About the Global Studies course block
What is global studies? The interdisciplinary study of worldwide cultural and historical connections is a vital education as the world becomes increasingly interconnected through information technology and trade. Understanding business, politics, and social behavior from a global perspective is a vital asset in 21st-century jobs, as organizations often need to work effectively across borders.
In the Global Studies course block, you learn how cultures and ideas spread over time and develop your understanding of contemporary issues through historical patterns of trade, territorial expansion, human migration, and global climate change. Courses focusing on key topics and theories in global studies are designed to develop your analytical vocabulary and critical thinking skills as you explore global practices within a broad frame from the past to the present.
Penn LPS Online courses in Global Studies are offered on an accelerated (8-week) schedule.
All Penn LPS Online courses offer academic credit.*
*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.
The Global Studies course block prepares you to:
- Introduce key concepts and theories to contextualize topics in global studies
- Provide a broader understanding of global movements of people, goods, and ideas across regions and in different historical moments
- Learn a conceptual framework to enable you to make connections with courses in regional and area studies or cultural studies
- Think critically about global commerce and culture over time in different places
- Address the challenges of a multinational workforce and leadership in global careers
Courses
- GLBS 100: Introduction to Global Studies
- GLBS 200: Globalization: Social, Economic, and Political Aspects
- ICOM 100: Intercultural Communication
- MODM 200: Women and Gender in the Middle East
- MODM 300: Religious Traditions of the Middle East
- MUSI 200: Contemporary African Music
- RELC 201: Monsters of Japan
