51 courses with the subject GLS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
GLS 100US Government and Politics3
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power Introduces the institutions, background and processes of American national government. Surveys the governmental structures created by the Constitution as well as the informal substructures (parties, interest groups, etc.) that animate our political system. Typically Offered: Fall and Spring 2026-2027-Undergraduate 215
Context and Perspectives: Globalization The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. The revolutionary changes in information and communication technology and the collapse of the Cold War international system in recent decades have been driving the flow of goods, services, capital, people, ideas and images across the globe at an unprecedented speed. This course begins with an introduction defining what globalization is and is not, why everyone is talking about it, and what forces are pushing it. The course then engages the students in the theoretical debates about the nature of globalization, after which it examines the political, economic, security and cultural impact of globalization. Furthermore, we will use the case of China, India, the United States and the developing world will be used to show how nations react to the challenges of globalization. Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
GLS 105US State and Local Government and Politics3
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power Subnational governments (localities, states, regions) are involved in tackling many of the most challenging problems facing nations and are on the front lines responding to social and economic change. This course will help students understand how subnational institutions and decision- f makers operate, what kinds of public policies they produce, how they interact with the national government, and how the balance of power between subnational and national government shifts over time. Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
Context and Perspectives: Globalization This survey course will examine the worlds major global regions, adopting a geographic perspective to better understand contemporary global landscapes, people and events. In other words, the course will consider the ways in which attributes of location and geography underlie cultural, economic and political circumstances around the world. For each region, associated themes are discussed. For example, North Africa/Southwest Asia tends to be associated with oil and Islam, while North America is often associated with themes of urbanization and mobility. Region- centered class materials and discussions are then complemented by students country-specific current events studies that narrow the scale of analysis and thereby reinforce knowledge acquired in the course. Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior Cross cultural understanding is at the heart of international relations, business transactions, and community development, and it is a necessary skill set in any career. Our languages and cultures shape the way that we see the world around us. This course can help students cross these perceptual bridges in order to more effectively connect with people of different backgrounds. Students will be challenged to develop and clarify their own concept of culture and see how differences and similarities in this concept affect how we relate to one another. Elements of several specific cultural contexts are examined, and strategies for effective understanding are developed and applied through readings, case studies, and experiential exercises. The course also includes interactive activities, films, and small group discussions. Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality The United States stands out in international comparison for the degree to which it has relied on the private sector to provide social benefits, such as healthcare and pensions, to its citizens. The course will begin by exploring the courses and consequences of this heavy reliance on the private sector for the provision of public benefits. The course will then consider the ways in which this trend continues to strengthen as policymakers increasingly emphasize the privatization of social policy. In particular, the course will consider current social policy debates that emphasize shifts in the role of the private sector: Should social security be privatized? Who should provide health insurance and who should pay for it? Should employers be obligated to pay a living wage? Would market- based reforms improve public schools? Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality This course explores the political context in which officials develop and implement public policy in urban areas. We consider the historical underpinnings of the contemporary urban landscape and the way in which public policy has shaped the operation of urban housing and labor markets with intended and unintended consequences for the economic health of urban areas. We evaluate current economic development strategies employed by local officials in order to revitalize their cities and regions, considering the political imperatives behind different choices and assessing the relative promise of different approaches. In addition, we consider a number of other public policies designed to address urban problems (e.g. transportation, housing, education) and evaluate their political feasibility and effectiveness. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Globalization Examines briefly the historical trends in U.S. foreign relations. Devotes major attention to the forces affecting the development of foreign policy and the problems facing the United States worldwide since World War II. Typically Offered: Once a year
This course can count for the Arts/Sciences or Humanities/Social Sciences elective. Context and Perspectives: Values, Ethics, and Society The course offers the students a general conceptual framework and analytical tools to understand, analyze, and interpret the role of science and technology in business, in government, and society as a whole through a lense of political decision-making. In particular, this course focuses on the role of science and technology in economic and social development, to which government- and other political decision-making contributes or can mitigate. This course regards science & technology as a tool, as a driver, and as an outcome of economic and social development, as well as business and public decision-making. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power Examines political campaigns and elections in the United States and other democracies. The course covers the core principles and practices of modern campaigns, including who runs for office and why; how are campaigns organized; what makes a good campaign strategy, and what is the best way to communicate a theme to the voters; how are campaigns financed; what is the impact of money, polling, political advertising, and grassroots mobilization; how is technology transforming campaigns; and how do voters make their electoral decisions? These questions will be answered by closely tracking and analyzing current races, assessing the performance of the news media, comparing the U.S. electoral system with systems abroad, suggesting reforms for the U.S. system, and discussing the implications of the most recent election outcomes for future governing and policymaking. Typically Offered: Every two or more years
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power This course examines the office of the presidency in the US political system, and its role in public policy and international affairs. It surveys the institutional development and current operation of the presidency, presidential leadership, and the interaction between the two. Additional topics include the institutional framework within which the president operates; the relationship between the presidency and other political branches; the interaction of the presidency and the party system; and the processes of nominating and electing the president. The course also places the U.S. presidency in a comparative, international perspective. Typically Offered: Every two or more years
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, & Inequality Considers America's love-hate relationship with its immigration legacy - a nation of immigrants that now favors stricter immigration policies. Focuses on the country's immigration legacy, immigration institutions, legal and undocumented immigration, political refugees and human rights issues at America's borders. It also examines foreign policy influences on immigration policy and places immigration within a global context to examine the origins of immigration as well as international migration patterns. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality This course will introduce students to politics and policy of race and social inequality in the United States. It disentangles the creation of race and ethnicity and how it is used for political and policy outcomes. It covers a range of topics, including disparities in health, education, income, wealth and political engagement. The goals of the course are to gain an understanding of race as both a theoretical construct and a lived reality, the history of racial inequality, the policies that create those inequalities, including its changes over time, and the efficacy of contemporary solutions to address ongoing racial disparities. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Globalization This course centers the histories, voices and experiences of peoples, societies and states of ‘the developing world’. How did communities, regions and peoples of the world come to be unequal? What does development mean in the shadow of colonial and decolonial experiences and traumas? What processes, actors, institutions, and forces have contributed to mal- and underdevelopment? How might they be challenged, reformed, or mitigated? Through critical analysis of texts, film and other media, this course explores the cosmologies, ideologies, policies, practices and events that shape the diverse trajectories of peoples and communities around the world. This course will explore the visions, tropes and paradigms that have shaped the fates and lives of ‘Global South’ citizens while also exploring the spaces and strategies of subversion that might yield emancipatory outcomes. The course focuses on colonial, anti- colonial, post-colonial, and de-colonial history and thought. Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power This course analyzes the role of the media in politics and its relationship with the public, business, government and candidates for office in a democratic society. The course will examine the role and structure of the news media as a political and economic institution in the United States and other democracies and how it is being transformed by the "alternative" media, new technologies and globalization; the conventions and controversies associated with the journalism profession, including news reporting and the newsgathering process, questions of bias and objectivity, investigative journalism, and news coverage of political campaigns, public policy, and global affairs; news-making strategies and the effects that media have on citizens' attitudes and behaviors. Typically Offered: Every two or more years d
Context and Perspectives: Values, Ethics, and Society This course examines films that shape how we see and understand the world around us. It considers early attempts to film the lives of people around the globe as well as current films that engage both familiar and unfamiliar settings to understand how anthropological and ethnographic approaches are used to study global culture. We will consider the social and political contexts in which visual portrayals of culture are filmed, distributed, and viewed. We will learn about the ethical guidelines and issues involved in research and filmmaking involving cross-cultural understanding. Through film screenings, readings, and classroom discussion, we will analyze how anthropological concepts and methods are used in global and historical contexts and develop a critical perspective for viewing visual representations of culture. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior The course will look at how Latin American cinema addresses issues of cultural identity, history, politics and society, and will investigate ho this cinema fits into the larger socio-historical-political context of Latin America in our modern globalized world. One of the central objectives of this course is to consider the ways in which cinema has shaped perceptions and understandings of recent and contemporary Latin American experiences for audiences inside and outside of Latin America. In addition, students will learn about styles, forms and techniques of Latin American film production and how various films have influenced as well as been influenced by recent history, politics, violence and culture in Latin America and the Latin American diaspora. One of the goals of the course is to identify key themes and styles of representation in Latin American cinema and investigate the ways in which this cinema expresses the concerns and experiences of Latin Americans. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Globalization This class covers the political, economic and historical factors causing and reinforcing the international drug economy in the Western Hemisphere. Students will study specific case studies from South, Central, and North America, as well as understand the role of the United States as the world's largest consumer of narcotics. By the end of the class, students will be able to explain the macro-economics of the drug trade, think critically about how both domestic and international policing can effect the drug trade, as well as understand why international drug trafficking organizations operate the way they do. Typically Offered: Once a year
GLS 255Global Commerce and Human Rights: Short-Term Program to
Chile (3 credits) This course will look at Chile as a test case for global commerce and a free market economy, noting the benefits and opportunities that are available to Chileans who live in a nation whose recent governments have embraced a liberal marketplace and free trade, as well as the hardships that the Chilean people and their environment have endured as a result of such unrestricted free trade combined with a lack of human rights, social services and environmental protections. Staying in Santiago, Temuco and Renaca while visiting some of the surrounding coastal and mountainous regions in central and south-central Chile, students will speak with representatives from the Central Bank of Chile, the Santiago chapter of the Association of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared, the Mapuche indigenous people of Chile, a journalist and communications professor, a filmmaker and blogger, and a TV journalist/host, among others.
This course is not open to students who completed GLS 298 - Caribbean Culture and Politics in Spring 2025. w Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior This course explores cultural and political practices in the Caribbean region. Placing the Caribbean in a global context, course materials examine aspects of the Caribbean region’s history, culture, and politics that shape and influence contemporary dynamics as well as the ways people have challenged these structures. Drawing on readings from cultural studies, films, literature, music, and other cultural products, the course thinks about the role of colonialism, the afterlives of slavery and indentureship, current economic and political structures, constructions of identities, and transnational migration in the politics of cultural production. Typically Offered: Once a year
This course examines the modern (post-World War I) origins of states in the Middle East and attempts to explain the various forces at flux, which determine the national and regional politics of the region. For the purposes of this course, the Middle East is defined as the Arab countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, and the non-Arab countries of Iran, Israel and Turkey. The course will also consider non-state actors such as the Kurds and the Palestinians, and their relations with the states that they operate in. Typically Offered: Every two or more years
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power The course offers a topical and regional approach to the geography of contemporary Europe. The topical --or thematic-- approach investigates Europes complex physical, cultural, economic and political landscapes. The course will focus upon contemporary issues including European Union integration and the competing forces of devolution, as well as the Euro, the welfare state, tourism management and environmental issues. The ultimate objective of the course is to build a fundamental understanding of Europes landscapes, diverse populations and contemporary issues, and for each student to develop a geographic expertise on one European state. This course may be offered with an intensive travel component to Europe over spring or summer break. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power The course introduces students to the governments, politics and major political issues that concern the people and countries of the European Union. The goal is to help students develop a solid understanding of individual countries as well as the evolving project of European integration. Topics may include the historical patterns of political development; societal characteristics; political parties and party systems; governing arrangements; political economy concerns such as markets and regulation, labor relations and the welfare state; political participati and political culture; and the interaction of regional, national and European Union politics. Typically Offered: Every two or more years
GLS 276Case Study: Transforming Economies of Europe: Short-Term
Program to Europe (3 credits) This travel-embedded course examines the complex political, economic and cultural changes taking place in Central and Eastern European economies as they re-join the global economy after decades of isolation. This course looks at the challenges facing former centrally-planned economies as they attempt to converge with those of the European Union. Course material is drawn from the region as a whole, but one or more countries are chosen as the primary focus of attention. The course features experiential learning in one or more countries within the region, and these may include the Czech Republic, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, (eastern) Germany, or another location that illustrates the course content. This course may be taken multiple times for credit when traveling to different locations. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power Around the globe, gender shapes who is represented in politics, who wields political power and to what ends. Gender also intersects with other forms of identity—including national, racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual identities—to stitch patterns of political inequality. This course investigates how gender and politics interact in different national and international contexts. In particular, it asks why men hold more political power than women do and what harms and helps women’s access to power. It also examines why some countries have achieved greater gender equality in politics than others, and when and how gender (in)equality matters for political and policy outcomes. It draws on research, trends and examples from a variety of countries and world regions. Students learn how research is conducted in the field of gender and politics, and develop analytical and critical-thinking skills needed to evaluate existing research. Typically Offered: Once a year
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit. Typically Offered: As needed 2026-2027-Undergraduate 219
This course can count for the Arts/Sciences or Humanities/Social Sciences elective. Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit. Typically Offered: As needed on
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power This course examines the intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations working in the field of economic and social development. With the increasing interdependence of states and the globalization of the world economy, new international institutions are developing. The course will study the historical development, the contemporary operation, and the contributions of organizations such as the United Nations, European Union, World Trade Organization, United Nations Development program and Oxfam. Since sustainable development is a primary activity of international organizations today, the course will focus on development projects and activities in Africa. The course provides an understanding of the work of international organizations in the field of development and of the practical skills required to work in international governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Typically Offered: Once a year
GLS 314Politics of Pandemics and Global Outbreak Response (3
credits) Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power In this class, students will develop an understanding of the actors, institutions, and processes underpinning the global governance of outbreak preparedness and response, as well as an analytical tool kit for understanding their effectiveness and limitations. We will ask what factors impede global cooperation in pandemic response—and whether these are insurmountable. What characterizes the relationships between country governments and other actors such as corporations, private philanthropy, and public-private partnerships in these endeavors? How do these policies and processes impact diverse groups and constituencies globally? And finally, what does the future hold for global governance of outbreak response? Typically Offered: As needed
3 History 3 HI 312 History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 3 3 HI 317 South Asian Religions 3 3 HI 351 The American Religious Experience 3 3 HI 362 Ten Ideas That Shook the World 3 3 Interdisciplinary Studies 3 ID 260 Sex and American Culture 3 3 Modern Languages 3 MLCH 206 Chinese Conversation and Composition 3 3 MLSP 202 Bridging Spanish Language and Cultures 3 3 MLSP 305 Spanish Translation 3 3 Natural & Applied Sciences 3 NAS 304 Innovative Tech & Society 3 3 PSY 270 Mindfulness and Mental Health 3 3 PSY 350 Environmental Psychology 3 3 Philosophy 3 PH 102 Practical Ethics 3 3 PH 110 Debating Ethical Problems 3 3 PH 130 Business Ethics: Corporate Social 3 3 Responsibility 3 PH 131 Business Ethics: Philosophy of Work 3
Context and Perspectives: Globalization This course introduces the fundamentals of the global tourism and hospitality industries, emphasizing the role of all modes of passenger transportation. The semester is organized into five broad topics: tourism principles, history and distribution of tourism, tourism transportation, tourism impacts, and tourism research and marketing. The course pays special attention to the facilitation of tourism by ever-evolving passenger transportation technologies as well as how the industry is affected by events such as conflicts, terrorism and natural disasters. From a spatial perspective, the course also looks at the many economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism upon destinations. Students apply course concepts by researching the tourism industry in one specific country and sharing their insights with the class. The ultimate objective is to develop a fundamental knowledge of the industry and to obtain skills for involvement in a variety of capacities. Typically Offered: Once a year
GLS 328Research Design in Policy and International Affairs3
Context and Perspectives: Scientific Inquiry This course provides an introduction to the conduct of empirical, scientific research in the social sciences, geared toward the study of public policy and international affairs. Students will learn how to pose focused research questions, develop answers utilizing theoretical frameworks, formulate and refine concepts, construct valid and reliable measures, gather empirical data following the scientific method, and, finally, analyze these data using appropriate analytical techniques. Over the course of the semester, students will create their own research design proposal, which can serve as a foundation for future research projects projects—be it through a capstone, directed study, or some other type of undergraduate research experience. This course will function more as a workshop than a traditional course, with students expected to participate and ask questions of one another as well as the instructor. Typically Offered: Once a year
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power This course provides an introduction to the governance of public risks or large-scale hazards and disasters impacting a broad cross-section of society. It surveys the policies and practices used to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the damage done by emerging diseases, natural disasters, environmental hazards, technological incidents, and other naturally occurring and human-made problems. This course will help students understand how nations, international institutions, non- governmental entities, and even private organizations work to identify and, subsequently, manage risks and hazards. Special attention is paid to the tension between preparing for emerging problems and responding to disaster events. The course will also investigate the various barriers to effective crisis management. Typically Offered: Once a year
Pre-Req: At least 21 completed credits (i.e. sophomores and above) Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality This course develops a deeper understanding of politics in the United States and democratic theory through an analysis and interpretation of several films for its critical portrayal of American society. The films selected for the class reveal significant limitations and deficiencies between the way foundational concepts such as representative democracy, freedom, individualism, equality, capitalism, and the American Dream are expressed in theory and how they are viewed to work in practice. Also addressed are enduring political controversies such as competing views of human nature, the rationale for government, the balance between freedom and order, the government’s responsibility for reducing social inequalities and achieving racial justice, justifications for war, capitalism’s compatibility with democratic values, and the accessibility of the American Dream for all. Typically Offered: Every two or more years
This course focuses on a specific current event or public policy debate at the forefront of international politics. This course examines specialized topics in the Global Studies field, focusing on those that are both critical and timely. The issues will be framed in a global political context, with emphasis on the actors, institutions or organizations, international systems, decision-making processes and interactions that shape them. The topic changes: With department approval, course may be taken more than once.
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit. Typically Offered: As needed
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit. Typically Offered: As needed
Allows superior students to pursue independent study in a specialized topic under the guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit. Typically Offered: As needed
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power Pre-Req: One GLS course or instructor permission How do international organizations like the United Nations, countries, multinational corporations, and other actors engage in global policy processes today? What does this mean for peace, development, health, human rights, and other critical global issues? Students in this seminar will complete a culminating research project examining an issue in global public policy. Concurrently, they will engage in policy simulations requiring them to role play key policy actors – including state ambassadors to international organizations and representatives of private and non-profit sector actors. Readings, discussion, research, and experiential learning activities are designed to provide upper-level students with the opportunity to synthesize prior knowledge and build new understanding of the changing nature of global society in the face of modern challenges. Typically Offered: Every two or more years
Total Credits 24 Experimental and Special Topics Courses can be applied to this requirement, depending on topic and with approval of the Public Policy Major Coordinator. 2026-2027-Undergraduate 81 One course from another department can be applied to this requirement with approval from the Public Policy Major Coordinator. Experimental and Special Topics Courses can be applied to this requirement, depending on topic and with approval of the Public Policy Major Coordinator.
Allows students to apply in business, government or the nonprofit sector knowledge gained in their academic program. The on-the-job experience, in turn, helps students to clarify their interests and career goals. A final paper based on the internship activities helps students to integrate classroom knowledge with real-world experience. In addition to producing a final paper, students are required to attend pre-internship workshops at the Center for Career Services and to meet regularly with a faculty advisor. Typically Offered: As needed
Offers students the opportunity to arrange, in conjunction with the college, employment in a public or nonprofit organization. A major paper will be required. Typically Offered: As needed
Pass/Fail option not available for this course. Bentley Global Experience (BGX) courses are 3-credit intensive study abroad experiences offered during semester breaks, usually 10 to 15 days in length during January break, Spring break (as part of a Spring semester course), or in May after exams. The professor leads his/her h students on an immersive learning experience in a region of the world where the professor has expertise, offering students the opportunity to combine cultural activities with business, NGO, or other relevant site visits. Students benefit from personal interactions with companies and organizations they would not encounter as a tourist. The intensive format allows students to study abroad without missing a semester at Bentley. Please visit https://www.bentley.edu/offices/international-education to learn more. Typically Offered: As needed
