Global Engagement Minor

The Global Engagement Minor (GEM) is a unique opportunity for Wesleyan students to explore their academic interests, extracurricular activities, and language skills while learning how to navigate the world through a lens of cultural self awareness. The GEM provides flexibility like no other, allowing students to select courses that provide a global perspective according to their interests, continue previous language study or begin a new language, and engage in culturally immersive learning opportunities, like study abroad or community engagement, to earn the minor. For any questions, please contact Anita Deeg-Carlin, Director for Intercultural Learning (Fisk 117). Follow us on instagram!  

Core Requirements

1. Introductory Seminar (CGST 205)
2. Global Perspective Coursework 
3. Language Study
4. Off-Campus Cultural Immersion 
5. Senior Capstone Seminar (CGST 305)

How it works

Students are strongly encouraged to apply to the Global Engagement Minor in the second semester of their first year on campus. Accepted students are notified before the end of the spring term, and are expected to enroll in the introductory seminar CGST 205: Introduction to Global Engagement in the Fall of their sophomore year. Second semester frosh applicants are given priority for the introductory course. 

As part of this seminar, students will develop an electronic portfolio (eportfolio) that they are expected to contribute to as they participate in culturally diverse opportunities off-campus, during language study, and while taking global perspective courses of their choosing. See links below for details.

In the spring semester of their senior year, students enroll in the senior capstone seminar CGST 305 to reflect on their global experiences and create a cohesive narrative about their intercultural development while at Wesleyan.

Pathway

Visit this page for a visual representation of a potential GEM student pathway. We recommend visiting the About the Minor page for additional details about the requirements. Contact Anita Deeg-Carlin, Director for Intercultural Learning, for further questions. 

FAQ's

• How can I apply to the Global Engagement Minor?

  Students may apply to the GEM during Spring of their first year. The application consists of a short statement of interest describing how and why the Global Engagement Minor fits into the student’s academic plans, a breakdown of the students’ academic history, and a brief recommendation from a professor at Wesleyan.

  Interested students can find the application form here. Applicants will also need to request a recommendation from a faculty member using this form.

• What Global Perspective Courses do I need to take?
  In order to earn the minor, students need to take four full-credit courses that provide a global perspective. Rather than prescribing a specific list of courses, students, with the help of their advisor, select courses that align with their academic interests! This also provides the student with the flexibility and the option to select courses that fulfill both the global perspective requirement as well as their major requirements.
• What are examples of Global Perspective Courses that cover different world regions?
  The following courses are examples of global perspective courses that cover different world regions: Global (i.e. HIST 268), East Asia / Pacific (i.e. PHIL 205), Europe and Eurasia (i.e. GRST 213), Latin America (i.e. SPAN 294), Middle East and North Africa (i.e. RELI 221), South and Central Asia (i.e. ARHA 181F), Sub-Saharan Africa (i.e. DANC 260), United States and Canada (i.e. GOVT 151).
  
  Remember, you must take four global perspective courses of your choosing, and cover at least three of the world regions. For example, if your academic plans include a strong focus on Chinese literature and art, you could take a course that is considered Global, another on Sub-Saharan Africa or another region to explore, and take two courses such as CEAS 202 and CEAS 225 that both focus on China!
• Does the GEM have required courses?
  There are only two seminars that are pre-determined and required to earn the minor.
  

  1. CGST 205: Introduction to Global Engagement, which you take in your Fall semester of your sophomore year.
  2. CGST 305: Senior Capstone Seminar, which you take in the Spring semester of senior year.
• How do I fulfill the language requirement?

  Students can fulfill the language requirement in a variety of ways as long as they prove intermediate proficiency or higher in a second language.

  1. Monolingual students: Take language courses through the intermediate level (as defined by the department; often four semesters of college-level coursework).
  2. Bilingual or multilingual students: Demonstrate intermediate (or greater) proficiency gained outside of Wesleyan.
  3. Native speakers of languages other than English: Inform your GEM advisor of their proficiency; taking any subject course taught in English shows sufficient proficiency in a second language.
• Do I have a minor advisor? When should I meet with them?

  GEM students are assigned to an advisor in the Fall semester of their sophomore year. Students are expected to meet with their advisor once per academic year in November during pre-registration. In these meetings, students can discuss potential global perspective courses to choose from, their progress studying language, and their plans for how to fulfill the experiential learning requirement before graduation. Your advisor will also remind you to keep track of these experiences in your e-portfolio and encourage you to reflect on various aspects of your intercultural development before and after completing the experiential learning requirement, which you will need to return to in the senior capstone seminar. 

• Do I need to take language courses if I already know a second language?
  Puzzling out another language will help you understand your own culture better and empathize with the difficulties of non-anglophone immigrants, colleagues, clients, and travelers in the U.S and abroad. Thus, GEM students are strongly encouraged to continue their language studies or begin a new language while at Wesleyan from their very first semester, even if they already know a second language.
• How can I meet the off-campus cultural immersion requirement?

  Intercultural skills allow us to navigate complex environments and problems across languages and across an increasing diversity of people, cultures and lifestyles.  Developing these skills is an exciting challenge that GEM students will address intensively during the off-campus cultural immersion component of the minor.  Options for satisfying this requirement include:

  • Study abroad
  • Internationally focused internship or fellowship abroad or in the U.S.
  • Internationally focused community engagement abroad or in the U.S.
  • Internationally located research experience

  When identifying an off-campus experience as a focus for reflection with cohort members and via their e-portfolio, GEM students will consider the following guidelines:

  • Global context/experiential: whether within the United States or abroad, the academic/professional/volunteer experience must be experiential and embedded in a global context. For specific examples, click here:

  • Integrated: the experience must be connected (in varying levels of intensity) throughout the student’s Wesleyan experience. For example, if a student is interested in addressing climate change, they can address that interest while studying abroad in Denmark, but they can also engage on campus or in the Middletown community. For specific examples, click here:

  • Discomfort: Being truly immersed in a new cultural environment is challenging and often uncomfortable. While practicing self-care and keeping healthy boundaries, we encourage minors to welcome, seek out and embrace this kind of discomfort as it will offer an invaluable cultural learning environment. For specific examples, click here:

  • Transformative: a student will be able to articulate definitive “ah-ha” moments during this immersive time as well as point to specific areas of growth and change in worldview and cultural competence. For specific examples, click here:

  • Critical reflection: when developing blog posts that highlight key experiences during this learning component, students will refer to the frameworks introduced during CGST 205. This infers initiative, critical reflection, and an active experience. For specific examples, click here:

  Students should consult with their advisor to seek approval when they have identified a potential off-campus cultural immersion experience to fulfill this requirement.