semester
Study Abroad Summer Session 3
 Hours3
4th Year
Fall Semester
Global Diversity Requirement 3
XXXX:4XXConcentration Elective 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXUpper-Level Foreign Language 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXUpper-Level Elective 4 3
 Hours12
Spring Semester
Complex Issues Requirement 3
XXXX:3XX/4XXUpper-Level Electives 4 9
 Hours12
 Total Hours120
1

ENGL:111 and ENGL:112 are the recommended classes to meet the General Education Writing Requirement

2

Mindset course - Students must include at least three different disciplines from the Mindset Courses options; at least 3 hours at the 300 level. 

3

Students must choose 18cr of electives from within one of the following concentrations:

  • Global Health
  • Global Justice and Inequality
  • Communities, Conflict, and Human Flourishing
  • Border Crossings and Migration
  • Environment, Energy, and Innovation
  • Global Human Origins
  • Security and Diplomacy

Elective courses must include at least two different disciplines. At least 9cr must be at the 300 level or higher and at least an additional 3cr must be at the 400 level. See list of concentration electives below.

4

Degree requirements in Arts & Sciences include a minimum of 40 credits of 300/400 level courses (excluding workshops) consisting of either:

  • Upper level (300/400) courses both in and outside the student’s major
  • Any courses outside the major department as specified in and approved by the student’s major department chair (permission should be obtained prior to enrollment) except workshops
  • If requirement has been satisfied by previous coursework, credits should still be filled as general electives.