Global Studies Launch Party
Camarillo, Calif., April 18, 2016 — The author of “Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence” will speak on Friday, April 22 on the CSU Channel Islands (CI) campus to mark the official launch of CI’s Global Studies major.
UC Santa Barbara Professor of Sociology and Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies Mark Juergensmeyer, Ph.D., is a pioneer in the field of global studies, having written 20 books and more than 300 articles on religious violence and conflict resolution.
All are invited to the Global Studies Launch Party, which will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Peace Pole, which is between Sierra Hall and the Student Union.
“By launching the major with an event that educates our campus community about a crucial global issue of our time and provokes critical thinking and debate about it, we hope to expose students to the possibilities of Global Studies,” said CI Professor of Political Science Andrea Grove, Ph.D., director of the Global Studies program.
Grove said this course of study will help students develop the skills they need in a global and multicultural context and help them become active citizens in a global society. The major has been a work in progress for a long time.
Former Professor of Spanish Terry Ballman, Ph.D., started the Global Studies program minor. A few years later, Professor of Spanish and Program Chair Antonio Jiménez-Jiménez, Ph.D. began working to add a Global Studies major. This fall, Grove and Scott Frisch, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Political Science, and other faculty and administrators were successful at getting the major approved through the CSU Office of the Chancellor.
The new major will start with classes such as Introduction to Global Studies and branch out into upper division study that will include such courses as Politics of Developing Countries; Intercultural Conversations; World Drama and Theatre or Globalization and Development, to name just a few.
“The major will also require study abroad through one of the University’s three options: short-term faculty-led study abroad course, semester-long programs through one of our exchange universities, or year-long experiences with the CSU International Programs Office,” Grove said.
Approximately eight students have already declared or are in the process of declaring Global Studies as their major and will graduate with a Global Studies degree in spring of 2017.
The Global Studies major won’t show up on the CSU online application system until spring of 2017, but the department created a new Global Studies capstone class that will be taught in the fall of 2016 so the newly-declared majors can graduate in the spring.
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.