Overview
GLST 651: Critical Approaches to Global Change is the foundations course for the global change focus area in the MAIS program. This course offers an overview of some approaches to studying global change, as well as opportunities to dig deeply into areas of interest to enable students to see some of the breadth of work in this large field of study.
While this course offers an overview, it is through a critical lens informed by feminist, antiracist and decolonial approaches. Specific to this approach is an examination of connection, or what transnational feminist Chandra Mohanty calls “co-implication”; thus, in much of this course, we will resist seeing narrowly and instead look to the multitudes of local and global forces that are enacted in moments, experiences, and stories. The tension that we will hold in this course is to examine and understand these complex and powerful forces without imagining that everything is predetermined.
As an interdisciplinary course, we will be drawing from multiple fields, and learning from multiple genres.
Learning outcomes
After taking GLST651, students should be able to
- demonstrate knowledge of global issues, processes, trends, and systems;
- describe identity dynamics on a global scale that impact people’s experiences;
- examine and evaluate global issues from an interdisciplinary perspective;
- discuss issues related to global change through a critical lens, with attention to both inequity and interconnection;
- outline the systemic and ongoing global processes that create and maintain global inequity; and
- communicate with their peers and others about critical global issues.
Outline
GLST 651 is divided into six units:
- Unit 1: Theorizing the Global
- Unit 2: Imagining Global Connections
- Unit 3: Oppression and Resistance
- Unit 4: Deep Dives
- Unit 5: Full Monograph
- Unit 6: Course Wrap-Up
Evaluation
To receive credit for this course, students must participate in the online activities, successfully complete the assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least 60 percent.
In this course you will be evaluated on your ability to engage critically with the material presented as well as with your colleagues in the course.
Your final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
| Activity | Weight | Complete by |
| Participation | 20% | Ongoing |
| Deep-Dive Project | 25% | Week 9 |
| Book Review | 25% | Week 13 |
| Final Project: Learning Reflection | 30% | Week 14 |
| Total | 100% | |
Materials
All course materials can be found online.