Overview
The GIS curriculum is designed to guide and support students as they pursue their personal goals in the context of an increasingly complex global environment. Through a liberal arts education that combines academic skills courses with traditional fields of study as well as interdisciplinary perspectives, GIS seeks to cultivate a truly global perspective through the development of creative problem solving skills, the growth of academic knowledge, and the encouragement of interpersonal and intercultural communication. The curriculum offers a framework of classes from 100 level and to 400-level seminars that also allows the freedom and flexibility for students to design their own course of study.
Foundation Courses
Laying the groundwork for education and employment: students acquire the fundamental
skills essential for success in GIS and in their future careers through our academic skills
courses.
Example courses:
- Debate and Discussion
This course aims to cultivate skills in argumentation that students can apply to debate and discussion both within and beyond classroom environments. Students will learn how to conduct themselves in critical discussion settings while also developing critical thinking, organizational and speaking skills.
- Academic Writing Skills I and II
- Reading Skills I and II
100-level courses
Build basic knowledge in core disciplines
Example courses:
- Introduction to International Relations
The objectives of this course are to instill in students a broad understanding of the concepts and theories of IR, to enable them to analyze major events and players in international politics, and to comprehend the complexity of international relations.
- Introduction to Philosophy
- Introduction to English literature
- Introduction to Linguistics
- Introduction to Psychology I and II
- Introduction to Sociology
- Introduction to Political Science
- Introduction to Business
- Microeconomics I
200-level courses
Cultivate an interdisciplinary perspective by applying knowledge gained in a number of fields
Example courses:
- Race, Class and Gender II: Concepts and Issues
This course explores how race, class, gender and sexuality shape personal identities and experiences, create differences among people, and constitute inequalities. Students will learn concepts, theories and empirical studies that challenge common (mis)conceptions and which guide them to think more deeply about society.
- Social Psychology
Students will learn the major theories, findings, and methods of social psychology, which aims to explain how we influence one another to shape our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. We will cover topics such as social cognition, conformity, persuasion, prosocial and antisocial behaviors, attraction, group influence, and stereotyping.
- Principles of Marketing
This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of marketing, marketing strategies used by companies, and the role of marketing in society. Students learn how to understand the marketplace, how to create customer value, how to target the correct market, and how to build customer relationships.
- Business Negotiation
The study of negotiation has become more significant to global society. Students will learn basic negotiation theories and techniques, read and discuss case studies, and study consensus building so as to develop the skills to interact effectively within the contexts of both business and everyday life.
- TESOL II: Teaching Methodology
- World Politics
- Foundations of Finance
- Brand Management
300-level courses
Work within and across areas in focusing on particular issues
Example courses:
- English Dialects around the World
This course will survey the phonetic, lexical and syntactic features of the standard varieties of English in the UK, North America and Australasia, with special attention paid to Singapore English as one of the evergrowing New Englishes of Asia.
- Media and Globalization
Focusing on animation from the U.S., Japan, as well as Europe and parts of Asia, in this course we will closely examine the particularities of animation, exploring different thematic topics that intersect with globalization. Throughout the semester we will be engaging with the forms and technologies of animation, analyzing its history, production processes, and global presence.
- Advanced Topics in Contemporary Art
- International Relations of the Asia-Pacific
- Investment
- Services Marketing
400-level seminars
Develop specialized knowledge by applying an interdisciplinary approach to a seminar’s field of study
Seminars
*Course offerings are subject to change.
