GST 2010 - Introduction to Global Studies

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture 3 Lab 0
Course Description: This course introduces students to the basic concepts and various trends, perspectives, and interconnections of a global society. Course activities focus on the growing interdependence of nations and peoples and the global issues that affect these relationships. The course explores global and regional perspectives through such topics as politics, economics, medicine, technology, history, sociology, the arts, and ethics.
MnTC Goals
5 History/Social/Behavioral Science, 8 Global Perspective

Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: ENGL 1020 with a grade of C or higher OR ENGL 1021 with a grade of C or higher.

Major Content

Arts, literature, & culture
Conflicts & war
Ethics & global citizenship
Global environment & energy
Global health and disease
Global inequality & human rights
Globalization: definitions & interpretations
Identity politics : Religion & ideology
Introduction to the global nature of the world today
Local, regional, and transnational activism
Overview of global regions and current issues
Science and technology
Scope, methods, terminology, and approaches of the field of global studies
Transnational institutions
Transnational movements of capital, people, ideas

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:

Explain the concept of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.
Analyze global problems and the cultural, economic, and political interactions that affect possible solutions
Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements that influence relations among states, regions, and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions
Articulate an informed understanding of complex global/regional issues.
Respond critically to global issues that are fundamental to the health and survival of any society.
Discuss individual and human values within an historical and social context.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC): Goals and Competencies
Competency Goals (MnTC Goals 1-6)
05. 01. Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.

05. 02. Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.

05. 04. Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
Theme Goals (MnTC Goals 7-10)
08. 01. Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements which influence relations of states and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions.

08. 03. Analyze specific international problems, illustrating the cultural, economic, and political differences that affect their solution.

08. 04. Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.

Courses and Registration