Global Studies

BA (Hons) (NFQ Level 8)

overlay image

Course Video

Curricular information is subject to change.

Open All
Why is this course for me?

This is the only undergraduate Global Studies degree available in Ireland. Global Studies asks how a boundless and connected world came to be divided by boundaries into disconnected nation states in modernity. How did artificially imposed borders come to appear so natural to us? How do these borders shape our response to global challenges? And, how might we, as global citizens, imagine alternatives to this order, which we too easily take for granted?

What Will I Study

Global Studies examines major issues shaping the world, including: the environment, imperialism, capitalism and public health, through history, film, drama, culture and language modules. Students will explore a new language: Arabic, Chinese, *French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish or Swahili – and will spend at least one trimester studying abroad.

First Year

Modules include:

  • Radicals and Revolutionaries
  • US History, 1776-1991
  • Reading World Literatures
  • Media and Globalisation
  • Hispanic Cultures and Societies
  • Language modules

Second Year

Modules include:

  • Approaches to Global Studies 2
  • The Making of the Modern Middle East
  • Modern Migration
  • Modern American Literature
  • Global Bollywood
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Language modules

Third and Fourth Year

In your third year, you will study abroad for a trimester or year to develop your language skills and immerse yourself in a new culture. If you study abroad for a trimester, you then have a range of options that will enable you to broaden your horizons and enrich your academic experience:

  • Apply for a competitive internship in an area that interests you and relates to your area of study
  • Deepen your knowledge by studying a dedicated range of European Studies modules. Modules include: Genocide & Mass Violence, Slavery & the New World, US Pivots to Asia, 1890s-1950s, Global Eco Literature, Global Science Fiction, Global Development Goals, Language modules

Your fourth year will be spent at UCD, where you will complete a dissertation on an independently developed topic and continue deepening your knowledge in a range of Global Studies modules.

For detailed information on subject content click here.

International Study Opportunities

Students will spend part of their third year abroad with opportunities available in universities across Europe.

Career & Graduate Study Opportunities

Our Global Studies graduates have found employment in; Business Consultancy, Journalism, Diplomatic Service, Marketing, NGOs, Policy Analyst, Public Relations, Radio/TV Producer.

Graduates are prepared for a wide range of taught MA Programmes in the fields of Arts and Humanities such as: MA in Global History, MA in International War Studies, MA in Environmental Humanities, MA in European History, MA in Modern Languages, MA in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics, MA in Public History, MA in Cultural Policy & Arts Management. In turn, these degrees prepare graduates for PhD study. See www.ucd.ie/graduatestudies

Other Entry Routes
Testimonial

Studying Global History at UCD has empowered me to understand history beyond its local context. By studying a range of non-Western historical actors and historians, I have been able to critically engage with history in a way that challenges Eurocentric methodologies.

Ronan Hennigan, Student

Contact Information

UCD School of History

Tel. 01 716 8375
Email. history@ucd.ie

Skip to content