Global Studies Minor

The global studies minor is open to Stanford undergraduates from any major and offers an interdisciplinary pathway to explore global issues through one of seven regional specializations. Students engage in in-depth language study while situating their coursework within a broader global context.

Requirements

All students must complete 28 units, including one globally-focused core course (typically 3–5 units) that centers their subplan work in a larger global context. First-year students should plan to take COLLEGE 119: Making of the Modern World, which fulfills both the global studies minor and COLLEGE global perspectives requirements. Those students unable to take COLLEGE 119 should, in consultation with their subplan advisor, select a replacement course from a pre-approved list that draws from a wide range of academic disciplines and may change from year to year. Students should consult the list for the most current offerings and any prerequisites, and are encouraged to take their globally-focused core course early in their career. If a student wishes to use a course not on the pre-approved list, they may petition to do so by contacting their subplan advisor. The remaining units are unique to each specialization, and students participating in the Bing Overseas Studies Program are especially encouraged to enroll.

Students from any major who are interested in the global studies minor should consult the relevant specialization advisor or the executive director of Stanford Global Studies. To declare the minor with one of seven specializations, students must:

  1. Set up an appointment with the appropriate specialization adviser (see appropriate specialization page for contact information).  
  2. Declare the global studies minor and subplan in Axess.

Who to contact

Dr. Katherine Kuhns, Executive Director, Stanford Global Studies

kkuhns [at] stanford.edu (kkuhns[at]stanford[dot]edu)

Encina Commons, Room 128C

Gateway courses for the global studies minor

First-year students should plan to take COLLEGE 119: Making of the Modern World, which fulfills both the global studies minor and COLLEGE global perspectives requirements. In this course, students will examine globalism and globalization in historical and contemporary contexts; engage with theoretical frameworks and a range of case studies from a variety of national/regional contexts; and use these to analyze global economic, political, environmental, and socio-cultural networks, trends, and issues, exploring the interconnectedness of the local and the global. They will consider how universal is the human experience and how the answer to this question might impact the future of humanity.

Those students unable to take COLLEGE 119 should, in consultation with their subplan advisor, select a replacement course from a pre-approved list that draws from a wide range of academic disciplines and may change from year to year.

FAQ

What is global studies?

Global studies builds on the rich tradition of area studies: the interdisciplinary study of world regions and their intersecting cultures, languages, histories, politics, environments, and societies. By drawing on multiple fields, from human biology and earth sciences to music and engineering, students gain a nuanced understanding of their chosen world region and its place within an interconnected world.

How does the global studies minor differ from other international-related programs at Stanford?

Global studies builds upon the long tradition of area studies, and offers a pathway to study different world regions—and their intersecting cultures, languages, histories, politics, art, technologies, and societies—within a larger global context. The global studies minor is open to students from any major, and is comprised of seven subplans (African; European; Iranian; Islamic; Latin American; South Asian; and Russian, East European & Eurasian studies) that enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of a particular region, and to do so as part of a cohort developing language skills and area expertise in a comparative global context. While departments such as history, political science, and religious studies offer students an opportunity to explore regional interests, the global studies minor gives students a unique opportunity to deeply engage with a world area, as well as to put their studies in a larger global context through a common core course. 

Stanford offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major and minor in international relations (IR), which focuses on the changing political, economic, and cultural relations within the international system of the modern era by using the nation-state as the main unit of study. The program explores how global, regional, and domestic factors influence relations between actors on the world stage (i.e., nation-state governments, United Nations, international non-governmental organizations). Students are equipped with both the foundational skills and specific knowledge necessary to analyze the choices and challenges that arise in this arena.

While IR is primarily situated within a social science framework, global studies encourages humanistic, social science, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Moreover, while regional specialization is included in IR electives, the focus is not on immersion within specific regions.

Stanford also offers degrees in French and Italian, Iberian and Latin American Cultures, German Studies, and Slavic Languages and Literatures through the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages (DLCL). DLCL brings together scholars and teachers dedicated to the study of literatures, cultures, and languages from humanistic and interdisciplinary perspectives. It is distinguished by its intense focus on the mastery of languages and wide variety of approaches to literary conventions and cultural practices.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford is dedicated to the study of the languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures of East Asia. The department prepares students for B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Chinese and Japanese, and has a program in Korean language. The undergraduate minor in East Asian languages and cultures has been designed to give students majoring in other departments an opportunity to gain a substantial introduction to Chinese (Mandarin) or Japanese language, as well as an introduction to the culture and civilization of East Asia.

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