Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
Global studies students learn to use diverse disciplines, frames of reference and alternative perspectives to think critically in order to comprehend and analyze global developments from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. In its academic and applied settings, writing is a significant skill students acquire in order to demonstrate their understanding of the complexity of global issues and the diversity of historical traditions and cultures. Writing also helps students connect all these components to an applied setting in their capstone classes.
Which courses are designated as satisfying the Writing in the Discipline (WID) requirement by your department? Why these courses?
There are two global studies courses that meet the WID requirement:
GLOB 200: Global Studies: Methods
GLOB 461: Seminar in Global Studies
GLOB 200 introduces students to the tools of historical inquiry, the nature and evaluation of sources and evidence and the conceptual framework of historical interpretation as it applies to the global community. This methods class teaches research, writing and editing skills necessary for a student of global studies.
GLOB 461 builds on GLOB 200. This class emphasizes global issues, the identification and definition of global problems, the research and writing of a substantial paper and global studies criticism. This course allows students to self-design a research project and write a research paper.
What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
In GLOB 200, students learn a wide range of theories and perspectives from the humanities, social sciences and sciences to interpret the historical processes which produced today’s global world. Typically, the class requirements include multiple short writing assignments on historical analyses and source evaluations and an extensive term paper which examines cultural, political, social, economic, geographic and ecological manifestations and interconnections. The class works on providing students with the opportunity for faculty feedback on their articulation and application of interdisciplinary research methods.
In GLOB 461, the final term paper is more extensive and detailed, focusing on the analyses and interpretations of historical processes that are closely related to current global issues. Students should be able to decide on a topic, formulate research questions, seek out relevant literature (including historical sources) and analyze data in order to propose their own interpretations and theses that explain the historical and cultural relevance of current global issues. Writing is pivotal for students in being able to make the academic connection between scholarly literature and the practical context.
What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
Global studies WID courses are conducted as workshops and seminars. There will be virtually no lecturing by professors. Rather, students will be assigned readings or short written materials for discussions and will give presentations during class meetings. Students will participate in peer review sessions before they complete the final drafts of term papers and will receive feedback from their professors on their writing.
When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Writing is the most significant skill for success in the fields of work that graduates of the Global Studies Program enter – fields like public service, government, academia, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations. Global studies students should able to use writing to analyze and interpret the differences and ambiguities in the political, social, economic and historical configurations of our global community.
