Social change track introduced

The International Studies department recently launched the Global Social Change and Development (GSCD) track for students interested in a double major in International Studies (IS) and Sociology. The research-based program prepares students for analytical careers regarding the challenges of globalization and international development.

Associate Director of IS, Beverly Silver, Professor in the Department of Sociology and two graduate students in the Department of Sociology, Sahan Savas Karatasli and Dan Pasciuti, spearheaded the track.

“Over the past year, International Studies thus decided to begin working together with different departments to create tracks and focus areas that would also lead to second majors or minors,” Galan wrote in an email to The News-Letter.

Students pursuing this track will conduct research on the changing landscape of economics, wealth distribution, war, social change, the politics of austerity, the influence of the individual and the altering global power structure.

GSCD participants must do research on different themes that are essential to the main goal of the track. For those students who complete particular prerequisites and go above and beyond, there will be an opportunity to do professional research with faculty at the Arrighi Center for Global Studies.

Students must take courses to satisfy the IS requirements, though they are slightly modified from the standard major.

The IS program consists of a mix of history, political science, economics and foreign language classes designed to give students a good breadth of applicable skills for the international relations arena.

The key difference between the standard track and the GSCD track is that each of these requirements can be fulfilled by taking cross departmental courses with sociology. For example, rather than taking Introduction to Comparative Politics, GSCD students can opt to take Introduction to Sociology instead. Also, there are many alternatives to the traditional economics courses that IS students are required to take that exist in a sociological context.

In addition to these core requirements, all GSCD students are required to have their concentration be research in GSCD. In order to attain this concentration, qualitative and quantitative research oriented courses are required.

Technical skills are necessary to conduct studies in sociology. For this reason, introduction to social statistics is one of the classes that is necessary for the GSCD concentration.

Many students find that this new track is a better alternative to the traditional approach of the International Studies major.

“When Hopkins offered the GSCD track this year, I knew right away I would sign on to it. I loved the IS major, but it was more tailored to international security and international finance than what I was truly interested in studying. The GSCD track honestly seemed like it was tailored exactly to my interests- it offers classes that explore development, global inequalities, social change,” sophomore Rachel Riegelhaupt wrote in an email to The News-Letter.

Despite the program being so new, many students are involved in it and are enthusiastic.

“Because it’s so new, the program organizers are incredibly approachable and excited to discuss the track with students; they genuinely seem interested in student input,” Riegelhaupt wrote. “I plan on pursuing a career in International Development, and this program is designed to prepare students for just that.”