Developmental Studies and Social Change Minor

The minor is administered by the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) and is open to University graduate students interested in a structured program of study in an interdisciplinary and globally oriented field. By focusing on the social basis of change in the global south, the minor program engages a wide range of academic disciplines, including the social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences. Among the broad themes addressed in minor program seminars: social and environmental change; human rights and human security; development; international peace and conflict; and arts and humanities perspectives on global social justice. The minor program focuses on three areas: (1)The relationships between large-scale processes of political, economic, and social change, and the particular conditions of lived experience in the global south; (2)Specifically interdisciplinary perspectives (encompassing the social sciences, the biological sciences, and the humanities) on this general thematic concern; and (3) Preparation of master's and doctoral students to conduct interdisciplinary and international research.