This fall marks the first semester of the global studies major, an interdisciplinary program that integrates courses in 12 departments and trains students to develop research, critical thinking, writing and language skills. Global Studies Program Director and Political Science Professor Devin Hagerty wrote an op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed that introduces the program and argues that a liberal arts education is essential in developing a “global competence” among students: Broadly defined, global competence is “the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.” Its central elements include knowledge of world affairs — cultural, economic, and political; proficiency in communicating …