To earn a Global Communities notation, you must demonstrate commitment to community and complete 10 credit hours of coursework, earning a grade of C or better in all courses. These credit hours must be satisfied sequentially during the two-year period of the Global Communities program. You are required to comply with the University’s Code of Academic Integrity.
Course Sequence
Year 1: THEORY Year 2: EXPERIENCE & APPLICATION
Fall 2011 (Semester 1) Credits: BSGC101: Globalization 3
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Fall 2012 (Semester 3) Credits: Global Experience Semester 3 |
Spring 2012 (Semester 2) Credits: BSGC102: Solving Global Problems 3
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Spring 2013 (Semester 4) Credits Capstone Project 1 |
Course Descriptions
BSGC101: Globalization (General Education: SB) (3 credits)
An exploration of different disciplinary perspectives and ways of understanding the historical evolution and contemporary significance of growing interconnectedness in the world. We examine this through the lens of a particular issue, currently “global food”: the ways in which food is culturally, economically, politically, and socially placed within a global context. The course includes writing assignments, group projects, simulations, and debates. This course has been approved for General Education requirements in the Social Sciences.
BSGC102: Solving Global Problems (3 credits)
Builds upon the concepts and perspectives introduced in BSGC101 through an in-depth exploration of the ways in which globalization affects different issue areas, such as food security, disease, immigration, and the environment. Introduces conceptual tools to understand global problems and consider alternative solutions. Guest lectures by experts in different disciplines are an important element of the course. Requirements include a writing project, group projects, and a specially designed simulation. This course has been submitted for approval as a General Education/ Social Sciences course.
Global Experience Semester (3 credits)
The Global Experience Semester asks you to get out of the classroom to gain first-hand experience of the influence of globalization on individuals, communities, and nations. Three options, listed below, satisfy the requirement. Students will meet with an advisor during the spring of their first year to discuss their choices.
1. Service Learning Course: Ethnology of Immigrant Life - BSGC398L
This course is taught by Dr. Judith Freidenberg, from the Anthropology Department. Students will read and discuss academic works on immigrant life, and then go out into the community to apply what they have learned. They will be placed with a service organization that works with immigrant communities near campus. Students will need to be able to commit at least ten hours per week to the service organization. NOTE: this option is restricted to 25 students.
2. Faculty-led Study Abroad (3 credits)
Students apply to one of the University’s faculty-led study abroad programs. These programs are structured as courses, with readings and assignments before, during, and after going abroad. The programs tend to be 3-6 weeks in duration and provide 3 credits. Faculty-led programs are only offered during summer and winter breaks, which provides an option for students with a heavy course load. Students can fulfill this requirement the summer before or the winter after their second year. This option can be costly, usually in the range of $2,000 - $3,000. See http://www.international.umd.edu/studyabroad/182. We are willing to consider other student abroad options on a case-by-case basis.
3. Internationally Oriented Internship (3 credits)
Students find and apply for an internship with an organization that has a global or international mission. This might be an agency in the federal government dealing with foreign policy, a non-profit that addresses a global issue or a business that has a global philanthropy unit. The University Career Center provides services to assist students in finding internships, but each student is responsible for securing their own placement. Internships involve readings, assignments and periodic meetings that provide an academic complement to the job.
Capstone Project
The capstone requires each student to take ownership of their Global Communities experience and apply what they have learned through an innovative project that is relevant to them. Each will design and implement a project that educates, raises the awareness of, or otherwise benefits our “communities” (Dorchester Hall, University of Maryland, College Park). For example, someone might obtain an internship at Human Rights Watch and then design a capstone project to organize an event that raises awareness of a human rights issue. Someone else might do a study abroad program on sustainability in New Zealand and then introduce a sustainability measure in Dorchester Hall, such as raising money for and installing drying racks in the laundry room. Someone who takes the Ethnology of Immigrant Life course might coordinate a Global Communities service day to help their service organization. Each student will develop a project proposal that spells out what they plan to accomplish and what resources they will need, as well as the timeline for completion. Students will be paired with a faculty or staff advisor in the program to help guide them through the benchmarks of this timeline.
