chapter 3: Educating Tomorrow’s Global Citizens: The International Studies Major

This chapter details the many ways the International Studies (IS) major at UW-Madison supports and promotes the internationalization of higher education through its work with students and faculty, its development of campus and community engagement, and its promotion of local and global academic connections and networking. Specifically, this includes efforts to increase student engagement through community building and career events, promoting interdisciplinary academic exposure through collaborative cross-campus programming, and practicing a holistic advising philosophy. The IS major encourages and integrates study abroad, international internships, foreign language education and undergraduate international research in the student experience. The success of the major as an academic program and as a campus unit that serves multiple constituencies relies heavily on an organizational structure and vision that promotes collaboration and networking, is committed to global understanding and cross-cultural communication, and supports community-building that brings together academic advisors, core and affiliated faculty and instructors, program alumni and of course, the students themselves.