Global and Regional Studies (General) – Major

The Global and Regional Studies program equips students with the skills (including writing and foreign languages) and the disciplinary tools needed to analyze global and regional issues and challenges. Students can choose from a variety of thematic and regional concentrations in shaping their course of study. The program’s capstone experience provides students with a bridge between their academic and professional pursuits, either by participating in a team-based creation of policy reports and recommendations that are evaluated by external policy experts or by deepening their research and publication skills.

Declaring the Global and Regional Studies Major

Global and Regional Studies is an open major. Students in good academic standing may declare the major at any time. There is no application process. To declare the major, please make an appointment with a Jackson School undergraduate academic adviser.

Major in Global and Regional Studies (General)

Required Curriculum

The major consists of approximately 50 credit hours plus language study within a general four-year B.A. course of study:

Majors are required to maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in courses applied to the major.

Completion requirements:

Competency in a language other than English through the second-year college level (proficiency requirement prior to graduation), plus 50 credits as follows:

1. Introductory Courses: 15 credits (3 courses) from the following six courses:
   • JSIS 200 (States & Capitalism: Origins of the Modern Global System, 5 credits)
   • JSIS 201 (The Making of the Twenty-first Century, 5 credits)
   • JSIS 202 (Cultural Interactions in an Interdependent World, 5 credits)
   • JSIS 203 (The Rise of Asia, 5 credits)
   • RELIG 201 (Introduction to World Religions: Western Traditions, 5 credits)
   • RELIG 202 (Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions, 5 credits)
2. Political Economy: 5 credits (1 course) from list of approved courses or JSIS 300 (Claims & Evidence).
3. Culture, Power & Religion: 5 credits (1 course) from list of approved courses (no overlap allowed with courses chosen in “Concentration I/Themes”)
4. Concentration I/Themes: 10 credits (2 courses) from one of following themes:
   • Culture, Power and Religion
   • Environment and Health
   • Rights and Movements
   • States and Markets
   • Technology, Security and Diplomacy

Refer to website for list of approved courses.

5. Concentration II/Regions: 10 credits in one of the following regions:
   • Africa
   • Americas
   • Arctic
   • Asia
   • Europe
   • Middle East
   • Russia/Eastern Europe/Central Asia

Refer to website for list of approved courses.

6. Capstone Experience: 5 credits (one course) from:
   •  JSIS 495 (Task Force, provides a small group setting for in-depth investigation of international policy issues) or
   • JSIS 498 currently has two options: 1) Advanced Readings, a seminar which includes reading and writing about major texts; and 2) Seminars in Public Writing, which is a writing seminar with relatively less reading and a greater emphasis on editing and workshopping writing for a public audience
7. Minimum 25 credits taken in 300/400 level courses.
8. Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in courses applied to the major.

Make an appointment with our Academic Advisers to learn more!

Learn more about the Jackson School Departmental Honors Program.

Courses