The Global Studies (BA) Program
Vancouver Island University has suspended the Bachelor of Arts Global Studies Major, and Minor options effective September, 2025. Students are currently not able to declare these options. The University is in the process of re-evaluating the delivery of these options. Current and prospective global studies students can anticipate updates on program delivery in Spring 2026.
Globalization is changing who we are and how and where we live and work. To act responsibly in this new world it is becoming increasingly important to be able to view it globally, and to develop knowledge and skills oriented toward ecological and social sustainability.
The Global Studies program examines the causes and effects of, and responses to, globalization from a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on insights from the academic disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and sociology. Courses are individually and/or team-taught by faculty from these social science disciplines and create an inclusive learning and social environment that provides, by its nature, an opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to learn from each other.
The program is designed to impart skills and knowledge to understand, live and work in an increasingly interdependent and changing world, and focuses on:
- International flows of capital and labour, emergence of transnational corporations, trading blocs, international economic organizations, international business practices and issues, current and alternative economic indicators.
- Social and cultural changes, inequality and social justice concerns, ethnic and intercultural relations, population and health issues, technology and society, social movements, community and international development alternatives.
- World regions of the biophysical and human environments; distribution, supply, and use of natural resources; environmental change, sustainability and human impact; land, agriculture and water development issues; environmental analysis methods.
- Contemporary political systems, prospects for state sovereignty and political change, international conflict, international governmental and non-governmental organizations, prospects for world order, and the continuing development of international law in a variety of key areas, including the environment, human rights, and non-governmental organizations.
Research will be undertaken in applied settings such as fieldwork abroad and service with non-governmental organizations.
Vancouver Island University also provides students with opportunities for international experience and skill development both in Canada and abroad through:
- internships with governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations engaged in international development work;
- work study abroad;
- language training abroad;
- field school experience.
Global Studies provides excellent preparation for further study or careers in fields such as law, journalism, international business and marketing, international economic and social development, and areas of human rights and social justice.