Overview


What is Global Studies? 

According to UVM’s Global Studies Major Handbook, “Global Studies explores the social, political, economic, natural, and cultural relationships and interdependencies that extend beyond the boundaries of nation-states. It assumes a cross-border perspective on historically-rooted trends and issues that increasingly affect all societies.” Global Studies is interdisciplinary—check TutorTips for other disciplines in which your Global Studies class is based. Common disciplines include Sociology, Community Development and Applied Economics, Economics, Political Science, Environmental Studies, Religion, History, and English.

Common Terms and Concepts 

  • Globalization—impacts of our increasingly interconnected world 
  • Colonialism/Imperialism 
  • Global trade and labor market
  • Diasporas and human migration
  • Impacts of Climate Change
  • Human and Civil Rights (focus on indigenous peoples and other groups that live on the margins)
  • “Shadow” markets and communities (unofficial or marginalized)
  • Intersections of local and global processes/identities/spaces