Develop global awareness
Illinois Global Institute News
Developing global awareness and cultural competency
Established in 2019, the Illinois Global Institute is home to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s 11 area and global studies centers and thematic programs. These units develop global awareness and cultural competency through a combination of faculty research and professional development, curricular internationalization, student-life activities, international experiences, and outreach and public engagement.
Upcoming Events
LAST 170: Que Pasa in Latin America? Cultures, Histories and Politics South of the Rio Grande
Interdisciplinary introduction to the ways of life of Latin American peoples, their origins and current expressions; discusses social, economic issues, and domestic and international policies related to them in the context of other societies in developing countries.
LAST 445: Native Latin American Languages (Beginning Q'anjob'al 2)
Tutorials are available in special native Latin American languages Cards Content not regularly offered by the university.
REES 496 - Contemporary Autocracy in Theory, Law, and Practice
Based on case studies from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia, this class explores contemporary legal, media, and political practices used by autocratic actors to assert their power, analyzing the impact on the rule of law, human rights and freedoms, sustainable development, and democracy, both in the region and globally.
PHYS/GLBL 280: Nuclear Weapons & Arms Control
Nontechnical analysis of the physics of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon effects, delivery systems, and defenses against nuclear attack; presentation of current issues; basis for making informed judgments about nuclear armaments and arms control.
REES 496: The South Caucasus
Explore the foundational myths, historical landscapes, and cultures of the South Caucasus from the Paleolithic to the Roman period and the Medieval to the Post-Soviet present.
GLBL 500: Global Society
This graduate-level course examines global society and its institutional flaws (state, markets, democracy) through critical policy analysis and policy brief writing. Considers whether global society is at risk without reform. This course is offered as part of the Master of Science in Global Studies program and is fully online, making it accessible to graduate students across campus and beyond. GLBL 500 is also available in-person/on-campus. Students interested in global governance, international development, policy analysis, global security, and interdisciplinary approaches to global issues are encouraged to enroll.
GLBL 501: Perspectives on Global Studies
This graduate-level course introduces epistemology and global studies methods through key concepts, transnational frameworks, and research proposal development. This course is offered as part of the Master of Science in Global Studies program and is fully online, making it accessible to graduate students across campus and beyond. Graduate standing required.
GLBL 296: Global Studies Foundation Seminar
This 1-credit course examines controversies and ethical issues in today's global society. Each section has a different focus, including the origins and development of nationalism and identity; how countries move from conflict to cooperation; how nuclear weapons and energy shape state power, alliances, and everyday life; the intersections of gender, memory, and justice in post-conflict societies across Latin America and the Caribbean; and emerging global health issues.
AFST 112: History of Africa from 1800
Survey of Africa's history from 1800 to the present day. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, agricultural exchange, growth of Christianity, origins and effects of 19th-century European expansion culminating in the "Scramble for Africa," the transformations wrought by European colonial rule during the 20th century, anticolonial nationalism, decolonization, and postcolonial political, economic, social, and cultural developments.
AFST 222: Introduction to Modern Africa
Modern Africa has sustained the most rapid and profound changes of any continent. The African continent saw its social systems, economic structures, political organizations, and religious and cultural practices profoundly transformed by centuries of European imperialism. This course place Africa and its people within the shared history of an increasingly global world. The course will use an interdisciplinary framework to examine the great civilizations of pre-colonial African societies; the trans-Atlantic slave trade; the impact of colonialism, nationalism, Pan-Africanism, and nationalist and independence movements; social movements and democratization; gender and development; the role of the African Diaspora in Africa's development; and globalization.
EURO 199: Race in Europe
This course explores notions of race, radicalization, racism, and racelessness in the European context. With an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates perspectives from sociology, anthropology, history, European studies, Black studies, Roma studies, and beyond, we will gain deeper understanding of both the theory surrounding these notions and their application to various populations in Europe. We will also spend some time situating what we learn within our existing schemas around race and race relations born out of our own diverse backgrounds.