Catalog Year: 2023-2024
Banner Code: LA-BA-GLOA-MCC
Global affairs is an interdisciplinary major that introduces students to the processes of globalization that affect all societies. Students gain a sophisticated understanding of complex issues such as terrorism, refugee crises, global inequality, and health and environmental challenges. Core courses in the major provide a knowledge foundation of the political, economic, cultural, and environmental processes in our global and globalizing world. The choice of a thematic or regional concentration helps students tailor the degree to their particular interests and career goals. Students in this program are encouraged to participate in study abroad opportunities and internships. They can complement their major with a second major or a minor.
This is a Green Leaf program.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on program requirements and courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes. Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.
Highly qualified students may pursue advanced work leading to graduation with honors in the major. Global affairs majors who have completed 75 credits with an overall GPA of 3.50 and a GPA of 3.50 in courses for the major are eligible to apply to graduate with honors.
Students pursuing honors in the major must complete the two-course honors sequence, GLOA 491 Honors Seminar in Global Affairs and GLOA 492 Honors Research Project in Global Affairs (Mason Core), with a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the sequence. Not all applicants who meet the minimum requirements are guaranteed acceptance.
Total credits: minimum 120
This is a Green Leaf program.
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
GLOA 101 | Introduction to Global Affairs (Mason Core) | 3 |
CONF 340 | Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution (Mason Core) | 3 |
CULT 320 | Globalization and Culture (Mason Core) | 3 |
ECON 385 | International Economic Policy | 3 |
EVPP 337 | Environmental Policy Making in Developing Countries | 3 |
GOVT 322 | International Relations Theory 1 | 3 |
Total Credits | 18 |
Note the prerequisite for this course: GOVT 132 Introduction to International Politics (Mason Core) or GOVT 133 Introduction to Comparative Politics (Mason Core)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Select one of the following: | ||
Global Affairs Capstone (Mason Core) | ||
Honors Research Project in Global Affairs (Mason Core) |
All BA students in CHSS are required to demonstrate intermediate proficiency in one foreign language1. To fulfill the Global Affairs foreign language requirement, students can continue the study of one language beyond the intermediate proficiency level required for all BA degrees in the college or choose to study other languages. After demonstrating intermediate proficiency in one foreign language, an additional six credits of courses taught in a foreign language, at any level, are required.
Intermediate proficiency is achieved by completing a course in a foreign language numbered 202 (or higher level courses taught in the language) or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test. A three course sequence in American Sign Language (EDSE 115 American Sign Language (ASL) I, EDSE 116 American Sign Language (ASL) II, and EDSE 219 American Sign Language (ASL) III) will also meet the foreign language requirement. Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement.
Students select one concentration and complete the requirements therein. Courses applied to a global affairs concentration must come from at least two different departments. Concentration courses must be unique to the concentration: they cannot be simultaneously used to fulfill any Mason Core or college requirement for the bachelor's degree. They cannot be applied to any other major, minor, concentration, or certificate.
In addition to the courses listed with the concentration, other relevant courses, including special topics courses, study abroad, and internships (maximum 3 credits), may be applied to a concentration with prior written approval from the director.
In this concentration, students examine historic trends and recent changes in media and communication technologies as well as their cultural contexts. Coursework includes critical analysis of media content, comparison of global media infrastructures and systems of political communication, discussion of the foundations of intercultural communication, and more. Students are expected to gain an understanding of the role of media and communication in shaping and responding to global issues of concern.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Select 12 credits from the following: | 12 | |
Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Globalization (Mason Core) | ||
Language and Culture | ||
Work, Technology, and Society: An IT Perspective (Mason Core) | ||
Hip Hop Culture | ||
Media and Society | ||
Foundations of Intercultural Communication (Mason Core) | ||
Issues in Intercultural Communication | ||
Media Criticism | ||
Politics and the Mass Media | ||
Global Dance Perspectives II (Mason Core) | ||
Folklore and Folklife (Mason Core) | ||
Global Voices (Mason Core) | ||
The Idea of a World Literature (Mason Core) | ||
World Literatures in English | ||
Topics in World Literature (Mason Core) | ||
Contexts for Global Cinema (Mason Core) | ||
Media, Technology, and Globalization | ||
Modern Telecommunications | ||
Digital Futures | ||
Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology (Mason Core) | ||
Sociology of Culture | ||
THR 359
|
World Stages (Mason Core) | |
or other course approved by the program director
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||
Total Credits | 12 |
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in global affairs may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing EVPP 337 Environmental Policy Making in Developing Countries.
Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.
Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.
In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
PHIL 1
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Note that the following courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement:
Additionally, PHIL 253, RELI 235, RELI 333, and RELI 339 cannot be used to fulfill both the philosophy/religious studies requirement and the Mason Core literature requirement.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Select 3 credits of social and behavioral sciences from the following (additional to the Mason Core social and behavioral sciences requirement) 1 | 3 | |
ANTH | ||
CRIM | ||
ECON | ||
GOVT | ||
HIST 2 | ||
LING | ||
PSYC | ||
SOCI | ||
Or choose from the following GGS courses: | ||
Major World Regions (Mason Core) | ||
Human Geography (Mason Core) | ||
Introduction to Geoinformation Technologies | ||
Political Geography (Mason Core) | ||
Geography of Resource Conservation (Mason Core) | ||
GGS 304
|
Population Geography (Mason Core) | |
GGS 305
|
Economic Geography | |
Urban Geography | ||
Geography of the United States | ||
Geography of Latin America | ||
Geography of Europe | ||
Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | ||
Geography of Eastern Europe and Russia | ||
Urban Planning | ||
Geography of Virginia |
The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and Mason Core requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.
HIST 100 and HIST 125 may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, fulfilled by: 1 | ||
Or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test
|
||
Or completing the following ASL three course sequence:
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EDSE 115
|
American Sign Language (ASL) I | |
EDSE 116
|
American Sign Language (ASL) II | |
EDSE 219
|
American Sign Language (ASL) III |
Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Select 3 credits (additional to Mason Core Global Understanding requirement) 1 | ||
ANTH 114 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 300 | Civilizations | 3 |
ANTH 302 | Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 307 | Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 308 | Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 309 | Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 313 | Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 314 | Zombies | 3 |
ANTH 317 | East Asian Cultures | 3 |
ANTH 330 | Peoples and Cultures of Selected Regions: Non-Western | 3 |
ANTH 332 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Globalization (Mason Core) | 3 |
ANTH 381 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
ANTH 396 | Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARAB 360 | Topics in Arabic Cultural Production | 3 |
ARAB 420 | Survey of Arabic Literature | 3 |
ARAB 440 | Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 203 | Survey of Asian Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 204 | Survey of Latin American Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 206 | Survey of African Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 318 | Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | 3 |
ARTH 319 | Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 320 | Art of the Islamic World (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 382 | Arts of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 383 | Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 384 | Arts of China (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 385 | Arts of Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
ARTH 482 | RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art | 3 |
CHIN 318 | Introduction to Classical Chinese (Mason Core) | 3 |
CHIN 320 | Contemporary Chinese Film | 3 |
CHIN 325 | Major Chinese Writers (Mason Core) | 3 |
CHIN 470 | Special Topics in Chinese Studies | 3 |
DANC 118 | Global Dance Perspectives I (Mason Core) | 3 |
ECON 361 | Economic Development of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
ECON 362 | African Economic Development (Mason Core) | 3 |
FREN 454 | Topics in Caribbean Francophone Literature and Culture | 3 |
GGS 101 | Major World Regions (Mason Core) | 3 |
GGS 316 | Geography of Latin America | 3 |
GGS 317 | Geography of China (Mason Core) | 3 |
GGS 325 | Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | 3 |
GGS 399 | Select Topics in GGS | 3 |
GOVT 332 | Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | 3 |
GOVT 333 | Government and Politics of Asia | 3 |
GOVT 338 | Government and Politics of Russia | 3 |
GOVT 340 | Central Asian Politics | 3 |
GOVT 341 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 3 |
GOVT 345 | Islam and Politics | 3 |
GOVT 433 | Political Economy of East Asia | 3 |
HIST 251 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 252 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 261 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 262 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 271 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 272 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 281 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 282 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 326 | Stalinism | 3 |
HIST 327 | The Soviet Union and Russia Since World War II | 3 |
HIST 328 | Rise of Russia (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 329 | Modern Russia and the Soviet Union (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 353 | History of Traditional China | 3 |
HIST 354 | Modern China (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 356 | Modern Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 357 | Postwar Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 358 | Post-1949 China (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 360 | History of South Africa (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 364 | Revolution and Radical Politics in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 365 | Conquest and Colonization in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 366 | Comparative Slavery | 3 |
HIST 387 | Topics in Global History (Mason Core) | 3-6 |
HIST 461 | Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3 |
HIST 462 | Women in Islamic Society (Mason Core) | 3 |
HIST 465 | The Middle East in the 20th Century | 3 |
JAPA 310 | Japanese Culture in a Global World (Mason Core) | 3 |
JAPA 340 | Topics in Japanese Literature (Mason Core) | 3 |
JAPA 380 | Japan in Motion | 3 |
KORE 300 | Korean Culture and Society | 3 |
KORE 320 | Korean Popular Culture in a Global World | 3 |
KORE 385 | Introduction to Korean Linguistics | 3 |
MUSI 103 | Musics of the World (Mason Core) | 3 |
RELI 211 | Introduction to Religions of the "West" (Mason Core) | 3 |
RELI 212 | Introduction to Religions of Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
RELI 312 | Islam | 3 |
RELI 313 | Hinduism (Mason Core) | 3 |
RELI 314 | Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions | 3 |
RELI 315 | Buddhism (Mason Core) | 3 |
RELI 317 | Daoism | 3 |
RELI 318 | Korean Philosophy and Religions | 3 |
RELI 338 | Qur'an and Hadith | 3 |
RELI 342 | Comparative Study of Mysticism | 3 |
RELI 344 | Muhammad: Life and Legacy | 3 |
RELI 358 | Islamic Thought (Mason Core) | 3 |
RELI 367 | Islamic Law, Society, and Ethics | 3 |
RELI 368 | Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights | 3 |
RELI 490 | Comparative Study of Religions (Mason Core) | 3 |
RUSS 353 | Russian Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
RUSS 354 | Contemporary Post-Soviet Life (Mason Core) | 3 |
WMST 407 | Transnational Sexualities | 3 |
A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.
Students who have completed the following credentials are eligible for a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower level) requirement categories. The Integration category (upper level) is not waived under this policy. See Admissions for more information.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Foundation Requirements | ||
Written Communication (ENGH 101) | 3 | |
Oral Communication | 3 | |
Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
Information Technology and Computing | 3 | |
Exploration Requirements | ||
Arts | 3 | |
Global History | 3 | |
Global Understanding | 3 | |
Literature | 3 | |
Natural Science | 7 | |
Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
Integration Requirements | ||
Written Communications (ENGH 302) | 3 | |
Writing-Intensive 1 | 3 | |
Synthesis/Capstone 2 | 3 | |
Total Credits | 40 |
Most programs include the writing-intensive course designated for the major as part of the major requirements; this course is therefore not counted towards the total required for Mason Core.
Minimum 3 credits required.