Global Studies

About this opportunity

The School of Politics and offers a Global Studies Bachelor of Arts degree and a Global Studies Minor. The BA program in global studies examines the causes and consequences of problems that cross national boundaries, and the governance of these problems in social, cultural and economic contexts.

The program's internationally recognized faculty have extensive global experience from a wide variety of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Courses use teaching, research and public policy activities to address current problems and their solutions in various fields, including:

• Economic and social development
• Global cities and urbanization
• Global governance of health and climate change
• Justice and human rights
• Religious identities, rights and conflicts
• World cultures 

Honors Enrichment Contracts

Nearly all Global Studies courses offer honors enrichment contracts, pending instructor approval. You should ask your instructor about honors credit during the first week of class, and meet with the instructor soon after to jointly agree upon a plan for the special project or enhanced work required to fulfill the contract. .

International Experience

Study abroad not only satisfies degree requirements within the global studies major but also helps students develop a portfolio of experience, with research and internship opportunities available in an international setting. Students have the chance to challenge themselves to adapt and persevere under potentially difficult social and cultural circumstances. When studying abroad, students encounter many opportunities to improve their language and cultural competency skills, helping them to effectively communicate across populations.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recommends specific study abroad programs for students majoring in global studies.

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Thesis

The honors thesis is the culmination of an honors student’s undergraduate education experience in Global Studies. All Global Studies honors students must complete an honors thesis or creative project that addresses a global theme. This is typically a paper but students are encouraged to pursue alternative methods of scholarly as long as it supports their future plans. Students wanting to pursue post-graduate education should be sure to include a strong written component in their thesis or creative project design.

Completing the thesis successfully and on-time is a tremendously rewarding experience, but also requires careful planning and preparation. Students work with the Global Studies faculty honors advisors to identify the faculty who can best support their path to completion. They also work with the program’s academic advisor to ensure that they meet all of the requirements of the major in a timely and efficient fashion. Students typically take SGS 492 in the fall semester of their senior year and SGS 493 in the spring. The first provides a block of time to conduct research and begin the writing process while the second is dedicated to completing and defending the thesis. Students should start thinking about possible thesis ideas as soon as possible and should meet with the faculty honors advisor in their sophomore year. SGS 492 is worth 3 credits and can be taken multiple times. SGS 493 is also worth 3 credits and is typically taken only once.

The honors thesis committee consists of an advisor and a second reader. A third reader may be added if the student so desires. The advisor must be ASU faculty. The second can be from another university or from a field outside of academia provided it is related to the student’s thesis topic. A third reader is optional.
 

Academic Preparation

There is no special academic preparation needed beyond the Global Studies curriculum. This includes foundational methods (SGS 305: Empirical Political Inquiry) and statistics (SGS 401: Political Statistics) courses. It is recommended that the student complete these courses their junior year, in advance of the working on the thesis. Note, although statistics is required, it is not required that the thesis use statistical analysis.

Recommended Timeline

Research is driven by one’s interests and the demands of the field – what is relevant and cutting-edge. Thus, you should pursue a topic in which you are interested and have had some coursework and training and which represents faculty expertise.

You should be thinking about your topic and approaching professors as early as your sophomore year and definitely by the first semester junior year. By the end of your second semester junior year you should have an appropriate thesis director and you will submit your thesis prospectus to Barrett. 

Other Honors Opportunities

Barrett students are encouraged to apply to the following programs: 

Arizona Legislative & Government Internship 

Capital Scholars Program 

Policy Design Studio and Internship Program 

Cities, Nationalism, and Borders in Macedonia 

Politics and Culture of Ireland