Global Affairs

Director of undergraduate studies: Bonnie Weir; jackson.yale.edu/academics/the-global-affairs-major/

The Global Affairs major gives students multidisciplinary training to understand and address challenges that we confront as concerned citizens of the world. By their nature, these challenges demand fluency in the approaches and frameworks from multiple disciplines in the social sciences and humanities as well as an ability to translate between scholarship and practice. 

The Global Affairs major prepares Yale students for global citizenship and service while giving them the flexibility to shape their own curriculum according to their interests and ambitions. For example, students have concentrated their coursework on human rights and humanitarianism, economic development and poverty, global health, international relations, global environmental policy, and foreign policy and diplomacy, with topics relevant to national and human security. 

Courses for Nonmajors

Most Global Affairs courses are open to both majors and nonmajors. If a Global Affairs course requires an application, the application will be posted on the Jackson School of Global Affairs website.

Prerequisites 

There are no prerequisites for the Global Affairs major. However, students interested in applying to the major are strongly encouraged to take introductory economics, political science, and history courses as indicated in the Requirements of the Major during their first year and the fall of their sophomore year. Prospective students are also encouraged to work toward the L4 language requirement early in their course planning. All students interested in applying to the Global Affairs major should also plan to take GLBL 2121 in the fall of their sophomore year (and not beforehand). Enrollment in or completion of any introductory courses as well as enrollment in GLBL 2121 are considered at the time of application.

Requirements of the Major

Students are held to the requirements in place when they were accepted into the Global Affairs major. The following requirements, updated for the academic year 2025-2026, must be fulfilled by students accepted into the major in fall 2025 and beyond.

See Links to the attributes indicating courses approved for Global Affairs major requirements.

Fourteen term courses are required for the major in addition to an L4 language requirement. Students must take introductory microeconomics (ECON 1108, 1110, or 1115) and macroeconomics (ECON 1111 or 1116); two introductory Political Science courses from different subdisciplines: PLSC 1113 (International Relations), PLSC 1413 (Comparative Politics), or one of the following political theory courses: PLSC 1327, 1335, 1352, DRST 0005, or DRST 0006; and two History courses. Students are also required to take two courses in quantitative analysis: GLBL 2121 (Applied Quantitative Analysis I) and GLBL 2122 (Applied Quantitative Analysis II); two advanced courses: GLBL 3101 (Challenges in Global Affairs) and one course covering game theory (GLBL 2159/ECON 2159), intermediate micro- or macroeconomics (ECON 2121 or ECON 2122), or an approved qualitative methods course (these courses carry the YC GLBL Qualitative Methods attribute). GLBL 2121 and GLBL 2122 may not count as electives. Majors also must take three global affairs electives from an approved group of courses in the departments of Global Affairs, History, Political Science, Economics, or other departments (these courses carry the YC GLBL elective attribute). Finally, students complete a senior project, either in GLBL 4499, a senior Capstone project, or as a senior essay either in a seminar of their choosing or in GLBL 4500, the global affairs senior essay course.

Language requirement Global Affairs majors are required to take a course designated L4 in a modern language other than English.

Credit/D/Fail No course taken Credit/D/Fail may be applied to the requirements of the major, with the exception of a Cr (credit) grade in an L4 language course that may be used to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language.

Outside credit Courses taken at another institution or during an approved summer or term-time study abroad program may count toward the major requirements with DUS approval.

Senior Requirement 

Majors have three options to fulfill the senior requirement: They may complete a Capstone project in GLBL 4499, write a senior essay in a substantive seminar, or write a senior essay in the global affairs senior essay course GLBL 4500.

In capstone projects, small groups of students are each assigned to a policy task force in which they apply their academic training to a specific real-world problem relevant to global affairs. Each task force presents its findings and recommendations to an external partner such as a government agency, a nongovernmental organization or nonprofit group, or a private-sector organization in the United States or abroad. Capstones are completed only in the fall of the senior year (or, in the case of fall graduates, in the final semester).

Students may instead choose to complete a senior essay in either the fall or spring term of senior year, either in a substantive seminar of their choice or in the global affairs senior essay course GLBL 4500. Students are responsible for securing their own academic advisor and a secondary reader in either case. Any current faculty member of Yale University may serve as a senior essay advisor and/or secondary reader.

Advising and Application to the Major 

Students apply to the Global Affairs major in the fall of the sophomore year. The number of students accepted into the major is limited and selection is competitive. The call for applications is posted each year on the Jackson School of Global Affairs website, circulated through the residential college deans' offices, and noted on the Advising Resources website. For application information, visit the Jackson School of Global Affairs website.

Internships Students in the major are encouraged to take a summer internship in the field of Global Affairs after their junior year. The Jackson School Career Development Office can help students find appropriate internships.

Study Abroad Courses taken at another institution or during a summer or term-time study abroad program may count toward the major requirements with DUS approval after the credit has transferred to Yale. Courses taken abroad may count only as electives or, in rare instances, as introductory courses in the major. Global Affairs majors who plan to study abroad should therefore consult the DUS to devise a course of study prior to the term abroad, and to seek provisional approval for the proposed credit. Up to one summer term course and up to two courses per semester abroad may, with DUS approval, be counted toward the major requirements, with a total limit of four such credits. 

SUMMARY OF MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites None

Number of courses 14 (incl senior req; excl lang req)

Specific courses required GLBL 2121; GLBL 2122; GLBL 3101 

Distribution of courses 2 introductory Economics courses, one from ECON 1108, ECON 1110, or ECON 1115, and one from either ECON 1111 or ECON 1116; 2 Political Science courses from different subdisciplines, as indicated; 2 History courses; 1 adv course in intermediate micro- or macroeconomics, game theory, or an approved qualitative methods course; 3 approved electives

Language requirement L4 in one modern language other than English

Substitution permitted With DUS approval, GLBL 2121 may be replaced by other analysis courses identified by Global Affairs

Senior requirement  GLBL 4499 or GLBL 4500 or in an approved senior seminar

 

 14 courses (14 credits), including the senior requirement, but not the language requirement 

The Global Affairs major prepares Yale students for global leadership and service by training them in analytical frameworks across disciplines, including Political Science, Economics, and History, and in teaching students how to translate from theory to practice. The major gives students the flexibility to shape their own curriculum according to their interests and ambitions. For example, students have concentrated their coursework on human rights and humanitarianism, economic development and poverty, global health, international relations, global environmental policy, and foreign policy and diplomacy, with topics relevant to national and human security.

All majors are required to take introductory courses across Political Science, Economics, and History, a quantitative analysis sequence, a global affairs advanced core course, a choice of an advanced course in intermediate economics, game theory, or qualitative methods, and to take at least three additional approved electives. During the senior year, each major completes either a capstone course or a senior thesis.

Students apply to the Global Affairs major during the fall term of the sophomore year. The number of students accepted into the major is limited, and selection is competitive. There are no prerequisites for the Global Affairs major. However, students interested in applying to the major are strongly encouraged to take courses from among the following: introductory microeconomics (ECON 1108, ECON 1110, or ECON 1115); introductory macroeconomics (ECON 1111 or ECON 1116); introductory political science (PLSC 1113, PLSC 1413), or political theory (PLSC 1327, 1335, or 1352); and one or two courses primary to History. Prospective students are also encouraged to work toward the L4 language requirement early in their course planning. In requirements updated for the academic year 2025-2026, these courses are all required for the major and progress toward completing them, at the time of application, will be considered.

All students interested in applying to the Global Affairs major should also plan to take GLBL 2121 in the fall of their sophomore year (and not beforehand). Enrollment in this first AQA requirement is also considered at the time of application. 

Each year the call for applications is posted on the Jackson School of Global Affairs website, is circulated through the residential college deans' offices, and is noted on the Advising Resources website.

Most Global Affairs courses are open to nonmajors. For more information about courses and the major in Global Affairs visit the School of Global Affairs website.

FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Professors  Lorenzo Caliendo (Economics, School of Management), David Engerman (History), Jennifer Gandhi (Political Science), Pinelopi Goldberg (Economics, School of Management), Paul Kennedy (History), Amit Khandelwal (Economics), James Levinsohn (Dean) (School of Management), Christopher Neilson (Economics), Catherine Panter-Brick (Anthropology), Laura Robson (History), Ken Scheve (Political Science), Ian Shapiro (Political Science), Timothy Snyder (History), Aleh Tsyvinski (Economics), Arne Westad (History)

Associate Professors Kate Baldwin (Political Science), Alden Young (History)

Assistant Professors Lauren Falcao Bergquist (Economics), Mayara Felix (Economics)

Senior Lecturers Marnix Amand (Economics), Teresa Chahine (School of Management), Cara Fallon (Global Health), Asha Rangappa, David Simon, Justin Thomas, Bonnie Weir, Edward Wittenstein

Lecturers Eric Braverman, Michael Brenes, Christopher Fussell, Ardina Hasanbasri, Robert Hecht, Phil Kaplan, William Casey King, David Morse, Graeme Reid, Emma Sky, Rory Stewart, Jed Sundwall, Matthew Trevithick, Daniel Wilkinson

See the Roadmap Library for a visual representation of the major.

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