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Global Resource Systems

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The Global Resource Systems undergraduate major employs a truly interdisciplinary and systemic approach to understanding complex global resource issues. Students develop a core set of technical competencies in a resource area selected from the majors, minors and certificates offered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Students choose a world region in which to specialize, develop competency in a relevant world language, and participate in a significant cross-cultural internship experience. They carry out a senior project related to their resource specialization within the context of the world region. The undergraduate experience culminates with a senior capstone course, where students work with real-world clients to address global resource challenges.

Multidisciplinary themes are developed in the context of the physical, biological and socio-economic factors affecting global resource systems. In this context, resource systems include natural, food and agricultural, environmental, cultural and human, political and institutional, financial and built, public health and social resources. Graduates of this program have transnational leadership skills and are successful integrators of various specializations on a team. They are skilled in applying a systemic perspective and developing solutions to complex global resource systems problems using innovativeness and creativity. Future professionals communicate effectively and demonstrate environmental awareness, exhibit an ethical perspective, and display clear analysis of how cultural diversity impacts work both here and abroad. They also recognize opportunities for learning after graduation.

A degree in Global Resource Systems opens the door to employment opportunities in the many businesses and organizations that require globally competent employees.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, students should be able to:

Understand sustainable global resource systems by summarizing factors of biological, physical, and social resources in global systems and predicting the consequences of the utilization and distribution of global resources and their systems; develop an attitude of curiosity to continue lifelong learning.

Apply global competency skills by recognizing diverse cultures, reflecting on the value of cultures on global resource systems, and employing skills needed to work in different cultures.

Design ethical and innovative solutions to global challenges by using information literacy skills to define global challenges and creating sustainable solutions to global challenges.

Use communication and leadership skills by communicating effectively with diverse audiences using written, oral, visual, and electronic skills and participating effectively as leaders in teams and organizations.

Curriculum in Global Resource Systems

Administered by a supervisory committee in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Students choose a region of the world to develop an expertise; they choose a language to learn and develop proficiency through the intermediate level; they choose and possess an area of technical expertise by completing an additional major, minor or certificate program offered through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; they complete a required internship in an international setting; and they select and complete a senior research project with faculty mentoring.

Total Degree Requirement: 129 cr.

Only 65 cr. from a two-year institution may apply which may include up to 16 technical cr.; 9 P-NP cr. of free electives; 2.00 minimum GPA.

International Perspective:  3 cr.

3 cr. from approved list3

U.S. Cultures and Communities (formerly U.S. Diversity):  3 cr.

3 cr. from approved list3

Communications Proficiency: 

English composition (6 credits with a grade of C or higher; see courses below.)
Speech fundamentals (3 credits with a grade of C or higher; see courses below.)

Communication/Library:  13 cr.

ENGL 1500Critical Thinking and Communication3
ENGL 2500Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition3
SPCM 2120Fundamentals of Public Speaking3
or AGEDS 3110 Presentation and Sales Strategies for Agricultural Audiences
ENGL 3020Business Communication3
or ENGL 3090 Proposal and Report Writing
or ENGL 3140 Technical Communication
LIB 1600Introduction to College Level Research1
Total Credits13

Humanities and Social Sciences:  6 cr.

ECON 1010Principles of Microeconomics3
or ECON 1020 Principles of Macroeconomics
Plus three credit hours from approved humanities list3
Total Credits6

Ethics:  3 cr.

3 cr. from approved list3

Life Sciences:  7 cr.

BIOL 2110
2110L
Principles of Biology I
and Principles of Biology Laboratory I
4
or BIOL 2120
2120L
Principles of Biology II
and Principles of Biology Laboratory II
Plus 3 cr. from approved life sciences list at 3000-level or higher3

Mathematical Sciences:  6 cr.

MATH 1400College Algebra (or higher; except MATH 1950, 1960)3
STAT 1010Principles of Statistics3-4
or STAT 1040 Introduction to Statistics
Total Credits6-7

Global Competency:  15-31 cr.

16 cr. of 1000 and 2000 level of a single WLC language; 15 cr. in global competency courses from an approved list with up to 3 cr. may be earned from a travel course.

Physical Sciences: 8 cr.

One of the following:5
College Chemistry
and Laboratory in College Chemistry
General Chemistry I
and Laboratory in General Chemistry I
One course from the following:3
Introduction to Soil Science
Introduction to Weather and Climate
Soil Conservation and Land Use
Environmental Geology: Earth in Crisis
Water Resources of the World
Total Credits8

Global Resource Systems: 23 cr.

GLOBE 1100Orientation1
GLOBE 2010Introduction to Global Resource Systems3
3 credits of GLOBE 21103
Issues in Global Resource Systems (Each offering is 1 cr., must be repeated for 3 cr.)
GLOBE 3030Agricultural, Food and Natural Global Resource Systems3
GLOBE 3040Socio-Economic Global Resource Systems3
GLOBE 3200Global Resource Systems Internship Preparation1
One of the following:3-6
Internship - Global
Internship - United States
GLOBE 4010Senior Project3
GLOBE 4020Responses to Global Resource System Challenges3
Total Credits23-26

Technical Concentration:  15-18 cr.

Satisfied by any of the majors, minors or certificates offered through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Electives:

Sufficient coursework to ensure a total of not less than 129 credits

Global Resource Systems, B.S.

Freshman
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GLOBE 11001GLOBE 20103
MATH 14003ECON 10103
ENGL 15003ENGL 25003
LIB 16001CHEM 16304
BIOL 21103CHEM 1630L1
BIOL 2110L1STAT 10403
Humanities3 
 15 17
Sophomore
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GLOBE 30303GLOBE 30403
Language 10104Language 10204
GLOBE 21101GLOBE 21101
Global Politics or Global Culture3AGEDS 3110 or SPCM 21203
Technical Area3AGRON 1820, 2060, 2820, GEOL 1010, or GEOL 16003
Elective3Technical Area3
 17 17
Junior
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GLOBE 21101GLOBE 32001
Language 20104Language 20204
ENGL 30903Global History or Global Culture3
Global Culture 3AGRON 3420 (or Other CALS Approved Ethics)3
U.S. Cultures and Communities (formerly U.S. Diversity)3Technical Area3
General Elective3General Elective3
 17 17
Senior
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GLOBE 32103GLOBE 40203
GLOBE 40103Global Culture3
International Perspectives33000 Level or Higher Life Science3
Global Competency3Technical Area3
Technical Area3General Elective2
 15 14