Honours BA Global Studies

The Honours Global Studies program consists of 20.0 credits, including a minimum of 10.0 credits in Global Studies. At least 14 senior credits are required for degree completion, which means that to complete their degree in 20 credits students must take not more than 6.0 credits in 100 level courses (refer to exception below). In addition to the required GS credits, students are required to complete 1.0 language credit.

GS Course Requirements (10.0 credits):
GS101, GS102, plus 9.0 senior credits in Global Studies courses, which must include the following:

GS201, GS202 plus 2.0 additional credits at the 200 level,
1.0 GS credit at the 300 level; and
1.0 GS credit at the 400 level; and
4.0 additional senior GS credits.

A maximum of 1.0 credit of the following courses may be counted as GS senior credits: AN345, AN348, CMEG305*, IP300, MZ300, PS492*, RE211, RE227, WS306

Degree Program Electives: An additional 10.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, which includes not more than 5.0 100-level credits.

Language Credit Requirement

(1.0 credit): In addition to the GS course requirements above, students must also complete a 1.0 credit in non-English language study. Language courses may be taken (a) at WLU, (b) at other recognized universities in Canada on a letter of permission, or (c) abroad on a letter of permission and with the prior written consent of the GS Department. Courses taught in English may not be counted as a substitute for this requirement.

Notes:

  1. Global Studies Single Majors who have taken 1.0 credit of junior language study may count up to 1.0 credit of senior language study toward the senior GS credit requirements for the degree.
  2. Global Studies Combined Majors who have taken 1.0 credit of junior language study may count up to 0.5 credit of senior language study toward the senior GS credit requirements for the degree.
  3. For students who transfer into the Global Studies major during Year 2, Year 3, or Year 4, and who have already accumulated 6.0 junior credits, junior courses taken to satisfy this requirement (up to a maximum of 1.0 credit) will not be counted toward the maximum 6.0 limit on 100 level credits.
  4. Students who are studying in English as a Second Language may apply to have the 1.0 language credit requirement waived by the GS Department. In the very specific cases where the
    language requirement is waived, alternate credits will normally be required in its place, as determined by the GS Undergraduate Advisor.

 
Arts Global Experience (AGX)

Experiential learning and internationalization are widely recognized as important components of a university education. The Arts Global Experience (AGX) supports the integration of academic with experiential learning gained during student placements conducted around the world. The AGX is open to students from across the Faculty of Arts. It consists of student-initiated, departmentally approved placements lasting at least four weeks. Placements may include service-learning, employment, internships, and community-based cultural and language programming.

Usually placements are conducted in a setting outside Canada, but in certain cases placements in Canada will be considered, where a student is able to demonstrate a substantive equivalence with a placement abroad. In all cases, students must apply to the AGX Coordinator for pre-approval of their placements and permission to enroll in GS391°. Permission to enroll in GS394° is conditional upon providing proof of placement and completion of GS392 or GS393*.

To apply for the AGX and enroll in GS391°, students must be:

  1. in either an Honours or a Combined Honours program in the Faculty of Arts,
  2. have completed at least 2.0credits at the 200 level by the end of the term in which they apply,
  3. have attained at least a 7.0 (B-) average in their major.

Proposed placements are judged for their appropriateness with respect to the goals of generating intercultural experiences and challenging students to adapt to new environments and challenges. All placements must take place between May and August.

There are four steps to completion of the AGX, as follows:

  1. apply in the fall semester for conditional pre-approval of the proposed placement and permission to enroll in GS391°;
  2. obtain final approval for the placement and successfully complete GS391° during the winter semester;
  3. complete either GS392 or GS393* in conjunction with the placement sometime between May-August;
  4. complete GS394° in the fall semester following the placement.

 
Program Notes and Regulations

  1. With department approval, a quantitative methods course taught in another department may count toward senior GS credit requirements, up to a maximum of 0.5 credit.
  2. Students who consider pursuing graduate studies in the area of international development or public policy should consider taking introductory courses in Micro and Macroeconomics.
  3. Refer to the University Regulations chapter for progression and course regulations and the earlier section regarding Regulations for All Honours Programs.