Majors & Minors

GUIDELINES FOR A MAJOR IN GLOBAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES

The Global & Cultural Studies major requires a maximum of 39 credits, leaving opportunity for a complementary second major. Many of the courses within the GCS major can also meet the requirements for the second major, as well as satisfy Liberal Education requirements.

1. Required Course: Introduction to Globalization, GCS 100 (3 credits)

2. Two intermediate courses (6 credits):

  • Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, ANTH 210,
  • and one of the following: Comparative Politics, PLSC 140; International Relations, PLSC 220; or Comparative Economic Systems, ECON 383.

3. Methods course (3 credits) appropriate to area of concentration. Select from the following:

  • Cultural Studies: Field Research Methods: Crossing Cultural Boundaries, ANTH/SOC 311
  • Historical Methods, HIST 380
  • Econometrics, ECON 304
  • Political Methodology, PLSC 280
  • Approaches to Social Research, SOC/SOWK 310.

4. Electives in area of concentration (12 credits, six of which may be taken while studying abroad.) Because of the multiple options available to the student within this interdisciplinary major, it is important that concentrations and electives be made in consultation with an advisor.

  • National/transnational Institutions electives: Introduction to International Relations, PSC 220 (required) Three courses from the departments of business, economics, sociology, political science, religion, or history. No more than two courses should be taken in any one department.
  • Culture electives: one course from ANTH: Peoples of the World series (required). Three courses from either the arts, philosophy, religion, politics and economics, or comparative studies. No more than two course should be taken in any one department.
  • Geographical area electives: Study abroad will be in that geographical area and three electives should focus on that region, each of which should be chosen from a different disciplinary perspective, i.e., history, political science, philosophy, arts, etc.
  • Issues electives: Students should select four classes relevant to their particular interest, no more than two in any given department.

5. Cultural immersion/study abroad (6-12 credits): Ideally, students in the major will study off-campus their junior year, either abroad in their region of concentration or in some other location, foreign or domestic, that would allow them to develop their area of concentration more deeply. GCS majors are encouraged to study an appropriate language through the intermediate level (221 or above). Coursework in a language not taught at Whittier College should be approved by the GCS Faculty Council, in consultation with the Chair of the Department of Modern Languages.

6. Required course: GCS 499 Senior seminar, (3 credits): A senior capstone will bring all of the majors together to integrate their coursework with their cultural immersion experience and to peer review their papers in the major.

 

GUIDELINES FOR A MINOR IN GLOBAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES

The minor in GCS will include 21 credits of the following subset of courses from the major program.

1. Introduction to Globalization, GCS 100 (3 credits)
2. One intermediate course (3 credits) in area of concentration, select one of the following:

  • Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, ANTH 210;
  • Comparative Economic Systems, ECON 383;
  • Comparative Politics, PLSC 140; or
  • International Relations, PLSC 220.

3. One methods course (3 credits) in area of concentration, select from the following:

  • Field Research Methods - Crossing Cultural Boundaries. ANTH/SOC 311
  • Historical Methods, HIST 380;
  • Econometrics, ECON 305;
  • Political Methodology, PLSC 280; or
  • Approaches to Social Research, SOC/SOWK 310 (3 credits).

4. Electives (9 credits) taken in the area of concentration. Courses may be drawn from study abroad experience.

5. Senior Seminar, GCS 499 (3 credits)