Global Studies - Difference Between Global and International Studies

Difference Between Global and International Studies

There can be much confusion about the use of the terms “global studies” and “international studies.”

Often, for educational purposes, they are used interchangeably and differences in meaning are not particularly evident, with the suggestion that both the disciplines are concerned with political, social and cultural issues, with the main focus of study being placed on international community interaction.

However, subtle differences can be made between the two phrases. International studies generally looks at exchanges between states, multilateral or bilateral agreements, diplomacy and how issues are handled between two or more states. Global studies, in contrast, focuses on globally shared issues like the preservation of culture and environment, movements of people and the effects of globalization (i.e. issues that are communally relevant worldwide).

It has also been suggested that there are left wing and right wing connotations to each phrase, international studies being preferred by the right wing (i.e. relations between states) and global studies preferred by the left (i.e. issues affecting all global citizens).

While definitions are still quite blurry, the terms have also been described as such: “International studies might be called the grandfather of global education. It often includes the study of countries, world religions, languages and international relations ... {global studies} is centred on the concept of connectedness – recognizing local/global connections, the commonalities all humans share, and how understanding how national borders have become practically irrelevant for many global actors.”