Global Engagement
Columbian College encourages international and cross-cultural perspectives among our extensive community of distinguished scholars and diverse undergraduate and graduate students. A broad liberal arts education guides our students to use their knowledge to examine the critical issues that impact our region, nation and the world beyond. In addition, we are engaged in collaborative international research partnerships that are advancing a wide range of artistic, social and scientific imperatives.
Global Engagement Highlights
Around the World: TSPPPA’s Adams Completes “Mind-Expanding” Journey
Globe-trotting professor joined an ultra-exclusive club as a visitor to all 196 nations on earth.
Alumnus Journey Spotlights Refugee Plight
Amin Arvin Attari, BS ’21, escaped Iran for a new life in the U.S. Now an NIH scientist, he sees his story in refugees fleeing conflicts worldwide.
For CCAS Community, Ukraine Connections Loom Large
As Ukraine remains under siege, Columbian College faculty, students and alumni have anxiously awaited news from loved ones while spearheading humanitarian aid efforts.
GPAC Courses in Global or Cross-Cultural Perspectives Offered
The General Education Curriculum (GPAC) engages students in active intellectual inquiry by developing analytical skills, communication skills and diverse perspectives. CCAS offers a wide range of GPAC Tier Two Global or Cross-Cultural Perspectives courses, that analyze the ways in which institutions, practices and problems transcend national and regional boundaries. Global Perspective courses focus on issues in terms of its global implications, frame questions, gather evidence, analyze evidence and draw conclusions about an issue in terms of its global implications. Cross-Cultural Perspective courses identify and analyze the impact of diverse experiences and/or cultures upon human behavior, thought and expression and use cultural comparison as a tool for understanding how social, cultural, or economic contexts shape understandings and behaviors.
Faculty-led Short Term Abroad Program
Faculty-led Short-Term Abroad Programs enable faculty and students to take the academic experience beyond classrooms and borders so that the learning can be achieved in the most rich and memorable ways. From taking students to visit WWII memorial sites in France as part of the world history class to sending students to receive culturally sensitive speech therapist clinical training in Mexico, the Office of Global Initiatives encourages faculty across all disciplines to consider how to incorporate a component to their courses that provides students with an abroad experience.
The Office of Global Initiatives provides administrative support and guidance to faculty and limited scholarships to students.
Interested parties should be directed to [email protected].
International Visiting Scholars Program
Welcome to the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences' International Visiting Scholars Program.
This program is aimed at providing a unique opportunity for select scholars around the world to pursue scholarly and intellectual development in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at GW.
Meet our Current Visiting Scholars for AY21-22.
To apply, please complete the application form.
Support & Resources
The Columbian College of Arts & Sciences Global Initiatives Office's mission is to advance the College's international priorities through world-class education, education diplomacy and engagement with the world.
Office of Global Initiatives
The CCAS Office of Global Initiative's mission is to advance the College's international priorities through world-class education, education diplomacy and engagement with the world. We assist our students and faculty in their global engagement.
Office for Study Abroad
The Office for Study Abroad (OSA) provides and facilitates quality international educational opportunities at the George Washington University and promote students' academic, personal, professional and intercultural development before, during and after their study abroad experiences.
Office of International Programs
The Office of International Programs plays a pivotal role in the university’s efforts to engage the world by providing guidance and resources that help identify GW's international priorities and expand educational opportunities abroad in all disciplines.
International Services Office
The International Services Office is the first stop for the GW international community and will help eliminate administrative challenges when studying in the US. ISO Advisors host a variety of special events that highlight our diverse international student population.
Student Scholarships and Opportunities
GW offers a wide range of scholarships and opportunities for students interested in international travel, research and more such as the Chung-wen Shih Scholarship and Short-Term Abroad Programs.
Featured Programs
Beyond our regular programming, CCAS is committed to providing a wide range of opportunities for faculty and students to encourage international innovative research.
Global Bachelor's Program
The GW Global Bachelor's Program provides students the competencies and confidence to work and learn anywhere in the world by challenging them to pursue their educational goals in multiple international settings.
Koobi Fora Field School in Kenya
The Koobi Fora Field School is designed to introduce students to the science of paleoanthropology, the sub-discipline of anthropology focused on the study of human origins.
Sponsored Program: Digital Collections for Chinese Studies
CCAS sponsors the development of this interactive mapping tool that identifies, describes and displays archival and digital collections related to Chinese Studies in North America, China and beyond.
Sarah Cassius
BA '19, Geography
"I spent this summer in Medellin, interning for the [Colombian] Department of the Environment and Urban Planning. The municipality had just made the switch to LED lights for all of their public lighting, so one of my projects was to quantify the benefits of that change and present the economic, environmental and public health benefits to the mayor."
