Resources for GLobal Studies Advisors

Global Studies, as an interdisciplinary program, provides some special challenges for advising.  In order to make things easier, here are answers to some of the most frequent questions and concerns that arise when advising potential or declared GS majors, as well as some procedural detail. Procedures discussed below apply to majors declaring under the present system.

Procedures

    Declaring

• A student may declare a major once s/he has earned 39 credits, but no later than the second semester of the junior year.  There may be some significant advantage to the student once s/he declares as it provides early access to certain desirable courses during preregistration.

• The student should select an advisor from those participating in the IR program (a list is available in the faculty directory on this site).  The student should bring his/her Banner "What If" Analysis and the declaration of major form to the advising meeting.  All forms are available in the "Forms" section of this site.

• Once the forms have been completed they (and the "What-If" printout) should be submitted to the IR/GS office in Morton Hall.  These will be checked and forwarded to the Registrar's Office.  The student will be notified by e-mail.

    Details of the Major

• Requirements for a major in Global Studies are spelled out in a menu format in the Catalog and also on this website under each of the 6 concetration areas.  These include core classes, choices and electives, language co-requisites, the major writing requirement and the computer proficiency.  Please note that courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis at the College cannot be used to satisfy any proficiency, required course, or elective.  Please also note the MWR has to be satisfied by taking a “required” course for the major, and in the case of a double major, the same course cannot be used to satisfy the MWR for both majors.

• Because students have such a range of possibilities for fulfilling their Major Writing and the Computer Proficiency requirements, they must indicate their plans by filing a “Major Writing Requirement” form and “Computer Proficiency Requirement” form.  These forms are available on this website, and each indicates the range of available possibilities.  A student must submit each of these forms before the senior year, and in no case later than the final semester before graduation.

•  Exception:  Students may, over the course of their studies, find classes not on the list(s) of options but which are appropriate for their chosen course of study.  An example might be a seminar offered by a visiting faculty which will only be offered once.  More importantly, certain required courses may not be offered with a reasonable frequency.  Under these circumstances, and especially for electives, the student can request an exception to the standard requirements and substitute the seminar in place of another listed class.  Please note that Pass-Fail is not an acceptable option for any class used to fulfill a major requirement. 

   The “Request for Exception to Major Requirements” form can be found on this website.  The student should fill out the form as completely as possible.  The relevant faculty member should also include the necessary information and sign the form.  Once completed, the form should be handed in to the IR office in Morton Hall.  Approval will be based on the judgment of the IR Director in consultation with the relevant faculty members if necessary. 
  

• Independent Study and Internships:  Independent study may be used to fulfill elective requirements as well as MWR or Computer Proficiency for GS.  The necessary form can be found on this website.  The student must fill out the form with the help of the supervising faculty member.  For transfer credits from abroad with no William and Mary course counterpart, students may choose an INRL designation or an appropriate departmental numbers.  Once completed, the form should be submitted to the IR Office for approval. 
  

  Internships provide productive and beneficial learning experiences for GS students.  A bona fide internship is expected to include an analytical or research component accompanied by a written final report. In order to ensure appropriate academic content as well as a productive experiental learning experience, the student must formulate the mandatory internship agreement with the help of a faculty supervisor.  As per Catalog requirements, students must file the application form, Internship for Academic Credit, before they begin the internship.  

• Study Abroad:  Although study abroad is not currently required for GS  majors  it is strongly recommended.  The first stop for students interested in pursuing this option is Reves Center website.  There they will find information about the range of study abroad options (summer, semester, academic year) available as well as all the relevant forms.  The Study Abroad Handbook, available from the GEO provides both basic information to students and the necessary forms
  
  According to the College Catalog, “Pre-approval of transfer credits by an appropriate department chair, program director, or designee is required for all study abroad programs except the William and Mary faculty-led programs.”  The first point of contact in the process is the GEO at Reves where student can find assistance for pre-approval of courses for transfer credit.  Upon return, that office will also assist students in managing transfer credit and other post-approval issues.

• Honors: We encourage student research.  Honors (INRL 495-496) is the ultimate capstone experience in this regard.  Eligible applicants must carry a 3.2 GPA in IR and must also meet the College-wide standard of 3.0 overall in their junior year.  Students are expected to identify a faculty memeber who is willing to serve as an advisor.  The guidelines for the prospectus and the form can be downloaded from the Charles Center's Website at www.wm.edu/charlescenter/forms/honorsapplication.pdf The enrollment form is available on this website.

Frequently Asked Questions for Advisors

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions from both students and faculty.  Please let us know if there are others you think should be included here.

What is the difference between International Relations and Global Studies?

A simple, perhaps simplistic, but useful distinction is that IR is grounded in the social sciences (primarily political science and economics)  while GS (formerly International Studies) centers around area studies, language, literature, and other aspects of the humanities.

Can a student double major in IR and GS?

Yes, but consider carefully whether future plans will be well-served by two multidisciplinary majors.  College policy also permits only two courses to overlap between two majors, or a major and a minor.

Can a student double major in GS and a department that contributes to GS?

Yes, but with the usual proviso that only two classes are subject to double counting.

Does a class used for a writing requirement or the computer proficiency in GS count as one of the two double-counted classes? 

No.  The use of a class for proficiency is a separate issue from its content. 

How are classes eligible to be used for the MWR or computer proficiency determined?

There are many options for fulfilling both the MWR and computer proficiency in GS since a student can use any class that meets the requirement that does so for a contributing department.  The class doesn't necessarily have to be one that is listed under GS as a required or elective course. 

What about doubling up on proficiencies?

A computer proficiency can be used for GS and another major as long as the other major is in a contributing department.  The MWR must be fulfilled for each major as a College policy.

How is language proficiency outside of coursework handled?

The GS major requires, as a co-requisite, that a student masters a single modern foreign language to the level of 202 + 3 beyond or 2 modern foreign languages to the level of 202 with an additional course above 202 in one of the languages.  If a student comes in with, for example, native proficiency that s/he wishes to use to meet the major language requirement, arrangements can be made with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures to certify proficiency for the purposes of the major.