2023-24 Catalog

Joint Global Studies and Modern Languages and Literatures

The Joint GS/MLL Major is offered jointly by Global Studies (GS) and the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL). The mission of the joint major is to provide students with the talent and commitment to develop advanced proficiency in a language other than English within the interdisciplinary Global Studies major.

Global Studies (GS) is an interdisciplinary program in the College of Arts and Sciences that explores the uneven local, regional and global ramifications of the economic, social, political and cultural processes of globalization. The mission of the Global Studies program is to provide students with an interdisciplinary understanding of globalization and contemporary issues, including global inequality.

The Joint GS/MLL Major combines core areas of focus in Global Studies, such as politics, history, and the global economy with rigorous language and culture study. The joint major differs from the regular GS major because of the much higher standard for language study and the greater emphasis on literary and cultural studies offered by the MLL department.

Students in this joint major program are forward thinking scholars. They are able to work with people from diverse backgrounds, capable of thinking critically about topics from multiple perspectives, and possess advanced language and cultural skills. 

The Global Studies/MLL joint major program promotes international opportunities for students, specifically requiring an intensive immersion that aligns with the student’s language of study. Through an immersive international experience, rigorous classroom collaborations, and engaging faculty and student connections in areas of research and experiential learning, the Joint Global Studies/MLL major program prepares students to be critically engaged citizens of their local, national and global communities. 

 

The BA in Joint Global Studies and Modern Languages and Literatures is outlined below. 

The Joint BA in Global Studies/MLL requires a minimum of 46 credits, in addition to the collateral requirements of minoring in a non-English language and Study Abroad in the target language, described as follows:

Collateral Requirements:
Minor in a non-English language: Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese or Japanese; and
Study Abroad: Students must complete a semester-long, 12 credit study abroad program in a country that uses the student’s target language of proficiency, with at least half of these (6 credits) earned from courses taught in the target language (including language study). Study abroad may be used to fulfill elective or core course requirements when appropriate, or to complete non-English language study.
Required Courses (totaling a minimum of 46 credits), as follows:
Language Coursework at the Advanced Level (4 credits)
French, Spanish, German at 200-level or above
Japanese, Chinese, Russian at 100-level or above
Introductory Course (4 credits)
Introduction to Global Studies
Core GS Courses (1 course from each of the areas listed below totaling minimum of 12 credits)
Culture (choose 1)
Cultural Diversity and Human Nature
Cultural Studies and Globalization
History
Histories of Globalization
Politics (choose 1)
Introduction to World Politics
Comparative Politics
Introduction to Political Thought
Core MLL Course (4 credits)
World Stories Literary Expressions Globalization
GS Elective Coursework (6-8 credits)
Select two additional courses from the current Global Studies elective listing. At least one must be 200-level or above.
MLL Elective Coursework (12 credits)
Select three additional courses offered in MLL department. At least one must be 100-level or above.
Senior Seminar, Economy core (4 credits)
The Political Economy of Globalization
GS/MLL joint majors will enroll in a special section of GS 319 to recognize their unique final research paper requirements. Final research papers will be advised by appropriate MLL faculty and should include at least one primary source in their chosen target language.

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