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 2027
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 of 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: Comparative Justice Systems
Description: This course introduces students to comparative justice systems through the study of policing, courts, corrections, and legal traditions across different countries. Using North American systems as an anchor point, the course examines how justice institutions are shaped by history, politics, culture, and social context, while encouraging students to compare global approaches to law, rights, punishment, and public safety.
Instructor: Ziwei Qi, Fort Hays State University
Course: Introductory Management Accounting
Description: This course introduces the student to cost and managerial accounting with an emphasis on decision making in an international context. Topics include: management accounting and strategy; types of costs and cost behaviour; job costing; activity-based costing; responsibility accounting; budgeting; variance analysis; cost-volume-profit analysis; decision making and relevant information; international transfer pricing; customer profitability analysis; balanced scorecard with international metrics, and competitive management methods.
Instructor: Glen Stanger, Douglas College
Course: Digital Foundations
Description: Digital Foundations is an immersive 3-week study abroad course designed for undergraduate students of all levels seeking to explore and apply the most current and relevant topics shaping today's digital landscape. This course bridges classroom learning with real-world digital experiences. Students will examine a broad range of digital topics including artificial intelligence, social media, cybersecurity, digital ethics, data literacy, and emerging technologies, while drawing direct connections to their everyday life. Through hands-on projects, possible site visits and collaborative activities, students will not only learn about digital concepts but actively apply them in context. No prior technical background is required. The course is intentionally designed to be accessible to students across all majors and experience levels, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and diverse perspectives. By the end of the program, students will have developed a foundational fluency in digital topics, a global perspective on how technology shapes society, and a portfolio of applied work reflecting their learning abroad.
Instructor: Lori Ann Welsch, 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 of 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: The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Americas
Description: In this course we will cover slavery as an institution from early human history to the legacies that continue to shape the present. We will focus the majority of our attention on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its effects on the social, political, and economic development of the Americas.
Instructor: Andrew Simon Hernandez III, Western New Mexico University
Course: AI, Society, and Security
Description: AI, Society and Security covers AI frameworks, risk management, global policy development and implementation, use of AI and consumer privacy rights, and global security concerns.
Instructor: Sandra Moore, University of New Mexico
Course: Language, Power, and Global Education Inequality
Description: This course examines how language shapes power, access, and opportunity within global education systems. Students will explore issues such as linguistic discrimination, language policy, immigration, and international education through comparative and human rights perspectives. Drawing on real-world case studies, the course highlights how language can both empower and marginalize individuals and communities, particularly in transnational and higher education contexts. Students will critically analyze global inequalities and consider strategies for creating more equitable and inclusive educational environments.
Instructor: Sara Beth Tours, Slippery Rock University
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 of 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: Gender Confined - Women's Prisons in a Global Context
Description: This course examines a series of contentious topics prison systems in transatlantic/Canadian correctional practice and prison systems with a focus on women prisoners and prisons. Through a gendered lens, students will learn about the relationship between prison culture, prison systems, and broader social structures in Canadian society. This course also examines the prison systems in Japan and the U.S. and will address broader topics including political climates and philosophies of punishment and corrections. It will also look at more specific issues, including Indigenous populations in Canadian prisons; aging prisoners in the Japanese prison system, and racialized hyper-incarceration in the U.S., among other issues. The course will include a diversity of teaching techniques, including visual materials and documentaries, group discussion activities, guest speakers, and field trips.
Instructor: Kirsten Jean McIlveen, Capilano University
Course: Digital Health Transformation: Advancing Population Health and National Economic Prosperity
Description: This undergraduate course examines how digital health technologies are transforming healthcare delivery systems, improving population health outcomes, and contributing to national economic growth. Students will explore the intersection of health innovation, technology, policy, and economic development within modern healthcare systems.
The course introduces foundational concepts in digital health, including electronic health records (EHRs), telehealth, mobile health (mHealth), health information exchanges (HIEs), artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, wearable technologies, and digital public health infrastructure. Emphasis is placed on how these tools enhance care coordination, increase access to services, reduce disparities, improve quality outcomes, and support value-based care models.
Students will also examine how digital transformation strengthens workforce productivity, stimulates healthcare innovation markets, supports entrepreneurship, and contributes to national competitiveness and economic resilience. Ethical considerations, cybersecurity, health equity, regulatory policy, and global digital health trends will be integrated throughout the course.
Instructor: Kadrie Mountasser, Western New Mexico University
Course: Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices
Description: This course is an introduction to Indigenous peoples’ knowledge systems and practices, with particular attention to their ecological practices, governance approaches, health and education systems, and cultural practices as embodied in their knowledge systems and practices. The course will orient the students to the relationship of Indigenous Peoples with Western epistemologies and the global processes of colonialism, modernization, and globalization. It will also explore the economic, political, and socio-cultural systems, and the issues and challenges encountered by Indigenous communities. The course will similarly delve into the ethical and culturally-sensitive approaches to interacting with indigenous communities.
Instructors: Rex L. Llonora & María Rita Reyes Cucio. Far Eastern University
Course: Intersectional Queer Studies and Human Rights
Description: Intersectional Queer Studies and Human Rights examines the role of society in constructing gender, sexuality, and culture as fluid rather than fixed entities. Grounded in a human rights foundation, the curriculum assumes that diversity in sexuality and gender is a normal, enriching part of the human experience and explores how these identities function as sites of power and privilege. Using an intersectional feminist and queer studies framework, students will investigate the "person-environment-time" dimensions of identity, specifically examining the social positioning of cisgender and transgender people within contemporary Spanish and Transatlantic contexts. Through a contextual, strengths-based, and culturally responsive lens, the course contrasts essentialist and constructionist perspectives while discussing queer identities alongside prevailing cultural norms of femininity and masculinity. Designed for future professionals in social work, human services, and the applied social sciences, the course concludes with a field advocacy project that empowers students to apply these theoretical frameworks to real-world human rights challenges and career goals.
Instructor: Trevor G. Gates-Crandall, Western New Mexico University