Global Studies

BACHELOR OF ARTS

On this page: Major Description | Requirements | Learning Objectives | Faculty & Staff | Courses

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The Global Studies (GST) major at the University of Washington Bothell engages students in active learning about critical policy and governance issues that provide insight about living and working in globally-connected environments. Academic and other learning experiences about political and social movements as well as demographic changes focus on theories of nationalism, representation, feminism, and postcolonialism to understand the practice of globalization.

Do courses like Human Rights and Resistance or History of Economic Nationalism sound interesting to you?
Do you want to explore a career in Public Policy, Foreign Affairs, or Humanitarianism?

Purpose

Students in the Global Studies major are passionate about understanding global and intercultural issues that unite or divide people and places. Students spend time in conversation about topics like diplomacy, human rights, and global challenges.

Practice

Courses in Global Studies focus on project-based learning about the political, economic, and cultural forces that shape our regions, nations, and the world. Engagement in research and practice with digital mapping tools and involvement in research help students demonstrate global interconnectedness and interdependency to the public.

Profession

Using their ability to work effectively with global and diverse perspectives, graduates in the Global Studies major serve in business, education, law, social services, security and defense, and public administration across various governmental sectors.

Major requirements

Recommended Preparation

Interested in exploring this major but not ready to commit? Consider taking one of the below courses! Any of these selections will help familiarize you with the academic program and prepare you for advanced coursework in the major.

  • BIS 165 Introduction to Ethnic Studies
  • BIS 183 Introduction to the Middle East
  • BIS 227 Rad Women in the Global South
  • BIS 282 Introduction to Globalization
  • BIS 284 International Relations

Prerequisites

While there are no official prerequisites for this major in the School of IAS. UW Bothell students in good standing can declare a major in Global Studies at any time. Once ready to submit a declaration form follow this link to the IAS Major Declaration Form

Degree requirements

The following degree requirements are required as of Autumn 2024 quarter. Student who enter the Global Studies (GST) major prior to Autumn 2024 have different requirements. Please see your Academic Advisor for questions and academic planning.

  • 10 credits of Composition Coursework
    • B WRIT 133 or B WRIT 134 or ENGL 131 or equivalent (5 credits)
    • B WRIT 135 or ENGL 141 or equivalent (5 credits)
  • BISGST 303 History and Globalization (5 credits)
  • Methods Course (5 credits)
    • See below for approved list of Methods Courses
  • GST Courses (30 credits)
    • See below for approved list of GST Courses
  • Additional IAS Coursework (20 credits)

TOTAL = 70 Credits
*Should be taken in the first quarter of IAS enrollment.

School of IAS Requirements & Polices

  • Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be completed in residency at UW Bothell
  • Cumulative GPA Requirement: Major GPA must be at a cumulative of 2.00 or higher
  • Interdisciplinary Practices & Reflection (IPR): The IPR requirement can overlap with 70 credit major coursework or it can be completed through elective credits. Please see the IPR page for course options.
  • Upper Division Credit Policy: Of the credits applying to the major requirements, a minimum of 35 credits must be completed at the Upper Division (300-400) level.

Courses

A. GST Core Course (GST:CORE)

  • BISGST 303 History and Globalization

B. GST Methods Courses (GST:METHODS)

  • BIS 215 Understanding Statistics or B BUS 215 Business Statistics
  • BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research
  • BIS 340 Approaches to Cultural Research

C. GST Elective Courses (GST)

  • BIS 136 Introduction to Art History
  • BIS 163 The Lives of Objects
  • BIS 164 Introduction to World Literature
  • BIS 165 Introduction to Ethnic Studies
  • BIS 183 Introduction to the Middle East
  • BIS 203 Economics of Gender
  • BIS 218 Power of Maps
  • BIS 224 Introduction to Feminist Studies
  • BIS 227 Rad Women in the Global South
  • BIS 233 Social Media in Context
  • BIS 234 Media, Culture, and Capitalism
  • BIS 235 Critical Media Studies
  • BIS 242 Environmental Geography
  • BIS 249 Introduction to Labor Studies
  • BIS 257 Introduction to Asian American Studies
  • BIS 268 World History to 1500
  • BIS 269 World History after 1500
  • BIS 279 Introduction to Law and Society
  • BIS 282 Introduction to Globalization
  • BIS 284 International Relations
  • BIS 310 Women, Culture and Development
  • BIS 317 Language, Society, and Cultural Knowledge
  • BIS 320 Comparative Political Economies
  • BIS 324 Gender, Human Rights, and Global Cinema
  • BIS 332 Global Digital Industries
  • BIS 339 Issues in Global Cultural Studies
  • BIS 352 Mapping Communities
  • BIS 353 Human Rights in Theory and Practice
  • BIS 363 Politics and Popular Music
  • BIS 368 Asian American Psychology
  • BIS 372 Representation, Colonialism, and the Tropical World
  • BIS 374 Middle East Politics
  • BIS 377 British Literature and the Gothic Novel
  • BIS 386 Climate Change Adaptation Policy
  • BIS 388 Literature in Translation
  • BIS 394 Comparative Economic Development
  • BIS 403 Washington D.C. Seminar on Human Rights
  • BIS 414 Topics in Human Rights
  • BIS 459 Conservation and Sustainable Development
  • BIS 466 Human Rights and Resistance
  • BIS 470 Art, Politics, and Social Change
  • BIS 475 American in Europe (Study Abroad Program)
  • BIS 480 International Study Abroad
  • BISAES 305 Power, Dissent, and American Culture
  • BISAES 364 Public Memory and Dissent in American Culture
  • BISAES 367 Exploring American Cultures: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
  • BISGST 324 International Political Economy
  • BISGST 397 Topics in Global Studies
  • BISGST 497 Advanced Topics in Global Studies
  • BISGWS 302 Histories and Movements of Gender and Sexuality

Learning Objectives

The Global Studies curriculum advances the five core IAS learning objectives. Students taking courses and/or majoring in Global Studies will address the following learning objectives:

  1. Link economic, political and cultural processes that unite and/or divide people and places across the globe.
  2. Identify how power structures are produced through local, national and transnational levels and inform individual and collective experiences.
  3. Practice cultural humility by considering transnational histories and geographies from the lived experiences, creative expressions and intellectual perspectives of marginalized groups.
  4. Recognize and communicate the historical depth of global inequities, systems of power and legacies of resistance.
  5. Collaborate with peers and various community partners in scholarly and creative activities.
  6. Learn creative and critical approaches to pose and address questions about the world, and your place in it.

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Petitions

IAS students may submit an online Major Petition form to request that alternate coursework satisfy a School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS) major requirement. Students must be admitted or declared in an IAS major in order for the online petition to be reviewed.

Submit an IAS Major Petition form