This major is designed for students who are interested in a liberal arts degree with a concentration in global studies. Featuring both active and collaborative classroom experiences in addition to intensive study abroad/internship experiences, the program is designed for students who wish to develop a set of analytical and interpersonal skills that will prepare them for entry-level employment in a wide range of government and non-profit organizations and agencies and in businesses and industry. Because of the flexible and broad nature of the degree, students might also use this major as preparation for graduate or professional school in business, law, or the social sciences. This program differs most notably from traditional majors in international/global studies by requiring core courses in world literature and intercultural communication, while retaining the traditional foreign language, history, and political science emphasis of most other programs. Study abroad and an internship with an international organization are also important features of this degree.

For the Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies, a minimum of 120 credits is required:

Requirement Credits

General Education

 45

Electives

 6-9

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

 24

Requirements for the Major

 45-48

3 of the 24 credits for Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements are included in the Requirements for the Major, General Education, or Electives and 0-12
credits are included in Electives if foreign language proficiency is demonstrated by examination.

Requirements for the Major: 45 credits
Including 24 credits at the 400 level (9-12 credits of which are included in the prescribed courses, the remaining 400-level courses must be chosen from the Global Regions and Issues requirements below).  A minimum of 3 credits of study abroad (meeting any requirement) and 3 credits of INTST 495 are required for the completion of this degree.  Course meeting major requirements may be taken abroad; however, typically courses taken abroad will qualify to meet a student’s option, internship, and/or language requirements.  Students are required to take a minimum of 18 credits at the 400 level at the Berks campus.

Prescribed Requirements for the Major: 15-18 credits
PLSC 014 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; IL (3) (Sem:1-4)
HIST 320W CONTEMPORARY WORLD HISTORY (3) (Sem: 5-8)
ENGL 403 LITERATURE AND CULTURE (3) (Sem: 7-8)
PLSC 440 GLOBALIATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS (3) (Sem: 5-8)
INTST 495 INTERNSHIP (3-6) (Sem: 5-8)

Requirements for Global Regions and Issues: 30 credits
Select 3 credits from either CAS 271 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION or INTST 100 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (Sem 1-4)

Select 6 credits from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East Regions:
HIST 181HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST, RLST 107 ISLAM, CMLIT 3 INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN LITERATURES, HIST 192 MODERN AFRICA, PLSC 443 ETHNIC CONFLICT IN AFRICA, PLSC 454 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS OF AFRICA, HIST 175 HISTORY OF MODERN EAST ASIA, CMLIT 4 INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN LITERATURES, ECON 473 CHINA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: HISTORY, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY, ASIA 182 ASIAN TRADE: ECONOMY, INDUSTRIALIZATION, AND CAPITALISM IN ASIA (Sem: 1-8)

Select 6 credits from Europe Region:
GER 100 GERMAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION, HIST 120 CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN HISTORY, PLSC 413 RISE AND FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION, FR 139 FRANCE AND THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD, HIST 435 TOPICS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY (Sem: 1-8)

Select 6 credits from Latin America Region:
HIST 179 MODERN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY, HIST 250 INTRODUCTION TO THE MODERN CARIBBEAN, HIST 467 US-LATIN AMERICA RELATIONS, HIST 468 MEXICO AND THE CARIBBEAN, SPAN 131 INTRODUCTION TO IBERO-AMERICAN STUDIES, SPAN 297 SPECIAL TOPICS, SPAN 253W INTRODUCTION TO HISPANIC LITERATURE, SPAN 497 TOPICS (Sem: 1-8)

Select 9 credits from International and Transnational Issues:
CMLIT 153 INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE AND FILM, PLSC 412 INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY, PLSC 487 INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ORGANIZATIONS, INTAG 100 INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE, ENGL 182 LITERATURE AND EMPIRE, HIST 488 US DIPLOMATIC HISTORY,
IB 303 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, PLSC 439 POLITICS OF TERRORISM (cross-listed with CRIMJ 439) (Sem: 1-8)