Global Development Studies 

GDS 4991 –  Fourth-Year Seminar

In this seminar, GDS majors complete their GDS research paper. Prerequisite: Instructor permission AND the student must be a GDS major in order to enroll. 

001

W 03:30PM-06:00PM | CAB 489

David Edmunds & Sylvia Tidey
 

Global Environments & Sustainability

GSVS 4991 – Capstone Seminar- GSVS 

This course is the required Capstone Seminar in the Global Environments and Sustainability track of Global Studies. 

001

W 03:30PM-6:00PM | NAU 211 

Phoebe Crisman & Spencer Phillips
 

Global Public Health

PHS 4991 - Global Public Health Capstone

Explores topics in global public health and the myriad of governmental and non-governmental entities whose goal is to address and resolve problems encountered in global public health and synthesizes the student's interdisciplinary studies in global public health, culminating in a Capstone Paper.

001, 002, 003, 004

W 1:00PM - 3:25PM | Multistory (Old) Hospital C1

Chris Colvin, Kathryn Quissell, Paige Hornsby, and Rupa Valdez

Global Security & Justice 

GSSJ 4991 – Capstone Seminar (2 sections)

This is the capstone seminar for students in the Security and Justice track of Global Studies. Instructor Permission. 

001

W 03:30PM-6:00PM | NAU 141 

Peter Furia 

002

W 03:30PM-6:00PM | GIL 245

Tayyab Safdar
 

Global Commerce in Culture & Society 

GCCS 4991 – Fourth-Year Seminar 

In this course, Global Commerce in Culture and Society students will complete a 25-page research paper, as the culminating work of the major. Each student will choose readings relevant to his or her project, present them to the class and lead class discussion. Global Commerce in Culture and Society concentration only. Second Writing Requirement. Instructor Permission. 

001

T 03:30PM-06:00PM | COC 115

Pierre Fink

GDS 3113 – 001 – Buddhist Development 

TR 03:30PM-05:15PM | CNC 304

Cliff Maxwell

Buddhism takes an ethical and practical view of how individuals and societies can develop toward greater equity, sustainability, and satisfaction. This course will investigate, from a Buddhist perspective and practicing Vipassana meditation, the state of development in the developed and developing world, in Buddhist and Western societies, with emphasis on the role of the individual, personal choice, and personal growth.

GDS 3114 – 001 – Science, Technology & Development 

TR 12:30PM-01:45PM | OCH 107 

David Edmunds

This course will outline current debates about scientific and technical interventions in global development. We will look at case studies in broad areas in which UVA has considerable expertise: the built environment, public health, climate change and programming. Students will be asked to research a techno-scientific problem of their choosing, and analyze it using the concepts we discuss in class.

GDS 4952 – 001 – University Museums Internship 

F 10:00AM-12:30PM | FHL 208 

Melissa Love 

This is the second semester internship at either the Fralin Museum of Art or Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum. Students will work approximately 100 hours per semester in the museum, and will participate in three training sessions and three academic seminars. ARTH/GDS 4951 and instructor permission. Please see information at https://art.as.virginia.edu/course-descriptions and https://globalstudies.as.virginia.edu/# 

Combined with ARTH 4952

GSVS 2050 – 001 – Sustainable Energy Systems 

TR 12:30PM-01:45PM | NAU 101 

James Groves 

This course investigates a major source of human impact upon the Earth - energy consumption to fuel human activity. The course a) provides a cross-disciplinary perspective on the challenge of human-centered energy use, b) explains the historical origins of today's energy systems, c) describes current energy systems, d) examines the components of sustainable energy systems, and e) considers keys to their deployment. 

Combined with STS 2050

GSVS 4020 – 001 – Ecosystem Services: How Nature Benefits People

TR 02:00PM-03:15PM | CAB 368 

Spencer Phillips 

In this course, students will learn how to trace the "causal chains" from such actions/inactions to various ecosystem, social, and economic outcomes and to measure and value those outcomes. We will consider the philosophical/ethical underpinnings of the Ecosystem Services framework, use computer mapping and other software tools for evaluation, and review current applications of the framework by private and public sector entities.

PHS 3050 – 001 – Fundamentals of Public Health 

TR 12:30PM-01:45PM | OMS C1 

Paige Hornsby

Public health is multidisciplinary, universally relevant, & constantly evolving. In this survey course, we learn about past & current public health issues & explore the core disciplines of public health through a combination of lectures & small group discussion of documentaries & case studies. We develop an appreciation of how public health knowledge relates to our lives & learn about career opportunities.

PHS 3102 – 001 – Introduction to Public Health Research: Population Data Analysis

R 3:30PM-5:50PM | PIN 1017

Rajesh Balkrishnan

This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge & skills needed to use population data to answer research questions. Students will utilize SPSS to access, evaluate, & interpret public health data. The course will give students an opportunity to generate hypotheses & variables to measure health problems. The course will also describe how the public health infrastructure is used to collect, process, maintain & disseminate data.

Restricted to Global Public Health majors.

PHS 3104 – 001 – Introduction to Epidemiology: Methodological and Ethical Considerations

TR 2:00PM-3:15PM | OMS C1

Josh Colston

This course is an introduction to epidemiology at the undergraduate level. Using epidemiology as a framework, class participants are challenged to engage more thoughtfully with many of the big issues facing the world today. The course emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the scientific method, collaboration in teams, and ethical principles and reasoning in this process.

Restricted to Global Public Health majors.

PHS 3825 – 001 – Global Public Health: Challenges and Innovations

T 9:30AM-12:00PM | MHP 3181

Chris Colvin

Undoubtedly, we've made important advances in global health, but there's still a long way to go. What factors determine health? What threats do we face today? What issues should we be working to change? We will explore these questions & more through a variety of interactive lectures & small group activities centered on 4 major themes: History & Trends, Determinants of Health, Culture, & Communication.

Restricted to Global Public Health majors.

PHS 4050 – 001 – Public Health Policy

TR 12:30PM-1:45PM | MON 134

Kathryn Quissell

Explores the legitimacy, design, & implementation of a variety of policies aiming to promote public health & reduce the social burden of disease & injury. Highlights the challenge posed by public health's pop-based perspective to traditional ind-centered, autonomy-driven approaches to bioethics & const. law. Other themes center on conflicts between PH & pub morality & the relationship between PH and social justice.

Restricted to Global Public Health majors.

GSGS 2400  – Mass Migration & Global Development (2 Sections)

001

TR 03:30PM-04:45PM | MIN 125

Levi Vonk

002

TR 09:30AM-10:45AM | NAU 211

Levi Vonk

This course explores migration's relation to global development initiatives. When do migrants "count" in development projects, and when do they not? What kinds of political, social, and economic claims are migrants permitted to make on their own terms, and when are these claims mediated by development and humanitarian initiatives?

GSGS 3030  – Global Cultural Studies (2 Sections)

100

MW 12:00PM-12:50PM | MIN 125

Michael Levenson

200

MW 02:00PM-02:50PM | PHS 338

Michael Levenson

This course analyzes our global cultural condition from a dual historical perspective and follows a development stretching over the last 60 years, beginning with the period just after WW II and continuing to the present day. Of central concern will be the varieties of cultural expression across regions of the world and their relation to a rapidly changing social history, drawing upon events that occur during the semester.

GSGS 3330 – 001 – Ecological Economics: Economics as if People and Thermodynamics Mattered  

TR 03:30PM-04:45PM | CAB 232

Spencer Phillips 

Ecological Economics augments standard economics by stressing the coevolution of natural systems with human institutions, including markets, and elevating sustainability and justice (not merely efficiency) as essential societal goals. In this course, students examine ecological-economic relationships, outcomes, challenges, and solutions, in the context of local and global agricultural, resource, environmental, and development issues.

GSGS 4200 - Applied Research in Global Studies

TR 02:00PM-03:15PM | WIL 325

Andreja Siliunas, David Edmunds, & Levi Vonk

In this course, students gain experience applying global perspectives, as well as research methods and techniques, to one of several real-world issues. Team-taught, the course allows students to choose a path that includes a methodological foundation, a deep dive into a particular method, a chance to practice a useful skills related to Global Studies professions, and culminating in the applied research project.

GSGS 3559 – 001 – eGlobal – Sustainable Engagement in Rwanda - Part II

Online Asynchronous (1 credit)

Marcel Durieux

eGlobal provides a way for UVA students to have meaningful long-term engagement with international peers. UVA students work with students from the University for Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda, in teams of four, to investigate global health topics relevant to both countries. The program provides a list of possible topics to work on for groups to choose from (although groups can also define their own topics). Estimated time commitment will be one hour per week on Zoom with the group, and about another hour per week for online research on the topic. The program runs the full academic year, and culminates in an online symposium where all groups present their research findings. For interested eGlobal groups options exist to publish their findings in Conflux, the University of Virginia global health journal.

Questions? Contact course coordinator, Haylee Ressa (qnx7rs@virginia.edu) 

GSGS 3559 – 002 – Global Partnership Essentials: Theoretical and Practical Global Health Engagement

W 05:00PM-06:00PM | CAB 338 (1 credit)

Marcel Durieux

Global Partnership Essentials aims to prepare students for effective and culturally appropriate engagement in Global Health activities by providing a background in Global Health theory, key issues, and culturally appropriate practice. Discussion 1-2 landmark articles and case studies focused on Global Health, using the Partners in Health Engage Curriculum supplemented with other relevant articles authored by global partners and UVA faculty.

GSGS 3559 – 003 – Art & Politics

TR 12:30PM-01:45PM | CAB 058

Andreja Siliunas

Throughout history, people have used art to mobilize others to their causes, legitimize or critique political regimes, rewrite narratives of the past, and project aspirational visions of the future.  This course will examine the relationship between art and politics from a global perspective.  We will explore how various genres of visual art – including photography, monuments, street art, and architecture – have been constructed, manipulated, interpreted, and destroyed by the agents of imperial regimes, democratic states, and grassroots social movements to reinforce and/or transform people’s social imaginaries and environmental conditions. 

GSGS 3559 – 004 – Development & Security

MW 02:00PM-03:15PM | WIL 238

Tayyab Safdar

This course unpacks the multi-faceted dimensions of global development and critically explores the intricate linkages between development and security. To do so, we will begin by exploring the multiple development challenges facing countries and communities worldwide. We will then examine the implications of these development challenges for people living in these countries and communities. We will also investigate the broader impact of these challenges from a security perspective on a global scale to understand how they can affect international peace and stability.  Through this examination, the course aims to equip students to understand the challenges and potential ways forward, given the complexity of the interplay between development and security in an increasingly polarised World.

GSGS 4559 - Global Democracy Ecosystem

T 06:30PM-09:00PM | CAB 383

Felix Maradiaga

This course is taught by Felix Maradiaga, internationally recognized Nicaraguan democratic and human rights advocate recently nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. This course explores the global democratic ecosystem, focusing on civil society’s role in resisting autocracy. It examines activist networks, autocratic collaboration, and how pro-democracy forces counter them. Covering human rights, free elections, and transparency, it combines theory with practical activism. The course also considers global democratic regression’s impact on U.S. democracy and the potential for a new wave of democratization.