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COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Mural painted by Alloyius Mcilwaine outside of the GIS office in Garey Hall.

The Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS) provides students with skills, knowledge and values that foster critical thinking, problem solving and preparation for responsible global citizenship.

Our students gain an understanding of global and digital literacy, cultural diversity and intercultural competences, interdisciplinary research, and a passion for social justice, nurtured in experiential learning.

The department is comprised of three majors: GlS (with 10 specializations), Gender and Women's Studies (GWS), and Peace and Justice Studies (PJ). Students in the GIS major are required to declare a specialization in one of the following interdisciplinary area studies: Africana Studies, Arab and Islamic Studies, Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, Cultural Studies, Irish Studies, Japanese Studies, Latin American Studies or Russian Area Studies. A student may also opt for an Individually Designed Specialization after meeting the requirements. We also offer four Critical Language and Cultural Studies minors in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian and a minor in Sustainability Studies.

Spring 2025 Courses

Travel Assistance Fund Application

"Writing in Tongues" Journal

 

Chiji Akoma, PhD
Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies
chiji.akoma@villanova.edu
(610) 519-6967

Andra Cain
Senior Administrative Assistant
andra.cain@villanova.edu

(610)-519-6302

WHO WE ARE

Lezlie Hilario ’25 CLAS

Lezlie Hilario ’25 CLAS, a Global Interdisciplinary Studies and Political Science double major, was named the recipient of the Truman Scholarship. She is the seventh Villanova University student to receive the prestigious scholarship. "I would like to work in a nonprofit that focuses on the progression of Latinos or Black Americans," she says of her career aspirations. MORE...

WELCOME ANUSHA HARIHARAN, PHD

Anusha Hariharan, PhD., joined Villanova University as assistant professor of Global Interdisciplinary Studies in fall 2024. Trained as a Cultural Anthropologist, her research to date has engaged feminist activism and solidarity-building in South Asia and its transnational connections, through the intertwined lenses of memory, ethical life, care and global Christianities.

EDUCATION WITH IMPACT

 

AN EDUCATION IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES promotes intellectual curiosity and rigor; instills the fundamentals of critical insight, mature judgment and independent thinking; and strengthens students’ sense of their moral responsibility for others and for the betterment of society.