Arizona State University: School of Global Studies

The School of Global Studies at ASU serves global, national, local and academic communities by spearheading new intellectual perspectives that work toward solving the problems that arise when people seek a higher quality of life in shared and contested global space.  

Contestation in global space has been studied within many social science disciplines; however, the problems are complex and beyond the purview of a single discipline. For this reason, the School of Global Studies at ASU differs from peer programs in at least four respects:

• We combine multiple area expertise with an analytical focus on global problems. We see many of the problems facing the world today as interrelated and shaped by common global conditions and hence do not concentrate on particular geographical areas or problems in isolation.

• At the same time, we appreciate that these problems are shaped by history and take different forms in different localities and cultures. The faculty is a blend of social scientists, humanists and practitioners.

• Because the problems are multifaceted, we bring together many intellectual disciplines, local and regional expertise and theoretical perspectives, working together to create methodologically integrated forms of analysis.

• We pursue a mode of work that integrates intellectual inquiry and action.

A number of faculty are shared with other programs, and some have other tenure homes.  There are 10 FTE faculty members.

BA

The Master of Advanced Studies is under development.

Sociology

Anthropology

Economics

Law

Geography

Political Science

Human Development

City and Regional Planning

Far Eastern Language and Literature

The BA in Global Studies requires 45 semester hours in global studies and track courses. At least 18 hours must be in the upper division.

Required courses

SGS 101 Thinking Globally: The Individual and Authority (3)

SGS 102 Thinking Globally: Technology and Nature in World Settings (3)

SGS 103 Contemporary Global Trends (3)

SGS 394 ST: Professional Development (career courses) (6)

SGS 394 ST: Research Methods (3)

SGS 484 Study Abroad/Internship (6)

SGS 494 ST: Capstone (6)

Required courses total 30

Track course options* (15)

Program total 45

* 2008-09 students must select a track from the following options:  governance, urban systems, development, environment or violence, conflict and human rights.  At least nine semester hours
must be in the upper division, and a three-semester-hour statistics course is required.

There are two primary academic year periods.  Fall semester begins in late August and runs through December.  Spring semester begins in mid-January and runs till early May.  Summer sessions include 2 five-week sessions (June-July and July-August) and an 8 week session from June to July.  Winter sessions occur in December and January.

The School of Global Studies had seven majors in Spring 2006.  By fall of 2008, a total of 320 majors is expected.