Cross Cultural Experience
The Global Studies major values multicultural understanding and collaboration. Learning how to work effectively with people who come from different backgrounds and who have different opinions and perspectives in an issue is a critical skill for global studies students.
The Global Studies major has a cross-cultural experience requirement that provides an opportunity for students to develop those skills.
The requirement is broadly defined. Global Studies students must engage with peoples of a different socio-cultural background for a significant duration, preferably using their second language.
Students have wide latitude on how they choose to meet that requirement. We outline the main pathways below.
Pathways to a Cross-Cultural Experience:
1: Through study abroad
GLBL students who study abroad for a semester or year automatically meet the cross-cultural requirement.
2: Through an international internship abroad
Many GLBL students participate in a high-impact summer internship which allows them to develop skills in the specific career field that they are interested in (e.g. health, environment, governance, economic development, etc), and get cross-cultural experience along the way. Students who have chosen this path often volunteer through international organizations. More info: Internships
3: Through a state-side internship
Some GLBL students are not able to travel abroad during their college career. Therefore, they seek local internships that offer opportunities for cross-cultural experiences. Ideally, students look for opportunities to work with people who come from different parts of the world and who speak the second language that they are studying.