Degree Requirements

• Completion of the 36-credit program of study.

  Completion of 15 credits of core requirements.

  Demonstration of language proficiency at the intermediate level.

• Four semesters of college level foreign language training are required to complete this requirement

Students may complete this by taking Elements I and II and Intermediate I and II at Towson University or by passing an Equivalence Examination at the intermediate level, administered by the Department of Modern Languages each November. Students who have taken several years of a language in high school will need to consult the chair of Modern Languages to determine the necessary steps needed to fulfill this language requirement.

Core:

The offerings within the core program of study for this track will include: SOSC 600 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Global Problems (3) And four of the following courses:

Electives

Students may follow one of two plans when choosing electives in the global analysis track. Students may choose between Plan A (Regional Focus) and Plan B (Topical Focus). Plan A allows students to focus their studies on a particular region of the world (e.g., the Middle East or Latin America), whereas Plan B allows students to take a broader, more topical approach, focusing for instance on inequality and power from a comparative perspective. For both plans, it should be noted, students must consult with the program advisor in selecting appropriate courses.

Plan A, Regional Focus

Under this plan, at least three (3) of the five (5) electives, taken from the following list, must consist of courses related to the geographical region of emphasis, subject to the discretion of the program advisor.

Plan B, Topical Focus

Under this plan, students may choose any five (5) of the following courses, but the program advisor will oversee the selections to maintain that thematic and topical goals are met. Note: Students should keep in mind the Graduate Schools policy that only three (3) courses at the 500 level can be applied to the graduate degree.

• ANTH 530 Korea and Globalization

  ANTH 567 Peoples of the Middle East

  ANTH 568 Globalization in Cross-Cultural Perspective

  ANTH 569 Tradition and Revolution in Latin American Society

  ANTH 6xx Postcolonial Anthropologies

  GEOG 511 Cultural Geography

  GEOG 562 Geography of Africa

  GEOG 565 Geography of the Middle East

  GEOG 564 Geography of East Asia

  GEOG 568 Geography of Latin America

  HIST 511 History of Modern Southeast Asia

  HIST 513 Revolutionary China

  HIST 530 Nationalism in 20th Century East and Southeast Asia

  HIST 5xx Israel/Palestine: Conflicting Pasts, Conflicting Presents

  HIST 607 Latin America and the United States

  HIST 621 African History Through Literature

  PHIL 502 Philosophies of China and Japan

  POSC 509 Comparative Political Systems

  POSC 512 The Latin American Policy of the United States

  POSC 551 The Government and Politics of Latin America

  POSC 557 Seminar: Use of Force in International Law

  POSC 591 Seminar in Contemporary United States Foreign Policy

  POSC 7xx Graduate Internship in NGO/Government Organization

  PSYC 532 Cross-Cultural Psychology

  SOCI 533 Political Sociology

  SOSC 6xx Contemporary Issues in Social Science

  SOSC 604 East Asian Security Issues, 1945 to Present

  SOSC 7xx Graduate Overseas Study

• WMST 605 Women in International Context

Students may also select other electives not listed above, subject to the approval of the program advisor.

Thesis: SOSC 898

Six (6) credits are required to complete this component. Students choosing Plan A must write their thesis in their area of regional focus. Students choosing Plan B are encouraged to pursue a thesis in their particular topical area. There is no professional presentation option for the global analysis track of study.

Transfer Credits

Students may apply 6 transfer credits with the grade of B or better, to the elective requirements, at the discretion of the program advisor. The program coordinator must approve transfer credits. Approval may be conditional upon the submission of previous written work. All transfers are subject to the seven-year statute of limitations.

Final Portfolio

The program requires that all students prepare a final portfolio of their work under the direction of their adviser.

Master of Science in Social Science
Room 119 C Linthicum Hall
410-704-2907
Application Deadline:
Rolling Admissions