Global literacy at scale
Global affairs shape everything from conflict and cooperation to climate and trade. ASU’s Introduction to Global Affairs course — developed with the Council on Foreign Relations—helps you understand the forces behind today’s global challenges and prepares you to think critically, act thoughtfully and make an impact.
How ASU’s Introduction to Global Affairs reframes global learning for an interconnected world.
In an era defined by interdependence, global literacy is no longer a specialization — it’s a foundational skill. Introduction to Global Affairs reflects Arizona State University’s effort to rethink how global understanding is taught, who it reaches and what it prepares learners to do.
Developed with input from the Council on Foreign Relations, the course approaches global affairs as a system of relationships rather than a series of events. It emphasizes analytical frameworks, policy tradeoffs and institutional dynamics that shape global outcomes — inviting learners to engage with the world as it actually operates.
By combining policy-world perspective with an open-access learning model, Introduction to Global Affairs points toward a future in which global education is both rigorous and widely accessible. The result is not just an introductory course, but a model for how global literacy can be built across life stages and borders.
Read how ASU is expanding access to global understanding through this course.