Arts Global Experience

Welcome to the Arts Global Experience (AGX). If you are you looking to make meaningful connections with other people as you learn more about yourself and your world, you are in the right spot! The AGX supports you to connect your academic learning with experiences and skill development gained from hands-on placements. Whether in your own home region or on the other side of the world, your AGX placement will open your horizons toward different cultures, languages, and organizational and community contexts.

In Global Studies we have over 15 years of experience supporting experiential learning that connects students with the wider world. The AGX is at the heart of our program, but it is open to all Laurier Arts majors (and on a case-by-case basis to non-Arts students). It can also be part of the Social Entrepreneurship Minor. Alongside study abroad and field courses, it is one of the key opportunities to internationalize your degree at Laurier.

The AGX offers you the chance to connect academic inquiry with service learning and internship experiences that tackle global challenges—whether here in Canada or in other parts of the world. Living and working in different cultural contexts alongside community partners sets the stage for learning about yourself in relation to others, and broadens your awareness of global justice and social equity.

In recent years, students have participated in community development projects, human rights research, wildlife conservation, sustainable agriculture, youth leadership, and peace promotion in all corners of the world, including places as diverse as Cambodia, Nepal, Greece, Tanzania and Ghana—as well as a range of globally connected places and organizations in Waterloo Region and Toronto.

To get a stronger feel for what the AGX can look like, check out one student's testimony about her 2024 local placement, or have a look at Laurier Global Engagement's spotlight on another student's placement in Tanzania.

Please note that the AGX is a cluster of academic credits linked to a placement experience; it is not a credential that will show up on your transcript.

Am I Eligible?

Any student within the Faculty of Arts can apply for the AGX (non-Arts students will also be considered on a case-by-case basis). In order to apply, you need to:

be on track to have year 3 standing before going abroad (i.e. successful completion of your second-year courses), and
have an average of B- (7.0) or better in your major (or overall, if you have no major).

The Department of Global Studies reserves the right to retract placement approval for students who experience significant academic setbacks in the winter semester after their approval to participate in the AGX.

How Does the AGX Work?

The AGX has four components, which correspond to the following schedule:

1. Fall Term

Watch for announcements on email, usually in early October.
Sign up for an information session to learn more about the oportunities available.
Work on identifying a potential placement, whether by reviewing information we have provided, interacting directly with organizations we have put you in touch with, or working directly with the AGX Coordinator and the Laurier Office for Community and Workplace Partnerships.
In November or early December, fill out the AGX application form (you will be provided a link), based on the information you have so far about your potential placement. During November and December we will review your application, meet you for a short interview, and reach a decision on your approval to enrole in GS391.
Only after receiving approval, pay any fees associated with applying for or securing your placement with the external organization providing it.
If at any point in the process you have questions, just reach out to the AGX Coordinator (agxcoord@wlu.ca).

2. Winter Term

Take GS391: Global Experience Pre-Placement (0.25 credits). GS391 has three primary aims: (a) to help you think critically about the possibilities and limitations of your planned placement, (b) to give you practical strategies for a constructive learning experience, and (c) to help prepare you for travel logistics and safety. Successful completion of GS391 is mandatory for continuing with subsequent courses in the AGX.

3. Spring/Summer Term

Between May and August, usually starting near the beginning of May, you will conduct your placement and complete the associated academic course. The minimum placement duration is four weeks for overseas placements, or about 80 hours for local placements, but we encourage students to consider longer placements to deepen the experiential learning possibilities. While on your placement, you will complete GS392 (0.5) Global Experience Placement.

Your academic study in GS392 will involve structured reflection on your experiences, overseen by a faculty member at Laurier. This kind of placement-embedded academic work has been demonstrated to maximize students' experiential learning outcomes.

4. Fall Term

Take GS394: Global Experience Post-Placement (0.25 credits). GS394 has three primary aims: (a) to help you reflect on your experience and connect it with your broader academic learning; (b) to give you opportunities to share your learning with your fellow students, the department, and the broader community; and (c) to prepare you to tell meaningful stories to potential future employers about how different placement experiences helped you develop key skills.