Center for Global Studies

Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the Pacific coast. Through its three-campus system and via educational outreach, evening degree, and distance learning, it extends educational opportunities to many who would not otherwise have access.

The Center for Global Studies (CGS) connects the teaching, research, and outreach mandates of the Center to the Pacific Northwest and the broader global studies community. As one of eight National Resource Centers housed in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, CGS provides resources for transforming interdisciplinary global studies via its research and teaching foci, professional training opportunities for educators, general public programs, and media outreach. Our Global Studies Initiatives focus on global human security, global health and global religions.

The Center for Global Studies directs the International Studies Program, including an undergraduate major, undergraduate minor, and a master's degree. Graduate students may also pursue concurrent degrees jointly offered with six UW professional schools. The Center's 128 core and 184 affiliate faculty hail from more than 23 departments and schools within the UW and offer a comprehensive selection of over 400 international or comparative courses and 365 language courses in 50 languages.

CGS programs connect the events of particular moments in time and parts of the world to the larger forces that shape our present and future.

Annual events and ongoing projects with our community and university partners include the Community College Master Teacher Institutes, World Languages Day, Documentary Film Workshops, Luce Symposium on Global Religions, Summer Seminar for Educators, and the multi-year project Mapping and Enhancing Language Learning (MELL) project, which identifies the extent of foreign language learning in Washington state.