Arts Global Experience

Global Studies offers students a wide range of experiential learning opportunities that align with our curriculum and offer students a chance to put their academic knowledge and skills into practice. From summer internships in Ghana and field courses in Costa Rica to leadership opportunities through the Laurier-based International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) initiative, Global Studies students can access a range of experiential learning options that allow them to develop new skills, build connections, and gain valuable hands-on experience.

Global Studies field courses – offered in recent years in Costa Rica, India, Morocco, and Bosnia-Herzegovina – provide students with unique, expert-guided opportunities to explore how global processes intersect with the cultures, institutions, and histories of particular countries. Typically offered in the spring term (although not offered every year), field courses bring classroom and real-world learning together in some of the world’s most fascinating locations.

Global Studies also hosts the Faculty of Arts’ Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor and the Laurier-City of Waterloo City Hub partnership, which offers hands-on training in entrepreneurial solutions for contemporary societal and policy challenges. Social entrepreneurship aims to change the world for the better by emphasizing a quadruple bottom line: social, ethical, environmental and financial sustainability. The Minor equips students with the skills and the knowledge to successfully navigate the challenges of balancing these imperatives in the name of creative problem-solving and sustainable change-making.

Outside the formal curriculum, GS majors have also taken on leading roles with the International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) initiative, which provides funding and support for students from conflict-affected countries to study at Laurier. Both student-led and student-funded, ISOW is committed to a vision of ‘global citizenship and protection through education’, and has in recent years welcomed young refugee scholars to Laurier from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, and elsewhere. In addition to annual visits to Ottawa to meet with government officials, ISOW’s advocacy efforts have also taken student leaders as far afield as Bangladesh and Japan.

Global Studies is also one of the lead departments in the Laurier-Ghana internships, funded by the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program. Through this international service-learning opportunity, and in partnership with the University of Ghana, more 20 than Laurier students will have the opportunity to complete internships in Ghana over the next three years. Global Studies students were among the 2026 cohort, and we hope to see continued participation from our students in future years.

Global Studies is also part of the Faculty of Arts Co-op program, geared towards providing students with opportunities to develop concrete skills and gain real-world experience in their preferred career paths. Students admitted to the co-op program are eligible to complete three work terms over the course of their undergraduate studies, providing them with 12 months of full-time work experience by the time of graduation.