Global Studies Requirements
We are increasingly bound together with people living in diverse geographies, cultures, economies, and political systems. Global studies majors focus on these multifaceted interconnections that shape our world and examine the ways people are linked across the globe through international markets, state and non-governmental institutions, cultural practices, and shared histories.
Students in the program work closely with global studies professors as well as faculty members from other departments to examine transnational issues through several different comparative lenses. The major crosses four disciplines—government, history, economics, and anthropology—and includes extensive language study. With a diverse array of courses to choose from, global studies is highly flexible, allowing students to tailor the program to match their interests. Students dissect varied global issues while focusing on one geographic area and probing global themes, including international relations, economic policy, development, health, and human rights.
Students deepen cultural knowledge and test classroom learning by studying abroad for one or two semesters during their junior year. Working with professors and a representative from the Off-Campus Study Office, students are able to choose from more than 200 study-abroad programs. We encourage students to work through DavisConnects to participate in globally related Jan Plans and internships.
Faculty
Director, Professor Patrice Franko
Associate Director, Associate Professor Nadia El-Shaarawi
Advisory Committee: Professors Ben Fallaw (Latin American Studies), Patrice Franko (Economics and Global Studies), Mary Beth Mills (Anthropology), Maple Razsa (Global Studies), Kenneth Rodman (Government), Raffael Scheck (History), Andreas Waldkirch (Economics), Jennifer Yoder (Government and Global Studies), and Hong Zhang (East Asian Studies); Associate Professors Maria Bollo-Panadero (Spanish), Nadia El-Shaarawi (Global Studies), Britt Halvorson (Anthropology), Christel Kesler (Sociology), Daniel LaFave (Economics), Lindsay Mayka (Government), Mouhamédoul Niang (French Studies), and Arnout van der Meer (History); Assistant Professors Inga Kim Diederich (History), Sarah Duff (History), Nazli Konya (Government), Laura Nuffer (East Asian Studies),Quỳnh Phạm (Global Studies), and Farah Qureshi (Anthropology)
Requirements
Requirements for the Major in Global Studies
Up to 14 courses, including five courses that constitute the core curriculum; three courses focusing on cultures and places; three courses related to themes in global studies; and one senior seminar or appropriate independent study (Global Studies 491 or 492). Within the approved cultures/places and themes courses, students must complete one of the GS-approved courses with a W2 designation. The senior seminar or senior project must be completed during the senior year as the capstone experience. Majors must complete a concentration within the major unless they have a double major or minor where elective coursework is international in anthropology, Chinese, East Asian studies, economics, environmental studies, French studies, German studies, government, history, Italian, Japanese, Latin American studies, Russian, or Spanish.
Majors also must complete the equivalent of two courses beyond the introductory level in a modern foreign language. Students are encouraged to develop language skills relevant to their regional specialization. When appropriate to a major’s specialization, we will consider petitions for the two classes beyond introductory to be taken off-campus if the language in question is not offered adequately at Colby, for example, Arabic or Quechua. At least one semester of foreign study is required, although under exceptional circumstances students with extensive overseas experience can petition the chair and the advisory committee to be exempted. A student must receive a grade of C- or better for a course to count toward the major. No courses listed for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
Note: Students must have at least a 2.7 grade point average by the end of the sophomore year to be eligible for foreign study. Students who do not meet this minimum requirement will not be able to retain their global studies major.
Note to junior transfer students: The College requires that all students spend at least four semesters in residence at Colby. Therefore, to satisfy the semester-abroad requirement for the major, junior transfer students must either stay for a fifth semester or enroll in a summer study-abroad program for at least nine credits (unless the study-abroad requirement has been met in some other way).
Courses Composing the Core Curriculum
Students must take any five of the following six courses: Anthropology 112, Economics 133 and 134, Global Studies 101, Government 131, and History 276.
Courses Approved to Fulfill the Cultures and Places Component
Note that (a) at least two courses must be drawn from the same regional grouping and one course from a different region and that (b) courses must be drawn from at least two disciplines.
Africa:
Anthropology
- 341 Culture, Mobility, Identity: Encounters in the African Diaspora
- 344 Black Radical Imaginations
English
- 366 Writing the Crisis: Post-Apartheid Literature in Focus
French Studies
- 237 Francophone African Cinema
- 238 Introduction to the Francophone World: Africa
- 324 Ideologies of Africans: Negritude, Pan-Africanism and Afroisms
- 361 Creolization, Culture, and Society in the Indian Ocean Islands
- 370 Corps, Espace, et Genre: Postcolonial Space in Francophone Africa
- 373 Writing of Place: Migration, Nationalism, and Memory
- 375 Narratives of Identities in Francophone African Literature
- 397 Francophone Ecocriticism and Postcolonial Theory in Dialogue
- 493B Writing of Place: Migration
- 493F Corps, Espace, et Genre: Postcolonial Space in Francophone Africa
Global Studies
- 316 Religion and Social Change in Contemporary Africa
Government
- 255 Introduction to African Politics
History
- 164 Africans and the Making of the Atlantic World
- 237: South Africa: A History in Five Epidemics
- 266 Introduction to African History, 1800 to 1994
- 297 Children and Youth in African History
- 298A South Africa, Ambivalent Nation
- 298 Slavery in Africa
- 339 South African Women’s Memoir
- 397B Africa in New England, New England in Africa
- 398B South African Women’s Memoir
Asia:
Art
- 174 East Asian Art and Architecture, 1300 to the Present
- 276 Zen and the Arts in Asia
- 377 Japanese Visual Culture
- 378 Chinese Visual Culture
Chinese
- 430 Contemporary Chinese Society
- 434 Docu-China: Advanced Readings in Chinese
- 435 Chinese Women from Mao to Market
- 453 Chinese Food and Culture and Its Changing Landscape
- 455 Talking About Contemporary China
East Asian Studies
- 120 Nature in East Asian Literature and Culture
- 143 Music and Culture in Modern China
- 150 Foundations in East Asian Studies
- 197C Contemporary US-Japan Relations
- 197C Contemporary Chinese Art
- 225 China in Transition
- 231 The Chinese Novel: Vignettes of Life in Imperial China
- 242 Development and Environmental in Contemporary China
- 252 Hell on Earth? Chinese Writers on Modern Chinese Society
- 253 Three Kingdoms in Chinese Literature
- 359 History of Chinese Feminism
- 261 Japanese Language and Culture
- 263 Buddhism across East Asia
- 265 Chinese Philosophy
- 268 Politics of Satire and Humor in Modern China
- 277 Culture of Cuteness: Japanese Women
- 278 Language and Gender
- 280 Topics of Global Cinema: Korean
- 2XX Words from the Floating World: The Literature of Early Modern Japan
- 332 Masterpieces: Modern Japanese Novels
- 353 Globalization and the Rise of China
- 355 Aging and Public Policy in East Asia
- 397 Gods, Ghosts and Goblins: Japanese Mythology and Folklore
- 3XX History of Manga and Anime
- 437 Social Issues in Japan
Economics
- 279 Economic Rise and Future of China
French
- 361 Creolization, Culture, and Society in the Indian Ocean
English
- 237 Postcolonial Pastoral: Ecology, Travel, and Writing
Global Studies
- 234 Postcolonial Asia
Government
- 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
History
- 143 Maritime History of the World
- 144 Patterns in East Asian History, to 1600
- 146 Modern East Asian History, 1600-Present
- 197 History of Modern East Asia
- 235 A Shrimp Between Whales: The Making of Modern Korea, 1800-1945
- 244 Brothers at War: The Two Koreas, 1945-Present
- 250 History of Modern China: Everyday Life and Revolution
- 255 Histories of Southeast Asia: Slavery, Diasporas, and Revolutions
- 297D Revolutionary Culture in Contemporary China
- 298C Taikun to Trump: A History of East Asia and the West
- 351 Desiring Asia: Gender and Sexuality in East Asia
- 359 History of Chinese Feminism
- 377 Imperialism, Decolonization, and Modernity in Southeast Asia
- 397 Global History of Manga and Anime
- 398A Minorities in East Asia
- 398B Maine in Japan
Music
- 275 Cultured Tough Guys: Samurai Devotion, Music, Poetry, and Art
Philosophy
- 265 Chinese Philosophy
- 266 Buddhist Philosophy
Religious Studies
- 111 Religions of India
- 117 A Passage to India: India and the Western Imagination
- 212 Religions of China, Japan, and Tibet
- 218 Global South Asia: Literature, Art, Environment
- 263 Buddhism across East Asia
- 265 Buddhism: An Introduction
- 319 Bollywood and Beyond: South Asian Religions through Film
Science, Technology, and Society
- 223 Asian Science and Society
- 242 Development and Environmental in Contemporary China (see EA 242)
Europe and Russia:
Art
- 257 Renaissance Art
- 278 19th-Century European Art
French Studies
- 223 French Theater Workshop
- 232 French Cultural History I
- 233 France in Transition: Current Issues and Debates
- 239 Paris: Literary and Historical Topographies
- 252 Provocative Texts: A Critical Toolbox
- 256 Film for Thought: The Art of French Cinema
- 323 Holocaust in French Cinema
- 354 Parisian Encounters: Great Loves, Grand Passions
- 357 Illuminating Turns to Science in 19th-Century France
- 358 Passionate Discontent: The 19th-Century Epidemic
- 371 L’écriture de Soi
- 374 Food for Thought: French Cuisine and Cultural Identities
- 376 Shadows of the Past: Remembering Vichy France and the Shoah
- 377 Staging Justice: The Theater of Revolt
- 378 French Revolution and Human Rights
- 379 Race and Gender in Contemporary French Cinema and New Media
- 392 French Intellectuals and the Struggle for Social Change
- 397 Post-World War II France
- 397 Queering the Maghreb in Francophone Cinema
- 398 Time for Outrage: Disenfranchised Subjects, Political Struggles
- 493 Parisian Encounters: Great Loves, Grand Passions
German
- 198B Weimar Culture: Germany Between the World Wars (see HI398C)
- 231 Introduction to German Studies
- 234 German Culture Through Film
- 236 ConTexts in German Culture
- 252 Mission Impossible: Multicultural German Literature and Film
- 263 Weird Fictions (in English)
- 297 Women’s Lit, Culture, Visual
- 297 Unheard of Events
- 298 Banality of Ecocide: Postwar German Environmental Humanities
- 297 Violence, Atrocity, and Trauma: Europe 1914-1945 (see HI397B)
- 297 Law and (Dis)Order
- 342 Contested Subjects in German Culture
- 493: Ideologies and Identities
Global Studies
- 398 Decolonizing Europe
- 457 Insurgent Mobilities Lab: Migrants, Activists, the Balkan Route (see AY457)
Government
- 201j Remembering Germany’s Past: Field Study in Berlin
- 259 Introduction to European Politics
- 262 Political Ideologies and Revolutionary Movements in Europe
- 266 German Politics
- 297 Writers Against the State: Reading the Political Novel in Prague
- 344 Post-Communist Transformations
- 354 The European Union
- 359 Political Ideologies and the New Illiberalism
- GO457 Germany and Europe
History
- 112 Europe Since the Seventeenth Century
- 120 World Revolutions
- 120C Spotlight on History: Genocide in Modern Europe
- 224 Germany and Europe, 1871-1945
- 227 Russian History, 900-1905: Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality
- 228 The Russian Empire: Soviet History and 20th-Century Revolutions
- 297J Europe and the Second World War
- 298C A Shrinking Island? Britain Since 1900
- 314 Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Venice from Beginning to End
- 321 The First World War
- 322 Europe and the Second World War
- 327 Daily Life Under Stalin
- 328 Daily Life Under Putin
- 358 Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Russia
- 397 Violence, Atrocity, and Trauma: Europe 1914-1945
Italian
- 141 Introduction to Italian Literary Studies: Poets, Lovers, and Revolutionaries
- 153 Modern and Contemporary Italian Fiction in Translation in Verona
- 153 Modern and Contemporary Italian Fiction in Translation
- 242 Italian Ecopoetics: Beauty, Loss, Desire
- 255 Modern Classics Italian Style
- 262 Tales from the Margins: Topics in Italian Cultural Studies
- 297 Nature in Italian Literature and Film (in English)
- 346 Geographies of R/existence
- 356 Introduction to Dante’s Divine Comedy (in English)
- 373 Italian Food in Practice: A Hands-on Cultural History
- 375 Introduction to Italian Cinema
- 397 Zine! A Practical Introduction to Contemporary Poetry
Religious Studies
- 182 Jews, Judaism, and the Modern World
- 346 Jews of Germany, Past and Present
Russian
- 113 The Literature and Art of St. Petersburg
- 120 Reel Russian
- 222 Revolutionary Performances: Theater and the Energy of the Unspoken
- 231 Spectacle of Modernity: Russian Fiction before Cinema (in English)
- 232 Modern Russian Literature (in English)
- 237 Narrative and Self in the Russian Empire (in English)
- 237 Spectacle of Modernity: Russian Fiction before Cinema
- 237 Topics in 19th-Century Russian Literature (in English)
- 242 Ethnic Wars and Peace in (Post)-Soviet Cinema (in English)
- 242 Make Russia Great Again
- 242 Ethnic Wars and Peace in (Post-)Soviet Cinema (in English)
- 325 Conversation and Composition: Identity in 20th-Century Literature
- Conversation and Composition: Personal ID in 20th-Century Literature
- 346 Russian Poetry
- 427 Personal Identity in 20th-Century Russian Literature
- 428 20th-Century Russian Novel
Spanish
- 135 Introduction to Critical Analysis: Jews of Medieval Iberia
- 234 Diversity and Racism in Contemporary Spain
- 236 Medical Spanish: Health and Illness in Spain
- 266 Language of Spanish Cinema
- 269 Spanish Cultural Studies
- 362 All about Almodóvar
- 364 Gender, Sex, and the Spanish Body
- 366 Queer Spain
Latin America:
Anthropology
- 231 Caribbean Cultures
- 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
- 242 Anthropology of Latin America: City Life
- 361 Militaries, Militarization, and War
- 365 Space, Place, and Belonging
Economics
- 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
- 297 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy (see GS397)
French Studies
- 236 Introduction to the Francophone World: The Americas
- 351 Minority Issues and Social Change in the Americas
Government
- 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics
- 264 Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America
Global Studies
- 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America (see EC214)
Latin American Studies
- 173 History of Latin America, 1491 to 1900
- 174 Introduction to Latin American Studies
- 272 Mexican History: Justice, Rights, and Revolution
- 275 Strongmen and Populism in Modern Spain and Latin America
- 277 History of the Maya from 200 B.C.
- 298 Popular Culture in Latin America
- 373 Religion and Unbelief in Modern Latin American History
- 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration
Performance, Theater, and Dance
- 251 Tomorrow will be Bigger! Performing Protest in Brazil
Spanish
- 135A Intro to Critical Analysis: Eco-Fiction and Eco-Thought
- 135B Intro to Critical Analysis: Indigenous Latin America
- 135E Intro to Critical Analysis: Spanish in the USA
- 237 Conquest and Resistance in the Americas
- 239 Latin America at the Movies
- 244 Bad Women and B-Films in Contemporary Latin America
- 254 Aqui Estamos: U.S. Latinx in the 20th and 21st Centuries
- 297 Deep Ecology in Human Imagination
- 298 Latin American Theater
- SP 2xx Language Justice and Civic Engagement (Mayans, pending course description)
- 346 Race, Rights, and Land in the Americas
- 347 Latinx Indigeneities and Mesoamerican Borders
- 348 The Afro-Americans: Race, Power, and Subjectivity
- 357 Borderlands Cinema
- 376 Narratives, Artifacts, Monuments Pre-Columbian
- 3XX Mesoamerican Borders and LatinX Indigeneities
- 3XX Environmental Knowledge, Imperialism, and Resistance (Millones, pending course description)
- 498 Abia Yala: Indigenous Resistance, Revolution, and Decoloniality
The Middle East:
Art
- 126 Art and Architecture of the Islamic World, 1258-1914
French Studies
- 397/493J Queering the Maghreb in Francophone Cinema
Government
- 251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation
- 252 Introduction to Politics of the Middle East
- 278 United States and the Middle East
- 358 Comparative Arab Politics
History
- 184 History of the Modern Middle East
- 285 Foundations of Islam
- 362 History of Egypt
- 381 Women and Gender in Islam
- 389 History of Iran
Religious Studies
- 182 Jews, Judaism, and the Modern World
Courses Approved to Fulfill the Theme Component
Courses must be drawn from at least two different disciplines.
Art
- 288 Global Photographies
- 323 The Destruction of Culture
Anthropology
- 211 Of Beasts, Pets, and Wildlife: What Animals Mean to Humans
- 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
- 241 A World in Motion: Cultures of Transnationalism
- 249 Courts, Trials, and the Pursuit of Justice
- 252 Language, Culture, Discourse
- 253 Goods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
- 256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
- 258 Anthropology, History, Memory326 Comparing Caste and Race
- 265 AI and Inequality
- 297 The World at Play
- 341 Culture, Mobility, Identity
- 344 Black Radical imaginations
- 361 Militaries, Militarization, and War
- 364 Toxicity, Health, and the Pharmaceutical Self
- 366 Technocultures
- 374 Public Anthropology
East Asian Studies
- 197C Contemporary US-Japan Relations
- 242 Development and Economic Issues in Contemporary China
- 278 Language and Gender
- 353 Globalization and Human Rights in China
- 355 Aging and Public Policy in East Asia
- 359 History of Chinese Feminism
Economics
- 171 Global Financial Markets
- 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
- 231 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- 279 Economic Rise and Future of China
- 297 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy (see GS397)
- 298 Economics of Developing Countries
- 335 Topics in Economic Development
- 343 Environment and Development
- 378 International Trade
Education
- 228 Women, Children, Gender, and Human Rights
- 324 Elite Schooling in Global Context
- 398 Research Seminar on Global Citizenship Education
- 398A Education and Sustainable Development
- 398B Gender, Education, and Development
Environmental Studies
- 234 International Environmental Policy
- 265 Global Public Health
- 276 Global Change Ecology
- 346 Global Food Policy
- 364 Climate Change, Justice, and Health
- 366 The Environment and Human Health
- 368 Global Climate Policy
- 3XX International Environmental Justice
French Studies
- 297 Indigenous Resistance to Petrocapitalism (in English)
- 373 Writing of Place: Migration, Nationalism, and Memory
- 376 Shadows of the Past: Remembering Vichy France and the Shoah
- 379 Race and Gender in France
- 398 Time for Outrage: Disenfranchised Subject, Political Struggles
Global Studies
- 211 Human Rights and Social Justice in Global Perspective
- 227 Visual Ways of Knowing
- 234 Postcolonial Asia
- 251 Global Displacement: Understanding Refugees and Refugee Policy
- 252 Language, Culture, Discourse
- 253 Goods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
- 255 Global Health: Critical Perspectives on Health, Care, and Policy
- 316 Religion and Social Change in Contemporary Africa
- 352 Global Activism: From Socialist Internationalism to Today
- 298B Global Inequality Internship and Research Group
- 398C Decolonizing Europe
- 435 Memory and Politics
- 455 Humanitarian Intervention
- Insurgent Mobilities
Government
- 231 U.S. Foreign Policy: The Cold War
- 236 International Law and Politics of Human Rights
- 238 Politics of War Crime Tribunals
- 251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation
- 252 Introduction to Politics of the Middle East
- 253 Intro Latin American Politics
- 255 Intro African Politics
- 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
- 262 Political Ideologies and Revolutionary Movements in Europe
- 263 Global Crisis of Democracy and Democracy Assistance
- 264 Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America
- 278 United States and the Middle East
- 332 International Organization
- 344 Post-Communist Transformations
- 354 The European Union
- 359 Political Ideologies and the New Illiberalism
- 361 Advanced International Relations Theory
- 362 Advanced International Relations in Salzburg
- 425 Political Leadership
History
- 120 World Revolutions
- 120C Spotlight on History: Genocide in Modern Europe
- 141 Genocide and Globalization: 20th-Century World History
- 143 Maritime History of the World
- 162 History of the Atlantic World
- 226J Cities from Scratch: A Global History of New Towns
- 229 America’s Whitest State? Immigration in Maine, Yesterday and Today
- 235 A Shrimp Between Whales: The Making of Modern Korea, 1800-1945
- 237: South Africa: A History in Five Epidemics
- 245 Science, Race, and Gender
- 248 Nuclear Vision, Environmental Realities
- 297J Europe and the Second World War
- 298C Taikun to Trump: A History of East Asia and the West
- 321 The First World War
- 322 Europe and the Second World War
- 330 Global Histories of Food
- 331 Slavery and Capitalism
- 341 US as an Empire
- 353 Gender, Sexuality, and Power in Atlantic Slavery
- 356 Cultures and Identities of the British Empire
- 357 Culture Wars: The Global Cold War
- 359 History of Chinese Feminism
- 381 Women and Gender in Islam
- 394 Ecological History
- 398 Atlantic World and Beyond: New England in Global History
- 398C United States as Empire
- 497 Brave New World: Histories of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Jan Plan
- 151 Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
- 231 Economic Development in Conflict Zones
Latin American Studies
- 221 Crime, Violence, and Security in Latin America
- 272 Mexico: The History of Justice, Rights, and Revolution
- 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration
- 398 Cold War in Latin America
Music
- 252 Intro to World Music
Performance, Theater, and Dance
- 246 Art, Money, Labor: The Crisis of Capitalism
- 297 Tomorrow will be Bigger! Performing Protest in Brazil
Philosophy
- 311 Approaches to Global Justice
Science, Technology, and Society
- 223 Asian Science and Society
- 242 Development and Environmental in Contemporary China
- 297 Global Food, Health, and Society
Sociology
- 262 Comparative Perspective on Inequality
- 268 Social Policy and Inequality
- 297 Sociology of Immigration
Spanish
- 135B Intro to Critical Analysis: Indigenous Latin America
- 236 Medical Spanish
- 346 Race, Rights, and Land in the Americas
- 348 The Afro-Americas: Race, Power, and Subjectivity
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- 225 Gender and Politicized Religion
- 343 Decolonize this Place
- 397 South Asian Feminisms
Courses Approved to Fulfill the Seminar Requirement
Anthropology
- 421 Anthropology of Creativity
Chinese
- 435 Chinese Women from Mao to Market
East Asian Studies
- 437 Social Issues in Japan
- 493 Seminar: Advanced Research in East Asia
Economics
- 471 Seminar: Global Production
- 468 Seminar: Challenges of the Anthropocene
- 474 Growth and Work of Nations
Environmental Studies
- 493 Environmental Policy Practicum (if topic is appropriate*)
French
- 493A Post-World War II France
- 493B Writing of Place: Migration
- 493C Minority Issues and Social Change in the Americas
- 493D Passionate Discontent: The 19th Century Epidemic
- 493D Parisian Encounters: Great Loves, Grand Passions
- 493E Creolization, Culture, and Society in the Indian Ocean
- 493G Ecocriticism and Postcolonial Theory in Dialogue
- 493H French Revolution and Human Rights
- 493L Race and Gender in France
- 493M Staging Justice: Theater of Revolt
- 493N L’ecriture de soi
German
- 493 Ideologies and Identities
Global Studies
- 451 Decolonizing Europe
- 455 Intervention: The Ethics and Politics of Humanitarianism
- 457 Insurgent Mobility Lab: Migrants, Activists, the Balkan Route
Government
- 423 National Security Decision Making
- 425 Political Leadership
- 432 Seminar: U.S. Foreign Policy
- 435 Memory and Politics
- 451 Seminar: Political Violence
- 455 Seminar: Conflict and Crisis in Africa
- 456 Civil Society and Social Change in Latin America
- 457 Seminar: Germany and Europe
History
- 414 History of Fear in Europe, 1300-1900
- 421 Research Seminar: Debating the Nazi Past
- 438 Global Commodities: Trade, Networks, and Cultural Exchange
- 497 Brave New World: Histories of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Latin American Studies
- 473 Historical Roots of Violence in Modern Latin America
Russian
- 425 Russian Literary and Artistic Works
- 425 Russian Short Prose
- 425 Culture and Politics
- 428 The 20th-Century Russian Novel
Spanish
- 493 Seminar: Queer Spain
- 497 Seminar: Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
- 498 Seminar: The Afro-Americas: Race, Power, and Subjectivity
- 498 Abia Yala: Indigenous Resistance, Revolution, and Decoloniality
Note: Students can petition the director of the program to count a seminar-style 200- or 300-level course toward the seminar requirement. In such cases, students also will be expected to enroll in Global Studies 491 or 492 (for two credits) to complete an original research paper. Approval of this option is at the discretion of the instructor and the advisory committee. Students may also pursue an approved four-credit independent research project (Global Studies 491 or 492) to fulfill the senior requirement.
Note: Some courses are listed under two or three categories; with the exception of counting courses toward the concentration or a second major (if students have a relevant double major or minor [see above]), no single course can be used to satisfy more than one requirement. A minor must have four freestanding courses not required for the major. Students may petition to include other courses if the course has a substantial international component and is approved by the director and advisory committee.
Honors in Global Studies
An honors program is available in which the student can pursue a yearlong independent research project that also fulfills the seminar requirement; successful completion of this project may entitle the student to graduate with “Honors in Global Studies.” To be eligible, a student must have a grade point average of 3.7 or better in the major at the time of graduation and should submit a statement of intent to the program director by May 1 of the junior year. Students will register for GS483 in the fall; the final deadline for submission of a completed honors thesis proposal is the first Friday in October. See the Global Studies Handbook (online) for further information about procedures, including midyear evaluation and deadlines for completion of the thesis.
Requirements for Concentrations
Majors are required to complete a concentration unless they have a double major or minor in anthropology, Chinese, East Asian studies, economics, French studies, German studies, government, history, Italian, Japanese, Latin American studies, Russian, or Spanish. (Note that managerial economics may not substitute for a concentration.) Students may propose an independent concentration. Concentrations should be declared by the spring of the sophomore year. Students may elect more than one concentration.
Concentrations Focusing on Cultures and Places
A concentration focusing on cultures and places requires completion of the following:
- Four courses dealing with a specific region or cultural grouping such as Francophone Africa. Courses appropriate to each region are listed above under the cultures and places component. At least two of those courses should be taken at Colby. At least one of the four courses must be drawn from the social sciences and at least one other from the humanities.
- A coordination of cultural specialization with study abroad.
- A coordination of the language requirement with foreign study where Colby offers an appropriate program.
- A seminar project or independent study in the senior year that addresses issues in the chosen area.
Thematic Concentrations
Five tracks have been established for thematic concentrations:
- International Relations/Foreign Policy
- International Economic Policy
- Development Studies
- Human Rights/Social Justice
- Global Health
Each track requires at least four courses designated as relevant to the respective field plus a seminar or an independent senior project relevant to the chosen specialization. Note that some of the courses appropriate for these concentrations are not designated as global studies courses. While they are relevant to their respective specialization, they do not count toward the requirements for the major or the grade point average in the major. These courses are designated by an asterisk (*).
International Relations/Foreign Policy
Students must take a relevant senior seminar (or senior paper) in addition to four of the courses listed below, in at least two different programs/departments. Introduction to American Government is strongly encouraged as an additional course.
Anthropology
- 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
- 361 Militaries, Militarization, and War
East Asian Studies
- 197C Contemporary U.S.-Japan Relations
Environmental Studies
- 234 International Environmental Policy
- 368 Global Climate Policy
Government
- 231 U.S. Foreign Policy: The Cold War
- 236 International Law and Politics of Human Rights
- 238 Politics of International War Crime Tribunals
- 251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation
- 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
- 263 Global Crisis of Democracy and Democracy Assistance
- 278 United States and the Middle East
- 332 International Organization
- 354 The European Union
- 435 Memory and Politics
History
- 120C Spotlight on History: Genocide in Modern Europe
- 141 Genocide and Globalization: 20th-Century World History
- 143 Maritime History of the World
- 162 History of the Atlantic World
- 248 Nuclear Visions, Environmental Realities
- 297J Europe and the Second World War
- 298C Taikun to Trump: A History of East Asia and the West
- 321 First World War
- 322 Europe and the Second World War
- 331 Slavery and Capitalism
- 341 The United States as Empire
- 356 Cultures and Identities of British Empire
- 397 Culture Wars: The Global Cold War
- 398C United States as an Empire
Jan Plan
- 231 Economic Development in Conflict Zones
Latin American Studies
- 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration
- 398 Cold War in Latin America
International Economic Policy
Students must take a relevant senior seminar (or senior paper) and take four of the courses listed below; one must be outside of economics and two must be in economics.
Anthropology
- 328 Anthropology of Money
Economics
- 171 Global Financial Markets
- 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
- 279 Economic Rise and Future of China
- 297 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy
- 318 Economics of Global Health
- 335 Topics in Economic Development
- 343 Environment and Development
- 348 Economic Growth
- 378 International Trade
Global Studies
- 253 Cultural Perspectives on Global Economies
Government
- 222 Economic Statecraft in U.S.-China Relations
- 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics
- 332 International Organization
- 344 Post-Communist Transformations
- 354 The European Union
- 357 Political Economy of Regionalism
History
- 162 History of the Atlantic World
- 330 Global Histories of Food
- 331 Slavery and Capitalism
- 397 Culture Wars: The Global Cold War
- 398 Global Histories of Food
- 398 Atlantic World and Beyond: New England in Global History
Jan Plan
- 231 Economic Development in Conflict Zones
Development Studies
Students must take a relevant senior seminar (or senior paper) and take four of the courses listed below, in at least two different departments/programs.
Anthropology
- 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and State
- 241 A World in Motion: Cultures of Transnationalism
East Asian Studies
- 242 Development and Economic Issues in Contemporary China
Economics
- 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
- 279 Economic Rise and Future of China
- 297 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy
- 298 Economics of Developing Countries
- 318 Economics of Global Health
- 335 Topics in Economic Development
- 343 Environment and Development
- 378 International Trade
Education
- 228J Women, Children, Gender, and Human Rights
- 398A Education and Sustainable Development
- 398B Gender, Education, and Development
Environmental Studies
- 265 Global Public Health
- 276 Global Change Ecology
Global Studies
- 234 Postcolonial Asia
- 251 Global Displacement: Understanding Refugees and Refugee Policy
- 255 Global Health: Critical Perspectives on Health, Care, and Policy
- 352 Global Activism: From Socialist Internationalism to Today
- 398B Global Inequality Internship and Research Group
Government
- 252 Introduction to Politics of the Middle East
- 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics
- 255 Introduction to African Politics
- 263 Global Crisis of Democracy and Democracy Assistance
- 332 International Organization
History
- 330 Global Histories of Food
- 346 Global Health History
- 394 Ecological History
Jan Plan
- 151 Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
- 231 Economic Development in Conflict Zones
Science, Technology, and Society
- 242 Development and Environmental in Contemporary China
Spanish
- 135B Intro to Critical Analysis: Indigenous Latin America
Human Rights/Social Justice
Students must take a relevant senior seminar (or senior paper) and take four of the courses listed below, in at least two different programs/departments.
Anthropology
- 211 Of Beasts, Pets, and Wildlife: What Animals Mean to Humans
- 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
- 249 Courts, Trials, and the Pursuit of Justice
- 256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
- 326 Comparing Inequalities: Caste and Race
- 341 Culture, Mobility, Identity: Encounters in the African Diaspora
- 344 Black Radical Imaginations
- 361 Militaries, Militarization, and War
- 366 Technoculture
- 373 Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
Art
- 323 The Destruction of Culture
East Asian Studies
- 353 Globalization and Human Rights in China
Education
- 228 Women, Children, Gender, and Human Rights
- 398B Gender, Education, and Development
Environmental Studies
- 234 International Environmental Policy
- 265 Global Public Health
- 364 Climate Change, Justice, and Health
- 366 The Environment and Human Health
French Studies
- 297 Indigenous Resistance to Petrocapitalism (in English)
- 376 Shadows of the Past: Remembering Vichy France and the Shoah
- 379 Race and Gender in France
- 398 Time for Outrage! Disenfranchised Subjects, Political Struggles
Global Studies
- 211 Human Rights and Social Justice in Global Perspective
- 227 Visual Ways of Knowing
- 234 Postcolonial Asia
- 251 Global Displacement: Understanding Refugees and Refugee Policy
- 252 Language, Culture, Discourse
- 253 Cultural Perspectives on Global Economies
- 255 Global Health: Critical Perspectives on Health, Care, and Policy
- 297 Contemporary Immigration in the U.S.
- 316 Religion and Social Change in Contemporary Africa
- 352 Global Activism: From Socialist Internationalism to Today
- 397 Colonialism, Poet-colonialism, Settler Colonialism
Government
- 217j What Is Europe? Exploration through Film
- 236 International Law and Politics of Human Rights
- 248 In the Streets: Politics of Protest and Refusal
- 238 Politics of International War Crimes Tribunals
- 251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation
- 262 Political Ideologies and Revolutionary Movements in Europe
- 263 Global Crisis of Democracy and Democracy Assistance
- 264 Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America
- 332 International Organization (if papers written on human rights)
History
- 120C Spotlight on History: Genocide in Modern Europe
- 141 Genocide and Globalization: 20th-Century World History
- 229 America’s Whitest State? Immigration in Maine, Yesterday and Today
- 245 Science, Race, and Gender
- 356 Cultures and Identities of the British Empire
- 359 History of Chinese Feminism
Latin American Studies
- 221 Crime, Violence, and Security in Latin America
- 272 Mexican History: Justice, Rights, and Revolution
- 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration
Philosophy
- 311 Philosophical Approaches to Global Justice
Sociology
- 262 Comparative Perspectives on Inequality
- 268 Social Policy and Inequality
- 297 Sociology of Immigration
Spanish
- 135B Intro to Critical Analysis: Indigenous Latin America
- 236 Medical Spanish
- 2XX Race and Identity in Contemporary Latin America
- 346 Race, Rights, and Land in the Americas
- 348 The Afro-Americas: Race, Power, and Subjectivity
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- 225 Gender and Politicized Religion
- 341 Gender and Human Rights
- 343 Decolonize This Place
- 397 South Asian Feminisms
Global Health
Students must take a relevant senior seminar (or senior paper) and take four of the courses listed below, in at least two different programs/departments.
Anthropology
- 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
- 323 Anthropological Approaches to Science and Religion
- 364 Toxicity, Health, and the Pharmaceutical Self
- 373 Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
- 464 Anthropology of Food
East Asian Studies
- EA355 Aging and Public Policy in East Asia
Economics
- Seminar: Health and Global Development
Environmental Studies
- 265 Global Public Health
- 364 Climate Change, Justice, and Health
- 366 Pollution and Human Health
French Studies
- Gender, Body and Space in Francophone Africa
Global Studies
- 255 Global Health: Critical Perspectives on Health, Care, and Policy
- 455 Intervention: The Ethics and Politics of Humanitarianism
History
- 237: South Africa: A History in Five Epidemics
- 497: Brave New World: Histories of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Jan Plan
- 151 Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
Sociology
- 262 Comparative Perspectives on Inequality (partial credit)
Spanish
- 236 Medical Spanish: Health and Illness in Spain
Students can count one course from across the campus that is relevant to the global health concentration but is not formally designated as a global studies course. While they are relevant to their respective specialization, and would count for the concentration, these courses do not count toward the general requirements for the GS major or the grade point average in the major.
Example courses might include:
AR319: Art, Medicine, and Race*
CL154: Ancient Medicine*
PS214: Health Psychology*
SC306: Topics in Epidemiology*
ST114: Introduction to Medicine and Society*
WG120B: Critical Inquiries in Medical Ethics*
WG241: Foundations of Disability Studies*
WG3XXA: Medical Humanities and Critical Studies*
Students should consult the most recent version of the GS courses spreadsheet to see what courses are offered in any particular term.