MISSION

Students at the University of North Carolina live in an increasingly globalized society. It is critical that they develop a fuller understanding of the variable nature of earth's people and nations. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with its rich diversity of programs possessing a strong international focus and its strong commitment to study abroad, provides an exceptional learning environment for the study of these critical issues.

The Curriculum in International and Area Studies offers the undergraduate student the opportunity to develop an appreciation for and fuller understanding of the global issues within the context of a diverse, flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum in the tradition of the University's liberal arts focus. Courses deal with topics as diverse as the global impact of nineteenth century European colonialism; globalization and economic change; migration and diasporas; environment and human rights; global health and human reproduction; global and local social movements; and technology and patterns of cultural transmission. Such an integrated learning environment includes courses in modern foreign languages, enabling the student to develop the ability to interact and learn in a foreign environment; courses in a thematic concentration allowing the student a framework for developing critical questioning and reasoning skills; and courses with a regional focus, encouraging students to develop a fuller awareness of the ways in which global forces shape and transform regional political, economic and cultural change.

In furthering these goals, the Curriculum encourages students to enhance their major by participating in the University's diverse Study Abroad opportunities. The goal is to insure that students integrated their interest in global and regional issues into their major. Study Abroad may include advanced language study, the initial development of an additional regional language, and the concentrated study of a global issue in another geographical setting, or comparatively between particular regions of the world.
The Curriculum in International and Area Studies and Study Abroad lay the groundwork for successful careers with an international dimension in a wide range of fields. Large corporations continue to expand their production and distribution systems to the most distant reaches of the globe. Professional groups and associations have expanded their connections with counterparts in other countries. As the line between public and private increasingly blurs, the opportunity increases for international service in a wide range of non-profit agencies, institutions and foundations, research centers, public interest groups, and non-governmental development agencies. There are today broader ranges of relevant opportunities both within government and within the expanding private and non-profit sectors.

In spring 2008, about 400 juniors and seniors are International Studies majors, and approximately half of these students major in a second field.

The Curriculum in International and Area Studies supports the University's core values encouraging diversity and equal educational and employment opportunities throughout the University community. These values are articulated in the University's non-discrimination policy and by the office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

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