Paul Bowles, Professor Emeritus
Jacqueline Holler, Professor and Chair
Heather Smith, Professor
Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville, Associate Professor
Gabrielle Daoust, Assistant Professor
Luna KC, Assistant Professor
Ami Hagiwara, Senior Instructor
Website: www.unbc.ca/international-studies
Major in Global and International Studies (BA)
Joint Major in Economics and Global and International Studies (BA)
Joint Major in Global and International Studies and Political Science (BA)
Minor in Global and International Studies
Minor in Global Sustainability
Minor in Japanese Language and Culture
Our world is rapidly globalizing, bringing exciting opportunities and daunting challenges. Global and International Studies, hereafter referred to as Global Studies, seeks to tackle this brave new world in all its complexity. We train students to be global citizens, global thinkers, and global problem-solvers, and prepare them for global careers in academia, business, government, and the non-profit sector, among others. A unique feature of our program is that we train students in foreign languages.
Global Studies is a holistic and timely field of study whose scope is the whole Earth and whose eyes are on the future, aiding a global transformation toward healthy, just, peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable societies for all. The focus of our program is on the ‘big picture,’ international to global. Using multi-disciplinary, multi-perspective, local-to-global, and critical ways of thinking, students emerge from our program with knowledge of the macro-level structures, actors, processes, ideas, issues, and events shaping our planet and its societies.
Language Study in the Global and International Studies Department
Global and International Studies is the home of global language learning at ÂÜÀòÉäÇø. Join us for regularly scheduled courses in French, Japanese, and Spanish, and for beginner programming in other languages. Students may also minor in Japanese language and culture.
Introductory language courses offered by the Department of Global and International Studies are not designed for heritage speakers (speakers who have learned a given language at home or during childhood) or for students who have prior knowledge of the language in question. To ensure proper placement, such students must consult with the instructor, complete a language skill evaluation, and receive the permission of the instructor before registering for a language course.
French
| Beginning French I | |
| Beginning French II | |
| Intermediate French I | |
| Intermediate French II |
Japanese
| Beginning Japanese I | |
| Beginning Japanese II | |
| Intermediate Japanese I | |
| Intermediate Japanese II | |
| Japanese Conversation and Composition I | |
| Japanese Conversation and Composition II |
Spanish
| Beginning Spanish I | |
| Beginning Spanish II | |
| Intermediate Spanish I |
Other
| Beginning International Language I |
Major in Global and International Studies
The Global and International Studies major requires 57 credit hours of Global and International Studies coursework of which 21 credit hours are at the lower level, 30 credit hours at the upper level, and 6 credit hours from the Cultures and Regions requirement at either second- or third-year levels.
The minimum requirement for completion of a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Global and International Studies is 120 credit hours.
Program Requirements
Lower-Division Requirement
100 and 200 Level
| Peoples and Cultures | |
| The Global Age of Expansion | |
| Introduction to Global Studies | |
| Globalizations | |
| Contemporary Economic Issues | |
| Global Environmental Change | |
| Canada in Comparative Perspective |
Cultures and Regions Requirement
Two of the following:
| World Regions: Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| Republican Latin America | |
| Japanese Culture and Society | |
| Introduction to Islamic Civilizations | |
| Contemporary Circumpolar North | |
| Russian Politics and Society | |
| Chinese Politics and Society | |
| European Politics and Society | |
| American Politics and Society | |
| African Politics and Society | |
| Changing Arctic: Human and Environment Systems | |
| Or two language courses (6 credit hours) of any one language | |
Upper Division Requirement
300 and 400 Level
INTS Upper-Division Courses (24 credit hours)
| The Global and the Everyday | |
| Global Capstone |
Any six additional INTS upper-division courses (18 credit hours) not including any 300-level courses used to fulfil the Cultures and Regions Requirement.
No more than 6 credit hours may be drawn from .
Non-INTS Upper-Division Courses (6 credit hours)
Students must take two courses (6 credit hours) from the following disciplines: Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Studies, First Nations Studies, Geography, History, Northern Studies, Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Political Science, and Women’s Studies.
Note: Some courses have prerequisites that are not met by INTS lower-division required courses. Students must ensure that all prerequisites are fulfilled prior to registering in any course.
Elective and Academic Breadth
Elective credit hours must be taken as necessary to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours, including any additional credits necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation on Academic Breadth).
Joint Major in Economics and Global and International Studies (BA)
See Calendar entry under Economics
Joint Major in Global and International Studies and Political Science (BA)
The minimum requirement for completion of a Bachelor of Arts with a joint major in Global and International Studies and Political Science is 120 credit hours.
Lower-Division Requirement
| Introduction to Global Studies | |
| Globalizations | |
| Contemporary Political Issues | |
| Canadian Government and Politics | |
| Canada in Comparative Perspective | |
| International Relations | |
| Political Philosophy: Antiquity to Early Modernity |
Upper-Division Requirement
| The Global and the Everyday | |
| Global Capstone | |
| Democracy and Democratization | |
| Canadian Politics and Policy | |
| Political Philosophy: Early Modernity to Post-Modernity |
One of the following:
| American Politics and Society | |
| Chinese Politics and Society | |
| Russian Politics and Society | |
| European Politics and Society | |
| Contemporary Issues in the Circumpolar World | |
| African Politics and Society | |
| Law and Indigenous Peoples |
One of the following:
| Comparative Federalism | |
| Comparative Northern Development | |
| Gender and Politics |
An additional 9 credit hours of upper division Global and International Studies (INTS) courses.
An additional 6 credit hours of 400-level Political Science (POLS) courses.
An additional 6 credit hours of 300- or 400-level Global and International Studies (INTS) or Political Science (POLS) courses.
Language and Regional Studies Requirement
One of the following:
| World Regions: Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| Republican Latin America | |
| Japanese Culture and Society | |
| Contemporary Circumpolar North | |
| African Politics and Society |
A minimum of 6 credit hours of Global and International Studies (INTS) language courses in one language.
Elective and Academic Breadth
Elective credit hours must be taken as necessary to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours, including any additional credits necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation on Academic Breadth).
Minor in Global and International Studies
Students must complete a total of 21 credit hours of Global and International Studies course work, of which 6 credit hours are and .
Students must complete:
| Introduction to Global Studies | |
| Globalizations |
Three additional credit hours of lower-level Global and International Studies coursework.
Twelve additional credit hours of upper-level Global and International Studies (INTS) courses.
A maximum of two courses (6 credit hours) used to fulfill the requirements for a major (or another minor) may also be used to fulfill the requirements for the minor in Global and International Studies.
Minor in Global Sustainability
Students must complete a total of 21 credit hours of Global and International Studies coursework:
| Globalizations | |
| Contemporary Economic Issues | |
| Global Environmental Change | |
| International Development | |
| Changing Arctic: Human and Environment Systems | |
| The Political Economy of Natural Resource Extraction | |
| Sustainability Problem-Solving |
Minor in Japanese Language and Culture
Students must complete a total of 21 credit hours of Global and International Studies coursework:
| Beginning Japanese I | |
| Beginning Japanese II | |
| Japanese Culture and Society | |
| Intermediate Japanese I | |
| Intermediate Japanese II | |
| Japanese Conversation and Composition I | |
| Japanese Conversation and Composition II |
Updated: May 9, 2025