In a series of workshops this fall, the Global Studies program will invite faculty and students from across the university to explore how global studies fits into an interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Alongside the workshops, the program will administer a new grant program that will allow faculty and graduate students to pursue interdisciplinary research projects that consider questions about the connections created by complex global systems.
With its new grant program, Global Studies will support faculty and students across Arts & Sciences to conduct global projects that do not fit within traditional disciplines. The $2,000 grants will support projects that have an international focus in the form of research assistance, travel for research or conferences, editing costs, book subventions, ethics review costs for research with human subjects, publication costs for articles, meetings with collaborators, or new course development.
“Our goal is to start more conversations around campus in relation to what a global studies program can do for faculty and researchers in Arts & Sciences as well as other schools at WashU,” said Tabea Alexa Linhard, director of global studies and professor of Spanish and comparative literature. “If you have an idea of where do you think global studies should be going, please come and join us. We would love to hear about your projects.”
Linhard notes that, as a field, global studies is everywhere. In order to understand complex issues like the migrant crisis or climate change, a global perspective is required.
“In global studies, we provide our students, our colleagues, and our faculty with a way to work with and understand the interconnected nature of these kinds of problems,” said Linhard. “You have to approach these programs from different perspectives and with the knowledge and methodologies from multiple disciplines to truly understand them.”
The Global Futures lectures and workshop series kicks off Oct. 13 with “Spiderweb Capitalism,” a talk by Kimberly Kay Hoang (University of Chicago). The lecture is open to the public, but advance registration is required for the following workshop on Oct. 14. Later events in the series will include speakers from outside and within the university.
More information about the workshop and the grant program can be found on the Global Studies website.
