Global Studies
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Global Studies Spring 2026 Newsletter

Enjoy the highlights and news of AY 2025/26!

Global Studies March 2, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Director’s Message Over the past year, I have reflected on the role of Global Studies in a time of resurgent nationalism, tighter immigration policies, and higher trade barriers. I believe Global Studies helps us understand why backlash against globalization has emerged. Our faculty and students examine globalization critically, addressing both its benefits (such as transnational climate action) and its downsides (including the global concentration of wealth). In our classrooms, we explore how rising inequality and cultural change can fuel nativist discourse, as well as the paradox of the “globalization of nationalism.” Global Studies can help us navigate the interplay between the forces of globalization and de-globalization. While the current federal administration has withdrawn from much of its global role, other actors – like state governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations – have ramped up their global engagement, creating new opportunities for our graduates. Below you will see recent highlights showing how the UMBC Global Studies Program has fulfilled its promise to educate students to engage critically and effectively with global issues. As you read about the great work of our faculty, staff, students, and alums, please consider supporting us with a donation on Black & Gold Rush (March 4–5). All donations will fund needs-based study abroad scholarships for our majors. Study abroad fosters personal growth, enhances academic learning, and boosts employability. Let’s make it accessible to all. Prof. FilomenoStudents Addressing Global Challenges, Locally Our students aren’t just studying global affairs – they’re making a real impact. Through research, service-learning, and internships, they actively contribute to addressing global challenges. This spring, students in Prof. Filomeno’s Global Citizenship course are supporting the UMBC Office of Sustainability’s efforts to reduce food waste on campus. Food waste is a critical global problem because it represents a massive misuse of resources, contributing to 8–10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, causing over a trillion dollars in economic losses, and exacerbating world hunger. Other students in that class are collaborating with students of Lansdowne High School to develop a global learning program to promote global competence among the students and encourage them to pursue a college degree at UMBC. As global challenges and opportunities continue to mount, we need youth with the knowledge, skills, and inclinations to tackle them. Preparing Students for Global Business Careers Eddie Resende, CEO of the World Trade Center Institute, will be the distinguished speaker of this year’s Global Career Talk. He will speak about his global career and share advice for our aspiring global professionals. The event will happen on April 23 at 4:00 in UC 310. The talk is open to the public, you can view all details HERE. Please join us! We also offer a summer course open for students of all majors who are considering a career in global business: GLBL 210 Business Without Borders, taught by Dr. Brigid Starkey. The course has Culture GEP designation and counts for the Entrepreneurship Minor. Global Studies Minor Effective in the fall of 2026, UMBC undergraduate students can declare a minor in Global Studies. This program targets students from other majors who are seeking global competence to enhance their professional, civic, and personal development. Interested students should register for GLBL 100 Introduction to Global Studies, which also carries a GEP Culture designation and offers a Global Awareness microcredential. For more information, please contact our Program Coordinator, Grace Castle. East Asia in Global Studies Our newest faculty member, Dr. Trang Ta has expanded our curriculum to offer Global Studies majors opportunities to study East Asia and in East Asia. This spring, Dr. Ta is teaching GLBL 304 Global Research in East Asia, which is cross-listed with the Asian Studies Program. In the winter session, Dr. Ta will offer another cross-listed course on the globalization of Asian pop culture. Any K-pop fans in the room? However, we are most excited about the field school that she will lead in Taiwan in the summer of 2027. This will be the first study abroad program led by a Global Studies faculty member. Stay tuned for more information.Celebrating our Students and Alums Juliana Blakely (2027), Sanjana Jain (2028), and Garrett Rifkind (2025) will lead a panel discussion titled Global Affairs: Effects of Domestic Politics on the International Community and International Stability this April for UMBC’s 30th Undergraduate Research & Creative Achievement Day. Cheyenne Payne (2026) will start an M.Litt. in International Security Studies at the School of International Relations of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Matthew Knauer (2017) started an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Global Affairs at Tufts University. Celebrating our Faculty In October 2025, Dr. Tania Lizarazo’s book Post-Conflict Utopias (University of Illinois Press) won the best book award of the Asociación de Colombianistas and received LASA’s Latinx Studies Section’s Best Book Award in the Social Sciences category. . Dr. Lizarazo also had a book chapter published by the Smithsonian Press last year, co-authored with Bill Shewbridge, Bev Bickel, Charlotte Keniston, Jamie Gillan, and Kaleigh Mrowka: “The Story in the Middle”: The Power of Collaborative Story Processes.” Also last year, Dr. Kyung-Eun (Kay) Yoon had a book chapter published by Routledge entitled "Korean Wave and Informal Language Learning: Learners' Perspective in Online Spaces." The chapter explores Korean language learners’ perspectives on how their language learning intersects with Korean popular culture. Stay in Touch! Follow us on Instagram: @global.umbc Join our LinkedIn group: UMBC Global Studies Learn more at GlobalStudies.UMBC.edu Are you a GLBL alum? Prof. Filomeno would love to hear from you: filomeno@umbc.edu.
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