Global & International Studies Bachelor’s Degree

Core Knowledge and Skills (6 Hours):

  • GIST 220: Introduction to Global and International Studies
  • AAAS 102 Arabic and Islamic Studies      

Additional Language (3-5 Hours):

Satisfied by completion of one additional foreign language course beyond the 4th semester proficiency language requirement (300 level or above) or any available additional language course (3-5 hours). All language study must be in Middle East languages (e.g. Arabic, Turkish, Persian, or Hebrew).

Capstone Coursework (6 Hours):

Satisfied by the completion of the following two courses, with a senior project specifically focused on a Middle East topic.

  • GIST 610 Interdisciplinary Methods for Global Contexts 
  • GIST 698 Capstone Seminar or GIST 699 Capstone Seminar, Honors

Upper-Division Concentration Electives (9 Hours):

Satisfied by taking three of the following courses.

  • AAAS 349/REL 350 Islam             
  • ANTH 303 Peoples and Cultures of North Africa and the Middle East       
  • GIST 535 Literature and Society in the Contemporary Middle East            
  • HIST 328 The Modern Middle East          
  • POLS 661 Politics of the Middle East       
  • POLS 667 Islam and Politics        

Upper-Division Interdisciplinary Electives (9 Hours):

Satisfied by taking three Middle East electives at the 300-level or above. The following list shows examples of commonly taught approved electives; speak with the Undergraduate Advisor for GIST for a complete list of approved courses.

  • AAAS 415 Women and Islam     
  • AAAS 433 Islamic Literature       
  • AAAS 543 Language and Culture in Arabic-Speaking Communities            
  • ANTH 372 Religion, Power, and Sexuality in Arab Societies           
  • GIST 624 Social Movements in the Middle East  
  • GIST 633 Iran, Turkey, and the Kurds      
  • HIST 327 The Premodern Middle East    
  • HIST 328 The Modern Middle East          
  • HIST 570 The Middle East After World War II      
  • JWSH 330 Mystical Tradition in Judaism
  • JWSH 410 Israel: From Idea to State       
  • JWSH 414 Israel/Palestine: The War of 1948       
  • JWSH 426 Polls and Public Opinion in Israel        
  • JWSH 681 Regimes in the Middle-East and North Africa 
  • REL 355 Muslim Societies           
  • REL 557 Modern Islamic Reform Movements     
  • SOC 532 Sociology of the Middle East       

Additional Requirements

Major Hours & Major GPA:

While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the
following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:

Major Hours:

Satisfied by 11 units (minimum of 33 credit hours) of major courses.

Overlapping Courses:

Students in the GIST major can overlap relevant coursework with other programs;
however, in order to ensure interdisciplinary breadth, they can only take up to 5 courses offered or cross-listed by any single other academic program.

Major Hours in Residence:

Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Hours:

Satisfied by a minimum of 21 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA:

Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and
repeated courses. To calculate GPA, see the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.