Students gathered around a globe

Global Gateway

The College of Liberal Arts is home to a broad array of expertise in language, culture, and society. Our courses are preparing the next generation of global citizens. Our researchers are tackling society’s greatest challenges. Our alumni around the world are leaders in their fields.

Research & Curriculum

The U of M was named the winner of APLU's inaugural Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research, and Engagement—recognizing the U as an institution at the leading edge, providing students with exceptional global curriculum and funding research necessary to address the world’s challenges.

Real-World Experience

Open Doors released rankings showing the U of M near the top among universities in the nation in the number of students who study abroad as well as the number of international students hosted at the University. The U of M also ties for third place among top Peace Corps volunteer-producing large universities.

Each year, hundreds of CLA students work, study, intern, or volunteer abroad. Last year over 1,400 CLA students studied abroad in over 214 different programs in more than 40 countries.

Top countries visited by CLA faculty and staff: United Kingdom, China, Germany, France, and Canada.

56% of CLA registered travelers went to Europe; 23% went to Asia.

Alumni

Around the world CLA alumni are leaders in their fields. They are shaping their communities and the world around them.

Recent News

Madelaine Walker standing in front of a projector screen

Madelaine Walker: An Investigation into Human Evolution

Graduate student Madelaine Walker shares how the Fink Summer Fellowship allowed her to pursue research work in western Kenya and uncover truths about the evolution of primates…

Woman with black hair, gray shirt, and glasses sitting down and using tool to shred corn in tan bucket.

Using Ethnography to Investigate Gender Inequality in Thailand

Fink Summer Research Fellowship recipient Mao Lee, a sociology PhD student, spent six weeks in Thailand conducting ethnographic fieldwork.

Photo of two people in protective equipment working in a lab

Genetics Lab to Revisit the Past

Comparing ancient and modern DNA helps reconstruct histories and draw connections between ancient and modern civilizations, especially in understudied populations.

Black and white portrait of Karina Horsti

From Finland to Minnesota: A Perspective on Migration Studies

Karina Horsti, a visiting professor in the Department of Communication Studies, seeks to explore “how arts and creative multimodal research practices contribute to a critical…

Portrait of James Parente

For the Love of Learning

James Parente turned an early love of learning into a long career in higher education. Now the retiring former dean reflects on what he’s learned along the way.

A brightly colored illustrated map of the Mediterranean Sea Basin

CFP: Diasporic Legacies of the Mediterranean

The Diasporic Legacies Conference will be held on the UMN campus 27-28 April, 2023.

Six members of the Voice to Vision team discuss an abstract painting

Voice to Vision: Finding the Unexpected Significance in Survivor Stories

With a mission to unveil hidden truths, David Feinberg and Voice to Vision help human rights abuse and genocide survivors discover the unexpected meaning of their abstract…

Framing Somalia book cover featuring a woman in the foreground and an ocean view in the background

Prof. Abdi Samatar’s Publishes New Book on Somali Culture and Politics

Abdi Samatar's latest book, "Framing Somalia: Beyond Africa's Merchants of Misery" has just been published.

Photos of Spanish Directors Óscar Aibar and Xavier Artigas

The Iberian Studies Initiative presents four Spanish films and Q&As with the directors

Films include Platillos volantes and El sustituto by director Óscar Aibar and Idrissa: Crónica de una muerte cualquiera and Tarajal: Desmontando la impunidad en la frontera…

Victor Molina MHR '22

MHR Alum Publishes Paper in the International Journal of Human Rights

Victor Molina is a recent graduate of the Master of Human Rights Program whose professional paper for the degree was recently published in the International Journal of Human…

Picture of a Globe map

U of M receives Department of Education grant for international and African studies

The University of Minnesota has been awarded a National Resource Center (NRC) grant for International Studies and a second NRC grant for African Studies from the U.S…

Kathleen Zhang CLA '24

HRP’s Don Fraser Fellow Gains Valuable Experience in Human Rights

Kathleen Zhang is a rising junior majoring in Political Science and Global Studies who spent her summer as a Don Fraser Fellow at the Advocates for Human Rights.

Jamele Watkins

Jamele Watkins Wants You to See Germany’s Diversity

Assistant Professor Jamele Watkins strives to incorporate the perspective of minority groups in Germany in order to show students what the country is really like.

Ramon Fonkoué

Breaking Down the Simple: Ramon Fonkoué on the Postcolonial Condition

Associate Professor Ramon Fonkoué leads his students to grapple with tough questions about the postcolonial condition with his research on West African film and literature.

white female standing near fence high above a town with water in the background

History in Whose Hands?

Sociology PhD Student Nikoleta Sremac discusses her project researching the role of Serbian women in constructing collective memory of the Yugoslav wars.