Global Affairs Course Selection Guide
Use these fall and spring semester sample schedules as a guide when planning your courses. Keough school requirements and global affairs major requirements are not strictly sequenced. These sample schedules are examples of recommended sequences of courses; your schedule might look different.
You will be able to talk through questions and unique situations with your first-year advisor before registration. Make a note of questions you have or anything you want to discuss.
Sample Fall Semester Schedule
Course 1 | First-Year Writing Requirement
Choose: Writing and Rhetoric or University Seminar
You must take a University Seminar (USEM) in your first year. If you do not have Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you must also take Writing and Rhetoric in your first year.
If you need to take both a USEM and Writing and Rhetoric in your first year, you will take one in the fall semester and the other in the spring semester. You can take the USEM and Writing and Rhetoric in either order. You cannot take them both in the same semester.
If you have AP or IB credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you should take a USEM, a Core course, or an elective in the fall semester as described below. You can discuss your options with your first-year advisor.
Students are only allowed to take one USEM while at Notre Dame
Course 2 | Global Affairs Major Requirement
Choose: GLAF 10001: Introduction to Global Affairs or a major elective
You are encouraged to take GLAF 10001. This course provides an overview of the study and practice of global affairs and explores integral human development (IHD), Notre Dame’s particular approach to global affairs. While this course is required for the global affairs major, it does not have to be taken in the fall semester. You may elect to take instead a Keough school requirement, a global affairs major elective, a Core course, or an elective. GLAF 10001 is offered in the fall and the spring semesters.
Course 3 | Global Affairs Major Requirement
Choose: GLAF 10003: Quantitative Methods for Global Affairs or a major elective
You are encouraged to take GLAF 10003. This course introduces students to statistical methods used for analyzing quantitative problems in global affairs and satisfies the Core Curriculum Quantitative Reasoning requirement. While this course is required for the global affairs major, it does not have to be taken in the first year. You may elect to take instead a Keough school requirement, a global affairs major elective, a Core course, or an elective. GLAF 10003 is only offered in the fall semester.
Course 4 | Keough Language Requirement
Choose: An appropriate contemporary language course
You are encouraged to begin completion of the Keough language requirement in a language relevant to your future course of study or intellectual interests. You can learn more about language programs at Notre Dame here and about less commonly taught languages offered at Notre Dame, including Swahili, Quechua, and Hindi, here. You should consult the Language Credit and Placement page for instructions on placement and registering for appropriate language courses.
Course 5 | Core Course or Elective
Choose: A course for the Core Curriculum or an elective
The global affairs major curriculum will satisfy Liberal Arts 1 and 5 of the Core and will often satisfy Liberal Arts 6 as well. If you would like to take a course for the Core, your best options are to search for Liberal Arts 2 or 4 courses, Foundational Theology courses, or Introductory Philosophy courses. Review this video for instructions on how to search for these categories using PATH Class Search.
Electives are courses you choose to take for any number of reasons: to discern a second major or minor, to explore an area of interest outside of global affairs, or to continue a subject you enjoyed in high school. You might also take an elective to study a particular theme related to your interests in contemporary global affairs.
Course 6 | Moreau First Year Experience
Choose: A section of FYS 10101: Moreau First Year Experience based on your assigned campus neighborhood. Read the instructions for selecting a section of FYS 10101 here.
Sample Spring Semester Schedule
Course 1 | First-Year Writing Requirement
Choose: Writing and Rhetoric or University Seminar
If you did not take a USEM in the fall semester, you must take one in the spring semester.
If you took a USEM in the fall semester and do not have AP or IB credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you must take Writing and Rhetoric in the spring semester.
If you took a USEM in the fall semester and have AP or IB credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you should take a Core course or an elective in the spring semester as described below. You can discuss your options with your first-year advisor.
Students are only allowed to take one USEM while at Notre Dame.
Course 2 | Global Affairs Major Requirement
Choose: GLAF 20001: Introduction to Global Politics and Policy or a major elective
You are encouraged to take GLAF 20001. This course investigates how policymakers discern interests and make decisions, the influence of state structures and attributes on this process, and the role of key state and non-state actors in global affairs. While this course is required for the global affairs major, it does not have to be taken in the first year. You may elect to take instead a Keough school requirement, a global affairs major elective, a Core course, or an elective. Students are encouraged to take GLAF 10001 before enrolling in GLAF 20001. GLAF is offered in both the fall and spring semesters.
Course 3 | Global Affairs Major Requirement
Choose: A global affairs major elective or KSGA 20000: Foundations of Cultural Analysis and Engagement
You may take either a global affairs major elective relevant to your interests or KSGA 20000, the first part of the required Cross-Cultural Experience (CCE) sequence. If you plan to begin your CCE in the summer after your first year, you are encouraged to take KSGA 20000 in the spring of your first year. If you choose to take a major elective, you are encouraged to begin exploring themes related to your intellectual interests. KSGA 20000 is only offered in the spring semester.
Course 4 | Keough Language Requirement
Choose: An appropriate contemporary language course
You are encouraged to begin or continue the Keough language requirement in a language relevant to your future course of study or intellectual interests. You can learn more about language programs at Notre Dame here and about less commonly taught languages offered at Notre Dame, including Swahili, Quechua, and Hindi, here. You should consult the Language Credit and Placement page for instructions on placement and registering for appropriate language courses.
Course 5 | Core Course or Elective
Choose: A course for the Core Curriculum or an elective
The global affairs major curriculum will satisfy Liberal Arts 1 and 5 of the Core and will often satisfy Liberal Arts 6 as well. If you would like to take a course for the Core, your best options are to search for Liberal Arts 2 or 4 courses, Foundational Theology courses, or Introductory Philosophy courses. Review this video for instructions on how to search for these categories using PATH Class Search.
Electives are courses you choose to take for any number of reasons: to discern a second major or minor, to explore an area of interest outside of global affairs, or to continue a subject you enjoyed in high school. You might also take an elective to study a particular theme related to your interests in contemporary global affairs.
Course 6 | Moreau First Year Experience
Choose: A section of FYS 10102: Moreau First Year Experience
There are no neighborhoods for Moreau in the spring semester. You can select any section that is available and fits your schedule.