Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 36
  • Grade Requirements: Students must receive a grade of C+ or higher in all courses.

This concentration focuses on the social, cultural, and economic interconnections among the peoples of Eurasia. We define Eurasia as the vast landmass stretching east to west from China to Europe and north to south from Siberia into the Caucasus, the Crimean Peninsula, Central Asia, and the Himalayas. Ancient trade routes that crisscrossed the interior spaces of Europe and Asia, known collectively as the Silk Road, served as a globalizing thoroughfare for the movement of peoples, cultural practices, religious values, and commodities. Recent infrastructural improvements in these areas — as well as international economic, environmental, and political concerns — have once again opened up transnational economic networks and cross-cultural exchange along these "new silk roads."

Concentration Objectives

For the Eurasian Studies concentration, students draw from a variety of disciplines to study not only specific geographical regions but also vital intersections and interrelationships among regions and peoples.

General Requirements

One semester of language must be completed before declaring the major.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 36 units in Global Studies, including at least three courses focused on a world area.
  • Students must complete at least 24 units at the 3000 level or above, including at least one course in the social sciences and one course in the humanities.
  • Students must complete at least 6 units at the 4000 level, no more than 3 of which may be directed research or independent study.
  • In addition to the 36 units, students must complete a four-semester sequence of courses in one modern language appropriate to their concentration.

These requirements may be fulfilled only with college-level coursework undertaken during a student's undergraduate enrollment. Courses must be taken for a grade, and a student must receive a grade of C+ or higher in all courses, including courses for the language requirement and study abroad courses.

This concentration requires 36 units of coursework:

  • 3 units of core coursework: GLOBAL 2020 Global Futures
  • 3 units of research methods coursework (3000-4000 level)
  • 6 units of introductory coursework (1000-2000 level)
  • 24 units of advanced Eurasian studies coursework (3000-4000 level) dealing with three different regions (e.g., Eastern, Western, and Central Eurasia) or with a transregional focus
  • Students must fulfill the standard Global Studies language requirement with Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Russian, or another Eurasian language as determined in consultation with their Global Studies advisor.
  • The study abroad location must be in a country relevant to this concentration area. Otherwise, the student will not meet the study abroad requirement and will need to complete an additional 3000- or 4000-level course on campus.

Note: A single course may satisfy more than one of the distribution requirements (i.e., disciplinary or regional). Some of these requirements may be completed while abroad.

Research Methods Courses

Students choose one course from the following list, for a total of 3 units:

APL 4111Linguistics and Language Learning3
COMPLITTHT 3120Introduction to Digital Humanities3
ECON 3150Introduction to Econometrics3
ELIT 3000Introduction to Literary Theory3
ENST 3710Introduction in GIS3
GLOBAL 4007Global Studies Research Methods Proseminar and Assistantship3
HISTORY 3---Historical Methods3
POLSCI 3630Quantitative Political Methodology3
PSYCH 3000Introduction to Psychological Statistics3
PSYCH 3150Introduction to Social Psychology3
REST 3635Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion3
SOC 3040Statistics for Sociology3

Advanced Courses

Students choose eight courses from current, relevant, internationally focused course offerings in the following areas of study.* All courses must be approved by the student's Global Studies advisor in order to count for the major. Visit the concentration webpage and concentration course list for the most current and full list of options.

Anthropology
ANTHRO 3053Nomadic Strategies and Extreme Ecologies3
ANTHRO 3285Warriors, Merchants, Monks, and Courtesans: Ancient Narratives of Globalization in Google Earth3
ANTHRO 3617Past and Present Cultural Environments3
ANTHRO 3740Social Landscapes in Global View3
ANTHRO 3775Ancient Eurasia and the New Silk Roads3
ANTHRO 4033Culture, Illness, and Healing in Asia3
ANTHRO 4761The Pleistocene Peopling of Eurasia3
ANTHRO 4803Advanced GIS Modeling and Landscape Analysis3
Applied Linguistics
APL 4023Second-Language Acquisition and Technology3
APL 4111Linguistics and Language Learning3
APL 4692Reading Across Languages and Cultures: Theory, Research and Practice3
Arabic
ARAB 3070Iraqi Literature3
Art History
ARTARCH 3160Early Chinese Art: From Human Sacrifice to the Silk Road3
ARTARCH 47351968 and Its Legacy3
Chinese
CHINA 3410Early and Imperial Chinese Literature3
CHINA 3420Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature3
CHINA 4240Culture and Politics in the People's Republic of China: New Approaches3
Classics
CLASSICS 3450Greek History: The Dawn of Democracy3
CLASSICS 3460Greek History: The Age of Alexander3
Comparative Literature
COMPLITTHT 3203World-Wide Translation: Language, Culture, Technology3
East Asian Languages and Cultures
EALC 3250Topics in Early Modern Korea3
EALC 3400Writing New Horizons: Explorers, Envoys, and Other Encounters in Korean Travel Narratives3
EALC 4710Topics in Japanese Culture3
Environmental Studies
ENST 3710Introduction in GIS3
Film and Media Studies
FILM 4750Screening the Holocaust3
FILM 4850Visualizing Orientalism: Art, Cinema and the Imaginary East 1850-20003
FILM 5007The 007 Saga: James Bond and the Modern Media Franchise3
Global Studies
GLOBAL 3006Global Health and Language3
GLOBAL 3008Topics in Global Studies:3
GLOBAL 3176Chinese Economy in World History3
GLOBAL 3248Intercultural Communication3
GLOBAL 3511Global Surveillance Culture3
GLOBAL 3512Model Minority: The Asian American Experience3
GLOBAL 3566Andean History: Culture and Politics3
GLOBAL 3602Borders, Checkpoints, and the Frontiers of Literature3
GLOBAL 3641Anarchism: History, Theory, and Praxis3
GLOBAL 3650Fascism and Anti-Fascism in Latin America3
GLOBAL 3730Intercultural Transpositions: Russian Literature on World Stage and Screen3
GLOBAL 3740Russian Literature At the Borders: Multiculturalism and Ethnic Conflict3
GLOBAL 3750Topics in Russian Literature and Culture (WI)3
GLOBAL 3811Global Asian Pop Culture3
GLOBAL 3822From McDonald's to K-Pop: New Movements in East Asia3
GLOBAL 3860Empire in East Asia: Theory and History (WI)3
GLOBAL 3866Interrogating Crime and Punishment3
GLOBAL 3890Furies and Die-Hards: Women in Rebellion and War3
GLOBAL 4007Global Studies Research Methods Proseminar and Assistantship3
GLOBAL 4036Children of Immigrants: Identity and Acculturation3
GLOBAL 4200Islam, Immigrants, and the Future of European Culture3
GLOBAL 4201International Relations of Latin America3
GLOBAL 4204International Relations of Latin America (WI)3
GLOBAL 4414Gender Analysis for International Affairs3
GLOBAL 4611Latin American Populism and Neo-Populism3
GLOBAL 4622Labor and Labor Movements in Global History3
GLOBAL 463320th-Century Latin American Revolutions3
GLOBAL 4644The Indochina Wars3
GLOBAL 4868Russia and the West: Creating and Representing Identity3
GLOBAL 4869Reading War and Peace3
GLOBAL 4897Global Asias3
GLOBAL 4985Preparation for Global Studies Honors Thesis3
Hindi
HINDI 3090Understanding Indian (Hindi/Urdu) Literature: Through Text and Images (Visual)3
History
HISTORY 3018Hot Peace: U.S.-Russia Relations Since the Cold War3
HISTORY 3030The Global War On Terrorism3
HISTORY 3039Islamic History: 600-12003
HISTORY 308519th-Century China: Violence and Transformation3
HISTORY 3092Vienna, Prague, Budapest: Politics, Culture and Identity in Central Europe3
HISTORY 3139All Measures Short of War3
HISTORY 3148The First World War and the Making of Modern Europe3
HISTORY 3214Religion and Politics in South Asia: Writing-Intensive Seminar3
HISTORY 3277Hinduism & the Hindu Right3
HISTORY 3295Modern South Asia3
HISTORY 3315Historical Methods: Transregional History3
HISTORY 3351Out of the Shtetl: Jewish Life in Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries3
HISTORY 3458Cultural Encounters: China and Eurasia Since the Middle Ages3
HISTORY 3682The Cold War, 1945-19913
HISTORY 3683The U.S. War in Iraq, 2003-20113
HISTORY 3813Between Sand and Sea: History, Environment, and Politics in the Arabian Peninsula3
HISTORY 4092Humanitarianism and Human Rights: Power, Paradigms, Protection3
HISTORY 4150Advanced Seminar: Inventing India3
HISTORY 4275Palestine, Israel, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict3
Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
JIMES 3031Topics in Jimes: Education in Divided Societies - the Israeli Case3
JIMES 3036Antisemitism: History, Causes, Consequences3
JIMES 3093Becoming "Modern" : Emancipation, Antisemitism and Nationalism in Modern Jewish History3
JIMES 3520Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi: Genre-Fiction in Arabic Literature3
JIMES 3540Anthropological and Sociological Study of Muslim Societies3
JIMES 3623Topics in Islam (Religious Authority in Modern Islam )3
JIMES 3730Topics in Near Eastern Cultures:3
JIMES 3770History of Slavery in the Middle East3
JIMES 4043Race and Ethnicity in the Middle East and North Africa3
JIMES 4450Topics in Islam3
JIMES 4461History of Political Thought in the Middle East3
Political Science
POLSCI 3720Topics in International Politics3
POLSCI 3930History of Political Thought III: Liberty, Democracy, and Revolution3
Psychological and Brain Sciences
PSYCH 4130Contemporary Topics in Social Psychology3
Sociology
SOC 3150Sociology of Immigration3
Women and Gender Studies
WGSS 4153Decolonization to Globalization: How to End an Empire3
*

Students may submit a request to add a course by following the instructions for the Petition Process.

Additional Requirements and Information

Study Abroad

  • We strongly encourage students to study abroad. For those who do not study abroad and receive credit toward the Global Studies General Requirements, an additional 3-unit course at the 3000 or 4000 level is required.
  • Before studying abroad as a Global Studies major, students must consult with the Global Studies Study Abroad Advisor (Dr. Elizabeth Reynolds) about their plan of study and choice of program.
  • We strongly prefer students to select a study abroad location and regional specialization consistent with their chosen language of study (e.g., if a student wishes to study in Latin America, they must satisfy their language requirement with either Portuguese or Spanish).
  • Students may receive a maximum of 6 credits from a single semester, 12 credits from a year, or 3 credits from a summer term of study abroad.
  • Study abroad credit only counts at the 3000 level and must be approved by the Global Studies Study Abroad Advisor prior to departure.
  • Students may apply no more than 12 total credits to the Global Studies major from study abroad, the School of Continuing & Professional Studies, summer school at other U.S. universities, or any combination thereof.
  • To receive credit for a summer course completed at another institution, a student should fill out the Approval for Non-WashU Course Credit form with Arts & Sciences to take the course for "general credit" and then petition to have the course count as an elective toward their Global Studies major.
  • Students may not receive credit for January Intensive Term (J-Term) study abroad programs; these programs are too short in duration.
  • Visit the Study Abroad section of the Global Studies website for more details.

Latin Honors

  • Students must graduate with an overall grade point average of 3.65 or higher to qualify for Latin Honors.
  • Students must submit an intent form and be accepted for candidacy.
  • Students should enroll in GLOBAL 4985 Preparation for Global Studies Honors Thesis during the fall of senior year and in GLOBAL 4986 Global Studies Senior Honors Thesis during the spring of senior year (under the corresponding section number of the faculty member overseeing the student's thesis).

Language Requirement

All Global Studies majors must satisfy a language requirement that entails both the successful completion of four semesters of a modern language for a letter grade and placement into the third year of that language.

Available modern languages include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili.

Please see the FAQs on the Global Studies website for more information.

Contact Info

Contact:Toni Loomis
Phone:314-935-5073
Email:aloomis@wustl.edu
Website:https://globalstudies.wustl.edu