BA MAJOR & MINOR

Global Perspective

How much of our life is predetermined? Can we avoid poverty or gain wealth largely because of where we live or who are parents are? Are there thoughts that we cannot express (or even conceive of) with our native language? How much is our future determined by our culture, our past, and the place we call home? How can wechangethat? Global studies attempts to answer these and other vital questions.

Are you interested in working with an NGO, becoming a diplomat, being an international entrepreneur, or just having a deep and nuanced understanding of the world around you? If so, then this is the major for you. Geography, geopolitics, ecology, the social sciences, and the humanities are all connected in the rich, interdisciplinary field of global studies.

What You’ll Study

Introductory courses provide an overview of world geography, specific introductions to world regions, and the perspectives of different disciplines. Upper level courses combine some comparative breadth across different regions and disciplines and depth gained from a focus on one region. The major requires you to study language, engage in experiential education through travel, and undertake a senior capstone project.

Refine your interests by choosing a thematic concentration:

Culture, Power, and Place –Explore globalization’s impact on customs and institutions, as well as how such developments relate to contested notions of identity, place, and nation.
Environment & Society –Examine the intersection of politics, the economy, and the environment within the context of globalization.
Peace & Social Justice–Consider the roles of peace, war, and justice in the era of globalization.
The Local & The Global –Investigate contemporary Appalachia in comparative, interdisciplinary, and global frameworks.

We will prepare you to be a responsible citizen of the world by challenging you to understand contemporary global issues. You’ll graduate with an appreciation of the historical and geographical contexts of global inequalities after immersing yourself in research that integrates the humanities, the social sciences, and environmental studies.

Explore Classes in This Program

Get started with an introduction to the broad scope of the interdisciplinary field of global studies. You’ll explore the unequal distribution of humans, resources, wealth, and other phenomena across the globe and examine the root causes and local effects of these geographic patterns. By examining the many ways in which our world is portrayed – in text, on film, and especially with maps – you will start to appreciate and understand the economic, cultural, and political impacts of globalization on human-environment interactions.

Just how does one “think globally?” Globalization is arguably the key organizing construct of our time, yet understanding just what it is and what it means for people and places around the globe is difficult. This advanced course focuses on the concepts, theories, thinkers, and debates in contemporary globalization studies. The course provides a solid grounding in globalization thought as you prepare to undertake your own research in the Global Studies Capstone Seminar.

The Cold War is an excellent lens through which we can see the history of globalization and the power dynamics within the contemporary world system. First, you’ll learn about the international history of the Cold War. Second, you’ll explore the role of popular culture in that struggle through case studies about subjects ranging from literature in Southeast Asia and art in Europe to jazz in Africa and film making across the globe.

还好奇吗?See the Curriculum

Warren Wilson students crave a challenge. I am continually amazed at the enthusiasm with which our students throw themselves into an endeavor, whether it be a physically exhausting service trip or an intellectually stimulating research question. Wilson students tend to say “bring it.”

David Abernathy, Ph.D.

Meet David Abernathy See all Social Sciences Faculty

我喜欢沃伦·威尔逊让我在课堂内外都做自己古怪的自己。如果我不能在教书和学习的同时诚实地做自己，那还有什么意义呢?我能够与这里的学生建立的这种联系是无价的;我总是在向他们学习，总是在挑战，总是和他们一起成长。

Christey Carwile, Ph.D.

Meet Christey Carwile See all Social Sciences Faculty

At Warren Wilson, we have the time we need to know our students as real, complete, complicated human beings, not just a butt in a seat and a name on a paper.

Ben Feinberg, Ph.D.

Meet Ben Feinberg See all Social Sciences Faculty

I like Warren Wilson students because they have a strong sense of social justice. They care about the environment, about what is going on in the world, and want to make our world a better place.

Dongping Han, Ph.D.

Meet Dongping Han See all Social Sciences Faculty

I am fortunate to work at an institution that allows me to split my time between two subjects that I love to teach: mathematics and music. As I am constantly reminded, there is a connection between them, and it is not unusual for me to see some of the same students in my classes in both departments.

Phil Jamison, M.S., M.A.

Meet Phil Jamison See all Social Sciences Faculty

As a professor, I love that Warren Wilson students are unafraid to take risks, to challenge themselves, and to engage a topic or a work of art despite whether it aligns with their opinions or preferences.

Kevin Kehrberg, Ph.D.

Meet Kevin Kehrberg See all Social Sciences Faculty

我相信好奇心是希望的种子。我把教育作为一种培养学生对世界的好奇心以及他们如何参与世界的方法。

Jeffrey A. Keith, Ph.D.

Meet Jeffrey A. Keith See all Social Sciences Faculty

作为印度尼西亚的“世界一流旅行教授”之一，沃伦·威尔逊学院教授西蒂·库苏贾尔蒂正在与詹德拉尔·苏迪曼大学的教员建立合葡萄牙韩国足球断交作研究伙伴关系。

沃伦·威尔逊学院的学生随时准备学习和扩展他们的视野。

Siti Kusujiarti, Ph.D.

Meet Siti Kusujiarti See all Social Sciences Faculty

Work, service, learning… I fell in love with the college, the farm, and the triad. Working with students who share the college vision with such passion and dedication is a daily inspiration.

David G. Moore, Ph.D.

Meet David G. Moore See all Social Sciences Faculty

Indigenous Peoples and Globalization

Leah Havlicek '19 visits ruins in Peru during her semester in Cusco

Jenny and the Hog Drovers

Professor Phil Jamison and students are collaborating with an ensemble from southern China

leaves — 40 Under 40: Erin Rose

Co-Founder and Vice President of Social Equity, ThreeCubed

globe — In the Work Program

The International Programs Crew provides outreach to international students

Meet Our Students

International Experience

“As a Global Studies major, I received a well-rounded education combining politics, cross-cultural studies, language, international affairs, and anthropology. In four years I studied in Brazil, India, and Sri Lanka. I also tutored local ESL students and wrote a thesis on global poverty. Global Studies is for students who want the best of Warren Wilson and the world.”

– Joanne Beer ’05

After graduating in 2005, Jo traveled in Sweden, worked in Chile for a year, then attended a master’s program at New York University’s branch campus in Israel.

Today Jo works in global business development, specializing in combatting international financial crime and money laundering.

You can read more about Jo’s experiences in global studiesin this article from the Christian Science Monitor.

Global Studies

Global Perspective

What You’ll Study

Explore Classes in This Program

Introduction to Global Studies

Thinking Globally: Contemporary Globalization in Context

The Cold War, Globalization, and Popular Culture

Hands-on, All-in

International Experience

喜欢这个节目吗?你可能也喜欢这些。