The International Studies Program offers a diverse selection of comparative and interdisciplinary courses in the fields of Social Sciences, Business, Humanities, Education, and others.
Students will be enrolled in a total of 4 courses taught in English. Each course is 45 hours and is worth 4,5 ECTS credits (3 US credits).
Academic Offer for Spring 2025
This course is mandatory for all students.
Course: Introduction to Spain
Description: This course will provide a broad overview of Spanish civilization and culture, from its prehistory to the present day. Spain’s significance in the history of thought and deed will be examined in wider international contexts, particularly those pertaining to Western Europe and America. Students will review Spanish culture in its many diverse representations, examining cultural expressions in terms of their perceived universality and authenticity. Topics will be linked to questions of political-cultural identity in contemporary Spain.
Instructor: Professor TBA-Instituto Franklin, Universidad de Alcalá.
Course: Diversity and Social Justice
Description: Provides an analysis of social justice with an emphasis on cultural interaction to better understand human diversity issues, diverse perspectives, one another, one’s own sense of self and a global perspective.
Instructor: Terrell D. Brown. University of Central Missouri
Course: The Economics of International Air Commerce
Description: This course will examine the importance of international air commerce to both local and national economies. It will look at how air commerce supplements the shipping and trucking industries. It will show the importance of international air commerce and how it satisfies increasing consumer demand for products from all over the world.
Instructor: Kenneth William Godwin. University of Dubuque
Course: Archaeology Abroad: Approaches to Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Across an Ocean
Description: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is the world’s foremost heritage management preservation group. UNESCO statements and directives represent the most up to date, expert consensus-based information on how to best ensure long-term sustainability of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Students of archaeology (and generally) are often not aware of the anthropological but also political and legal impact UNESCO has, particularly in the United States, which has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the program, only recently rejoining UNESCO following a four-year absence. This course will summarize the impact of the UNESCO policy-making initiative, survey renowned and lesser-known sites in the home country (or region) of each student, and compare and contrast legal frameworks of heritage law on land and underwater. The latter is particularly important and follows on the heels of the recent 2024 UNESCO Conference in Barcelona, which reaffirmed the 2020’s as the “Decade of Ocean Science.”
Instructor: Morgan Smith. University of Tennessee Chattanooga
This course is mandatory for all students.
Course: Introduction to Spain
Description: This course will provide a broad overview of Spanish civilization and culture, from its prehistory to the present day. Spain’s significance in the history of thought and deed will be examined in wider international contexts, particularly those pertaining to Western Europe and America. Students will review Spanish culture in its many diverse representations, examining cultural expressions in terms of their perceived universality and authenticity. Topics will be linked to questions of political-cultural identity in contemporary Spain.
Instructor: Professor TBA-Instituto Franklin, Universidad de Alcalá.
Course: A border is a story
Description: In this course, our goal will be to consider borders, taking up lines of inquiry that come from political thought, philosophy, literature, and film. This course does not purport to solve complex issues or definitively answer longstanding and complicated questions about borders; our task is, rather, to think about borders. We will therefore engage in a serious and sustained reflection on a number of problems that have preoccupied scholars, artists, and policymakers who think about borders and related questions of sovereignty, movement, place, citizenship, identities, and more. As with any complex social and political issue, there are a wide range of views regarding what borders are and what they do. For some, national borders are natural and necessary demarcations between sovereign nations. For others, borders are cultural and political constructs that exacerbate false divisions. Framing the border as a story, we will examine how its characters, events, and themes vary depending on the teller and their interests.
Instructor: Daniel Runnels. University of Central Missouri
Course: Global Perspectives on Human Rights and Technology
Description: Through this course students will engage in a comprehensive examination of the intersection between global human rights and technology. Students will explore the implications of technological advancements on the promotion, protection, and documentation of human rights worldwide. Topics covered include digital privacy, cybersecurity, internet governance globally, social media and freedom of expression, emerging technologies and future Implications for human rights, and the role of technology in facilitating activism and advocacy for human rights. Through case studies, discussions, and hands-on activities, students will develop critical thinking skills and practical strategies for addressing human rights in diverse cultural, political, and technological contexts.
Instructor: Shantia Kerr Sims. University of Central Missouri
Course: Victimology
Description: This course provides a study of the history of victimization as well as its role within the criminal justice system. The impact and consequences of victimization on an individual and societal level will be evaluated. Categories of victimization (such as homicide, sexual, intimate partner, and child) will be examined. Resources available to victims as well as the role of restorative justice and victims’ rights will also be addressed. Upon successful completion of this course, students will understand basic terms and concepts associated with victimology, analyze and assess the categories of victimization, and describe the development and growth of restorative justice in the criminal justice system.
Instructor: Kim Hilby. University of Dubuque
This course is mandatory for all students.
Course: Introduction to Spain
Description: This course will provide a broad overview of Spanish civilization and culture, from its prehistory to the present day. Spain’s significance in the history of thought and deed will be examined in wider international contexts, particularly those pertaining to Western Europe and America. Students will review Spanish culture in its many diverse representations, examining cultural expressions in terms of their perceived universality and authenticity. Topics will be linked to questions of political-cultural identity in contemporary Spain.
Instructor: Professor TBA-Instituto Franklin, Universidad de Alcalá.
Course: A Comparative Look at Courts Around the World
Description: Using Spain and the United States as model countries, this course will explore the similarities and differences of court systems around the world. Special attention will be devoted to legal traditions, structure and functions of courts, actors in the courtroom, the rights of the accused, criminal procedures, and a critical analysis of the concept of “justice” in sentencing decisions. Court visits, guest speakers, and videos will be used to supplement student learning.
Instructor: Gale D. Iles. University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Course: Intersectionality & Crime
Description: This course explores the ways in which identity and status characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender and class impact crime and justice outcomes. Primacy will be given to the intersection of these identities on experiences with violence in particular.
Instructor: Toya Like. University of Missouri Kansas City