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 we change that? 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 specific introductions to world regions and the perspectives of different disciplines. 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.

Still curious? 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.

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I believe curiosity is the seed of hope. I approach education as a way to cultivate my students' curiosities about the world and how they can engage with it.

Jeffrey A. Keith, Ph.D.

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As one of Indonesia’s “Traveling World Class Professors,” Warren Wilson College professor Siti Kusujiarti is building a collaborative research partnership with Jenderal Soedirman University faculty members.

Warren Wilson students are poised to learn and to expand their horizons.

Siti Kusujiarti, Ph.D.

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Warren Wilson is the place where both academics and intellectual virtues matter. We are all on a journey together to build a more trusting, empathetic, patient, caring, and connected community, state, nation, and world.

Dr. Susan Ortiz

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Faculty Member Scotti Norman stands smiling outside of Orr Cottage.

The students at Warren Wilson have a keen interest in equality and empathy, and it is a pleasure to explore together how archaeology of past societies can create a more just contemporary society.

Scotti M. Norman

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I love that Warren Wilson allows me to be my own quirky self both in and outside of the classroom. If I cannot be honest and true to who I am while teaching and learning, then what's the point? The kinds of connections I am able to make with students here are invaluable; I am always learning from them, always being challenged and always growing along with them.

Christey Carwile, Ph.D.

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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.

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Indigenous Peoples and Globalization

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

globe — In the Work Program

The Global Engagement Crew provides outreach to international students

Gamelan Ensemble

Students play traditional Indonesian Music

Where will you go?

Ainara Hildago ’22 works as a U.S. College Counselling Fellow at The American School of Greece.

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 studies in 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

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