Welcome to Global Studies and International Affairs

What is the program and what will I study?
The world is becoming more interconnected and interdependent every day. It's the people who understand the processes that bring it together and that cause conflict who can play meaningful roles in shaping the direction of change. As a student in Alverno's Program in Global Studies and International Affairs, you will develop your ability to identify and discuss contemporary global issues and also to connect world events to your personal experience.

Alverno College's major and minor in Global Studies and International Affairs offers a multidisciplinary and experiential approach. Classes explore such issues as social change and development in their global context, the nuances of cross-cultural interactions, and the diversity of the perspectives of different societies and cultures around the world. Students learn by doing, such as through attending a national model United Nations, completing an internationally focused Internship, and completing an immersion experience in another culture, either in the United States or abroad. You can choose from a range of international study or internship experiences arranged through Alverno's International and Intercultural Center. All majors take two semesters of a foreign language.

Students in the program have a number of options. You can choose a general program of study or can select an "emphasis" in Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, or International Arts within the Global Studies major. Or, you can opt for a Global Studies minor or "support."

Have you ever thought about...?
Becoming a cross-cultural trainer…In today's interdependent world many organizations, including businesses, not only work across many cultures but they have a multicultural workforce. While this diversity may be key to the organization's success, it may bring with it the challenge of preparing its employees to work in an environment in which different cultures, values, and ways of interacting socially can create miscommunication and even result in conflict. With your global skills, you can help prepare employees for living and working in with people from cultures other than their own and even help prepare them to avoid culture shock if they must work outside the United States. And, given your own ability to work comfortably in many cultures, you could go anywhere!

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