DU added two new degree programs this year: a minor in Intercultural Global Studies (IGS), which is still awaiting approval by the Board of Trustees, and a major in Socio-Legal Studies.

The new undergraduate minor Intercultural Global Studies (IGS) features an interdisciplinary course of study designed to help students understand cultural similarities and differences of diverse groups of people, all around the world, according to Eleanor McNees, chairperson of the IGS committee.

The IGS committee is a compilation of faculty from a range of disciplines (primarily AHSS) and non-voting advisory members from Internationalization, Living and Learning Communities, Pioneer Leadership, CCSEL and the Center for World Languages and Cultures.  

To earn a minor in IGS, students must choose from a set of introductory courses with electives. The minor requires 24 to 25 hours of study along with a service-learning or internship component. The course will require students to gain linguistic skills and have a basic understanding of other cultures. The IGS minor has yet to be approved by the Board of Trustees, but in the meantime, interested students can contact McNees at emcnees@du.edu for more information.

The Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences also added a major for students called Socio-Legal Studies.

This interdisciplinary program, established a few years ago by professors Nancy Reichman and Susan Sterett, brings together courses on law from four departments: Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology and Criminology, and Media, Film and Journalism Studies.