The interdisciplinary Global Studies program gives students opportunities to explore the impact of interconnected processes and institutions around the world.
The Global Studies Program prepares UT students for careers across international arenas, including policy work in areas like public health, environment, and development. It also builds a solid foundation for graduate studies in areas like international affairs, international law or business, and global civil society.
The program’s wide range of interdisciplinary courses allows students flexibility to tailor the major to suit their personal academic interests and professional goals.
“Global Studies students gain specialties in a variety of subjects —multiple languages, detailed quantitative analysis, international law, cultural studies, public policy, to name a few,” said Program Chair Nathan Reeves, teaching assistant professor in the Department of Sociology. “They acquire a drive to discover and an ability to problem-solve that gives them an edge in whatever they choose to pursue.”
Students learn from renowned faculty experts in disciplines ranging from agricultural science to anthropology to public health, receiving direct support that allows them to thrive in their coursework and in study abroad experiences and international internship programs.
“We see students go on to be lawyers, humanitarians, teachers, and armed service members that, without question, will be more globally informed than many of their peers,” said Reeves. “I have found that many students intuitively find paths that speak to their passions and career goals, regardless of whether Global Studies remains their primary major.”
International Insight Adds Depth to Degrees
Global Studies courses cross over with multiple other concentrations, making it an advantageous double-major or minor for complementary fields like political science, sociology, and geography.
“I am constantly learning from students who bring insights from their own areas of focus,” said Reeves. “They might choose to explore the natural sciences and environmental studies, journalism, media production, or public health. Others embrace the humanities through research in art, literature, and history.”
The undergraduate Global Studies major trains students in languages, multicultural competency, and analysis of transnational economic, social, and political processes.
Majors choose one of three concentrations that emphasize distinct valuable skillsets: Global Society and Culture; Global Politics and Economy; or Language, Politics, and Culture.
The Global Studies minor offers foundational coursework in the program curriculum and pairs well for many students pursuing related fields such as geography, sociology, anthropology, history, or a foreign language.
The recently added Global Studies graduate certificate allows graduate students opportunities to broaden their methodological skillset across their domains of research and creative activity, enhancing chances for academic or non-academic employment.
“This offers graduate students ways to develop a global perspective on their research interests and career goals,” said Reeves. “The program’s interdisciplinary curriculum lies at the intersection of social sciences and humanities, training students in approaches to contemporary global issues that include political economy, regional integration, migration, human rights, climate change, public health, racial formations, global cultures, and more.”
One of the university’s most longstanding interdisciplinary programs, Global Studies emerged in the late 20th century to help students gain skills in navigating the myriad global integrations and disruptions that have defined the modern world. Students continue to respond to the vibrant topics available in the program—the Global Studies introductory courses fill up every semester.
“I think that students want to understand what is happening in the world, and they want to understand why things are the way they are,” said Reeves. “What excites me about the major is that it is a meeting place of people that have a deep theoretical academic focus and rigor for questions of globalization, and people that are on the ground developing real-world solutions.”
by Randall Brown