Global Studies

Requirements for the Major in Global Studies

Up to 14 courses, including the 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 as of the Class of 2020 must complete one of the 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 in anthropology, Chinese, East Asian studies, economics, environmental studies, French studies, German studies, government, history, Italian, Japanese, Latin American studies, Russian, or Spanish. (Note that managerial economics may not substitute for a concentration.) Majors also must complete the equivalent of two courses beyond the introductory (usually through 131) level in a modern foreign language. Students are encouraged to develop language skills relevant to their regional specialization. At least one semester of foreign study is required, although under exceptional circumstances students with extensive overseas experience can petition the director 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

Anthropology 112, Economics 133 and 134, 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

French

• 238 Introduction to the Francophone World: Africa
• 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

Global Studies

• 316 Religion and Social Change in Contemporary Africa

Government

• 255 Introduction to African Politics
• 336 Politics of Development in Africa
• 338 Field Study in African Development

History

• 298 Introduction to African History, 1800 to 1994
• 398B South African Women’s Memoir

Asia:

Anthropology

• 339 Asian Pacific Modernities

Art

• 174 East Asian Art and Architecture, 1300 to the Present
• 276 Zen and the Arts in Asia
• 378 Chinese Visual Culture

Chinese

• 430 Contemporary Chinese Society
• 434 Docu-China: Advanced Readings in Chinese

East Asian Studies

• 150 Foundations in East Asian Studies
• 221 Second Language Pedagogy
• 231 The Chinese Novel: Vignettes of Life in Imperial China
• 251 Gender Politics in Chinese Drama and Film
• 252 Hell on Earth? Chinese Writers on Modern Chinese Society
• 253 Three Kingdoms in Chinese Literature
• 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
• 353 Globalization and the Rise of China
• 355 Aging and Public Policy in East Asia

Economics

• 279  Economic Rise and Future of China

Government

• 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
• 355 Winners and Losers in Chinese Politics
• 356 Winners and Losers in Japanese Politics

History

• 250 History of Modern China: Everyday Life and Revolution
• 255 Histories of Southeast Asia: Slavery, Diasporas, and Revolutions
• 297A Modern Japan
• 352 Asian Migrations
• 377 Imperialism, Decolonization, and Modernity in Southeast Asia
• 398A Minorities in East Asia

Music

• 275 Cultured Tough Guys: Samurai Devotion, Music, Poetry, and Art
  

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
• 312 Global South Asia: Literature, Art, Environment
• 319 Bollywood and Beyond: South Asian Religions through Film

Europe and Russia:

French

• 232 French Cultural History I
• 233 French Cultural History II
• 236 Introduction to the Francophone World: The Americas
• 238 Introduction to the Francophone World: Africa
• 252 Provocative Texts: A Critical Toolbox
• 323 Holocaust in French Cinema
• 351 Minority Issues and Social Change in the Americas
• 354 Parisian Encounters: Great Loves, Grand Passions
• 358 Passionate Discontent: The 19th-Century Epidemic
• 371 L’écriture de Soi
• 375 Narratives of Identities in Francophone African Literature
• 378 French Revolution and Human Rights
• 392 French Intellectuals and the Struggle for Social Change
• 493 Seminar (when appropriate)

German

• 231 Introduction to German Studies
• 234 German Culture through Film
• 236 ConTexts in German Culture
• 263 Weird Fictions (in English)
• 298A Environmental Humanities: Nature Philosophy’s Roots
• 342 Contested Subjects in German Culture
• 368 Sex, Madness, and Transgression
• 493 Seminar: Ideologies and Identities

Global Studies

• 451 Justice and Injustice in Global Europe

Government

• 259 Introduction to European Politics
• 266 German Politics
• 344 Post-Communist Transformations
• 354 The European Union
• 359 Political Ideologies and Revolutionary Movements in Europe

History

• 112 Revolutions of Modern Europe
• 120C Spotlight on History: The Holocaust and Genocide in 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
• 321 The First World War
• 322 Europe and the Second World War
• 327 Daily Life under Stalin
• 328 Daily Life under Putin
• 397B Violence, Atrocity, and Trauma: Europe 1914-45
• 398C Weimar Culture: Germany Between the World Wars
• 421 Research Seminar: Debating the Nazi Past

Italian

• 141 Introduction to Italian Literary Studies: Poets, Lovers, and Revolutionaries
• 262 Tales from the Margins: Topics in Italian Cultural Studies
• 297 Nature in Italian Literature and Film (in English)
• 356 Introduction to Dante’s Divine Comedy (in English)

Russian

• 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)
• 242 Back to the Future: Recent Russian Cinema (in English)
• 325 Conversation and Composition
• 346 Russian Poetry
• 425 Conversation and Composition
• 428 The 20th-Century Russian Novel

Spanish

• 135 Introduction to Literary Analysis
• 265 The Short Novel in Spanish America
• 266 Language of Spanish Cinema
• 269 Spanish Cultural Studies
• 273 Contemporary Spanish-America Short Story
• 2XX Cultures of Contemporary Spain
• 338 The Diasporic Imagination: Cubans beyond Cuba
• 352 Don Quijote
• 354 Detectives and Spies: Popular Culture in Spanish-American Fiction
• 362 All about Almodóvar
• 364 Gender, Sex, and the Spanish Body
• 371 The Colonial Experience: European and Amerindian Responses

Latin America:

Anthropology

• 231 Caribbean Cultures
• 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
• 242 Anthropology of Latin America: City Life
• 365 Space, Place, and Belonging

Economics

• 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America

French

•  236 Introduction to the Francophone World: The Americas

Global Studies

• 397 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy

Government

• 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics
• 264 Challenges to Democracy in Latin America
• 456 Civil Society and Social Change in Latin America

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.
• 373 Religion and Unbelief in Modern Latin American History
• 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration
• 473 Historical Roots of Violence in Modern Latin America

Spanish

• 135 Introduction to Literary Analysis
• 265 The Short Novel in Spanish America
• 267 Family/History/Nation: Latina/o Genealogies
• 273 Contemporary Spanish-American Short Story
• 298 Latin American Theatre
• 338 The Diasporic Imagination: Cubans beyond Cuba
• 341 Cities, Bodies, and Nations in Caribbean Literature
• 3XX Imaginary Lines: Immigration, Borders, Movement

The Middle East:

Anthropology

• 246 Religion and Everyday Life in Muslim Societies

Government

• 251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation
• 252 Introduction to Politics of the Middle East
• 358 Comparative Arab Politics

History

• 184 History of the Modern Middle East
• 283 Golden Diaspora: Modern Jewish History
• 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.

Anthropology

• 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
• 242 Anthropology of Latin America: City Life
• 244 Anthropology of Religion
• 248 Anthropological Perspective on Science and Religion
• 252 Language in Culture and Society
• 253 Goods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
• 256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
• 258 Anthropology, History, Memory
• 365 Space, Place, and Belonging
• 373 The Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
• 374 Public Anthropology
• 421 Anthropology of Creativity
• 464 Anthropology of Food

East Asian Studies

• 278 Language and Gender
• 355 Aging and Public Policy in East Asia

Economics

• 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
• 231 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• 273 Economics of Globalization
• 318 Economics of Health and Consumer Behavior
• 335 Topics in Economic Development
• 348 Economic Growth
• 378 International Trade
• 471 Seminar: Global Production
• 475 Seminar: Health and Economic Development
• 4XX Seminar: Growth and Work of Nations

Education

• 324 Elite Schooling in Global Context

Environmental Studies

• 234 International Environmental Policy
• 265 Global Public Health
• 276 Global Change Ecology
• 346 Global Food Policy
• 366 The Environment and Human Health

French

• 373 Writing of Place: Migration, Nationalism, and Memory

Global Studies

• 211 Human Rights and Social Justice in Global Perspective
• 224 Multimedia Storytelling in a Transnational World
• 245 Memory and Politics
• 251 Global Displacement: Understanding Refugees and Refugee Policy
• 253 Gods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
• 255 Global Health: Critical Perspectives on Health, Care, and Policy
• 352 Global Activism: From Socialist Internationalism to Today
• 397 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy
• 451 Justice and Injustice in Global Europe
• 455 Intervention: The Ethics and Politics of Humanitarianism
• 457 Insurgent Mobility Lab: Migrants, Activists, the Balkan Route

Government

• 221 Capitalism and Its Critics
• 231 U.S. Foreign Policy: The Cold War
• 238 Politics of War Crime Tribunals
• 251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation
• 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
• 263 Global Crisis of Democracy and Democracy Assistance
• 264 Challenges to Democracy in Latin America
• 332 International Organization
• 336 Politics of Development in Africa
• 344 Post-Communist Transformations
• 354 The European Union
• 357 Political Economy of Regionalism
• 359 Political Ideologies and Revolutionary Movements in Europe
• 361 Dissident Approaches to International Political Thought
• 432 Seminar: U.S. Foreign Policy
• 451 Seminar: Political Violence
• 455 Seminar: Conflict and Crisis in Africa
• 457 Seminar: Germany and Europe

History

• 120C Spotlight on History: The Holocaust and Genocide in Europe
• 141 Genocide and Globalization: 20th-Century World History
• 245 Science, Race, and Gender
• 321 The First World War
• 322 Europe and the Second World War
• 352 Asian Migrations
• 381 Women and Gender in Islam
• 421 Research Seminar: Debating the Nazi Past
• 447 Research Seminar: The Cold War

Music

• 252 Introduction to World Music

Science, Technology, and Society

• 297 Global Food, Health, and Society

Sociology

• 244 Urban Sociology in a Global Context

Women’s, Gender, Sexuality Studies

• 225 Gender and Politicized Religion
• 397 South Asian Feminisms

Courses Approved to Fulfill the Seminar Requirement

East Asian Studies

• 493 Seminar: Advanced Research in East Asia

Economics

• 471 Seminar: Global Production
• 475 Seminar: Health and Economic Development

Environmental Studies

• 493 Environmental Policy Practicum (if topic is appropriate*)

Global Studies

• 455 Intervention: The Ethics and Politics of Humanitarianism
• 457 Insurgent Mobility Lab: Migrants, Activists, the Balkan Route

Government

• 432 Seminar: U.S. Foreign Policy
• 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

Languages

• Senior-level seminar (if topic is appropriate*)

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 3.5 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 deadline 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
Four tracks have been established for thematic concentrations:

• International Relations/Foreign Policy
• International Economic Policy
• Development Studies
• Human Rights/Social Justice

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

Economics

• 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
• 273 Economics of Globalization
• 335 Topics in Economic Development
• 378 International Trade

Global Studies

• 245 Memory and Politics

Government

• 231 U.S. Foreign Policy: The Cold War
• 238 Politics of War Crime Tribunals
• 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
• 263 Global Crisis of Democracy and Democracy Assistance
• 264 Challenges to Democracy in Latin America
• 332 International Organization
• 344 Post-Communist Transformations
• 354 The European Union
• 357 Political Economy of Regionalism
• 359 Political Ideologies and Revolutionary Movements in Europe
• 361Dissident Approaches to International Political Thought
• 432 Seminar: U.S. Foreign Policy

History

• 120C Spotlight on History: The Holocaust and Genocide in Europe
• 141 Genocide and Globalization: 20th-Century World History
• 322 Europe and the Second World War
• 447 Research Seminar: The Cold War

Latin American Studies

• 275 Strongmen and Populism in Modern Spain and Latin America
• 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration

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

• 253 Goods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
• 256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power

Economics

• 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
• 273 Economics of Globalization
• 279 Economic Rise and Future of China
• 335 Topics in Economic Development
• 348 Economic Growth
• 378 International Trade
• 471 Seminar: Global Production
• 475 Seminar: Health and Economic Development

Global Studies

• 253 Goods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
• 397 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy

Government

• 221 Capitalism and Its Critics
• 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics
• 332 International Organization
• 344 Post-Communist Transformations
• 354 The European Union
• 357 Political Economy of Regionalism
• 454 Politics of Development: State, Society, and Markets

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
• 253 Goods, Gifts, and Globalizing Consumers
• 256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
• 421 Anthropology of Creativity
• 464 Anthropology of Food

Economics

• 214 Economic Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America
• 279 Economic Rise and Future of China
• 335 Topics in Economic Development
• 378 International Trade
• 471 Seminar: Global Production
• 475 Seminar: Health and Economic Development

Environmental Studies

• 265 Global Public Health
• 276 Global Change Ecology

Global Studies

• 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
• 397 Topics in Latin American Economic Policy

Government

• 221 Capitalism and Its Critics
• 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
• 264 Challenges to Democracy in Latin America
• 332 International Organization
• 336 Politics of Development in Africa
• 451 Seminar: Political Violence
• 454 Seminar: Politics of Development: State, Society, and Markets

History

• 352 Asian Migrations

Sociology

• 274 Social Inequality and Power

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

• 236 Illegal Drugs, Law, and the State
• 242 Anthropology of Latin America: City Life
• 256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
• 341 Culture, Mobility, Identity: Encounters in the African Diaspora
• 373 Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
• 374 Public Anthropology
• 421 Anthropology of Creativity
• 464 Anthropology of Food

Environmental Studies

• 265 Global Public Health
• 366 The Environment and Human Health

Global Studies

• 211 Human Rights and Social Justice in Global Perspective
• 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
• 457 Insurgent Mobility Lab: Migrants, Activists, the Balkan Route

Government

• 238 Politics of War Crimes Tribunals
• 264 Challenges to Democracy in Latin America
• 272* Modern Political Theory
• 332 International Organization (if papers written on human rights)
• 355 Winners and Losers in Chinese Politics
• 356 Winners and Losers in Japanese Politics
• 451 Seminar: Political Violence
• 456 Seminar: Civil Society and Social Change in Latin America

History

• 141 Genocide and Globalization: 20th-Century World History
• 245 Science, Race and Gender

Latin American Studies

• 272 Mexican History: Justice, Rights, and Revolution
• 378 U.S. in Latin America: Intervention, Influence, Integration

Sociology

• 252 Race, Ethnicity, and Society
• 274* Social Inequality and Power

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

• 225 Gender and Politicized Religion
• 311* Feminist Theories and Methodologies
• 397 South Asian Feminisms