Global Studies and Languages

an illustration and a painting of a man from the 1800s

Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan, 1853-1854. (Image courtesy of Visualizing Cultures.)


Featured Courses

MIT Global Studies and Languages (GSL) offers a rich collection of courses, seminar series, and research projects to give students the training they need to be thoughtful and active global citizens. Global engagement requires sensitivity to enduring local differences—language, culture, history, politics and more. Subject offerings allow students to attain both linguistic and intercultural competence.

Formerly named Foreign Languages and Literatures, MIT Global Studies and Languages is committed to promoting research agendas that will transform international cultural studies for the 21st century while also training students to be the next generation of engaged global citizens. To accomplish these goals, we offer a rich collection of courses, seminar series, and research projects that explore global connection and local differences. Contrary to some early predictions, globalization has not eliminated cultural diversity. Rather, global engagement requires sensitivity to enduring national distinctiveness in terms of language, culture, history, politics, and more.

We aim to be a hub for research and teaching on subjects that investigate international diversity. Subject offerings allow students to attain both linguistic competence and a solid understanding of cultural and historical contexts. GSL faculty encompass a number of disciplines, including anthropology, history, linguistics, cultural studies, and political sociology.


Global Studies and Languages Courses

Course # Course Title Level
21F.010 Introduction to European and Latin American Fiction Undergraduate
21F.011 Topics in Indian Popular Culture: Spectacle, Masala, and Genre Undergraduate
21F.013 Out of Ground Zero: Catastrophe and Memory Undergraduate
21F.017 Germany and its European Context Undergraduate
21F.019 Communicating Across Cultures (Spring 2005) Undergraduate
21F.020J After Columbus Undergraduate
21F.022J International Women's Voices Undergraduate
21F.024J Linguistic Studies of Bilingualism Undergraduate
21F.027 Asia in the Modern World: Images & Representations (Spring 2012) Undergraduate
21F.030 East Asian Cultures: From Zen to Pop Undergraduate
21F.031J Topics in the Avant-Garde in Literature and Cinema Undergraduate
21F.034 Media Education and the Marketplace Undergraduate
21F.035 Topics in Culture and Globalization: Reggae as Transnational Culture (Fall 2010) Undergraduate
21F.035 Topics in Culture and Globalization (Fall 2003) Undergraduate
21F.037 Japanese Popular Culture (Spring 2003) Undergraduate
21F.039 Japanese Popular Culture (Spring 2003) Undergraduate
21F.040 A Passage to India: Introduction to Modern Indian Culture and Society Undergraduate
21F.041 Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture Undergraduate
21F.043J Introduction to Asian American Studies: Literature, Culture, and Historical Experience Undergraduate
21F.044 Classics of Chinese Literature Undergraduate
21F.053 Understanding Contemporary French Politics Undergraduate
21F.056 Visual Histories: German Cinema 1945 to Present Undergraduate
21F.059 European Thought and Culture Undergraduate
21F.061 Advanced Topics: Plotting Terror in European Culture Undergraduate
21F.064 Intro to Japanese Culture (Spring 2012) Undergraduate
21F.065 Japanese Literature and Cinema (Fall 2013) Undergraduate
21F.067J Cultural Performances of Asia Undergraduate
21F.068J The Invention of French Theory: A History of Transatlantic Intellectual Life since 1945 Undergraduate
21F.069J Race and Gender in Asian America Undergraduate
21F.076 Globalization: the Good, the Bad, and the In-Between Undergraduate
21F.084J Introduction to Latin American Studies (Fall 2006) Undergraduate
21F.084J Introduction to Latin American Studies (Fall 2005) Undergraduate
21F.098J Working in a Global Economy Undergraduate
21F.101 Chinese I (Regular) (Spring 2006) Undergraduate
21F.102 Chinese II (Regular) (Spring 2006) Undergraduate
21F.103 Chinese III (Regular) (Fall 2005) Undergraduate
21F.103 Chinese III (Regular) (Fall 2003) Undergraduate
21F.104 Chinese IV (Regular) (Spring 2006) Undergraduate
21F.104 Chinese IV (Regular) (Spring 2004) Undergraduate
21F.105 Chinese V (Regular): Chinese Cultures & Society Undergraduate
21F.106 Chinese VI (Regular): Discovering Chinese Cultures and Societies Undergraduate
21F.107 Chinese I (Streamlined) (Fall 2005) Undergraduate
21F.108 Chinese II (Streamlined) (Spring 2006) Undergraduate
21F.109 Chinese III (Streamlined) Undergraduate
21F.110 Chinese IV (Streamlined) Undergraduate
21F.114 Chinese VI (Streamlined) Undergraduate
21F.191 Smashing the Iron Rice Bowl: Chinese East Asia (Fall 2004) Undergraduate
21F.213 High-Intermediate Academic Communication (Spring 2004) Undergraduate
21F.214 High-Intermediate Academic Communication (Spring 2004) Undergraduate
21F.222 Expository Writing for Bilingual Students Undergraduate
21F.223 Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation (Fall 2004) Undergraduate
21F.225 Advanced Workshop in Writing for Science and Engineering (ELS) (Spring 2007) Undergraduate
21F.226 Advanced Workshop in Writing for Science and Engineering (ELS) (Spring 2007) Undergraduate
21F.228 Advanced Workshop in Writing for Social Sciences and Architecture (ELS) (Spring 2007) Undergraduate
21F.232 Advanced Speaking and Critical Listening Skills (ELS) (Spring 2007) Undergraduate
21F.301 French I (Fall 2004) Undergraduate
21F.302 French II (Fall 2004) Undergraduate
21F.311 Introduction to French Culture Undergraduate
21F.312 Basic Themes in French Literature and Culture Undergraduate
21F.315 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Contemporary French Society Undergraduate
21F.321 Childhood and Youth in French and Francophone Cultures Undergraduate
21F.325J New Culture of Gender: Queer France Undergraduate
21F.341 Contemporary French Film and Social Issues Undergraduate
21F.346 Topics in Modern French Literature and Culture: North America Through French Eyes Undergraduate
21F.347 Contemporary Short French Fiction: Social and Literary Trends since 1990 Undergraduate
21F.401 German I (Fall 2008) Undergraduate
21F.402 German II (Spring 2005) Undergraduate
21F.403 German III Undergraduate
21F.404 German IV Undergraduate
21F.405 Germany Today: Intensive Study of German Language and Culture Undergraduate
21F.412 Texts, Topics, and Times in German Literature Undergraduate
21F.414 German Culture, Media, and Society Undergraduate
21F.451 German I (Fall 2008) Undergraduate
21F.471 German I (Fall 2008) Undergraduate
21F.501 Japanese I (Fall 2012) Undergraduate
21F.502 Japanese II (Spring 2013) Undergraduate
21F.503 Intermediate Japanese I Undergraduate
21F.504 Japanese IV Undergraduate
21F.505 Advanced Japanese I Undergraduate
21F.506 Advanced Japanese II Undergraduate
21F.522 Japanese II (Spring 2013) Undergraduate
21F.551 Japanese I (Fall 2012) Undergraduate
21F.590 Asia in the Modern World: Images & Representations (Spring 2012) Undergraduate
21F.592 Intro to Japanese Culture (Spring 2012) Undergraduate
21F.593 Japanese Literature and Cinema (Fall 2013) Undergraduate
21F.701 Spanish I (Fall 2003) Undergraduate
21F.702 Spanish II (Spring 2004) Undergraduate
21F.703 Spanish III Undergraduate
21F.704 Spanish IV Undergraduate
21F.705 Oral Communication in Spanish Undergraduate
21F.711 Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition Undergraduate
21F.712 Spanish Conversation and Composition Undergraduate
21F.714 Spanish for Bilingual Students Undergraduate
21F.716 Introduction to Contemporary Hispanic Literature (Fall 2007) Undergraduate
21F.716 Introduction to Contemporary Hispanic Literature (Spring 2005) Undergraduate
21F.717 Introduction to Spanish Culture Undergraduate
21F.730 Hispanic America: One Hundred Years of Literature and Film Undergraduate
21F.740 The New Spain: 1977-Present Undergraduate
21F.751 Spanish I (Fall 2003) Undergraduate
21F.752 Spanish II (Spring 2004) Undergraduate
21F.801 Portuguese I (Fall 2011) Undergraduate
21F.802 Portuguese II (Spring 2012) Undergraduate
21F.820 Portuguese Advanced Conversation and Composition Undergraduate
21F.851 Portuguese I (Fall 2011) Undergraduate
21F.852 Portuguese II (Spring 2012) Undergraduate
21F.855 Accelerated Introductory Portuguese for Spanish Speakers (Fall 2013) Undergraduate
21F.880 Accelerated Introductory Portuguese for Spanish Speakers (Fall 2013) Undergraduate
21F.991 Smashing the Iron Rice Bowl: Chinese East Asia (Fall 2004) Undergraduate
21F.021 Communicating Across Cultures (Spring 2005) Graduate
21F.034 Media, Education, and the Marketplace Graduate
21F.037 Topics in Culture and Globalization: Reggae as Transnational Culture (Fall 2010) Graduate
21F.037 Topics in Culture and Globalization (Fall 2003) Graduate
21F.151 Chinese I (Regular) (Spring 2006) Graduate
21F.152 Chinese II (Regular) (Spring 2006) Graduate
21F.157 Chinese I (Streamlined) (Fall 2005) Graduate
21F.158 Chinese II (Streamlined) (Spring 2006) Graduate
21F.224 Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation (Fall 2004) Graduate
21F.227 Advanced Workshop in Writing for Social Sciences and Architecture (ELS) (Spring 2007) Graduate
21F.233 Advanced Speaking and Critical Listening Skills (ELS) (Spring 2007) Graduate
21F.351 French I (Fall 2004) Graduate
21F.352 French II (Fall 2004) Graduate
21F.452 German II (Spring 2005) Graduate

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