About the Program

Minor

The Global Poverty & Practice (GPP) minor is an interdisciplinary program designed to introduce students to the theoretical frameworks, methods, and practical skills necessary to engage with global poverty and inequality in imaginative and effective ways. The "Practice Experience" is a central component of the minor in which students partner with organizations engaged in poverty action (e.g., non-governmental organizations, community organizations, government agencies, and other poverty or development programs). In conjunction with the coursework, this real world experience, which can take place domestically or internationally, allows students to connect theories and practices of poverty action. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to undertake the minor.

Applying for the Minor

Students wishing to pursue the Global Poverty and Practice minor must submit a Minor Declaration of Intent Form to the GPP Advising Office (100H Blum Hall). Students may declare without having taken any of the courses; additionally, there are no prerequisites for the minor. The deadlines to declare are generally in early October and early March. For more information, please see the Global Poverty and Practice minor website.

Visit Program Website

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
2. A minimum of three of the upper division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.
5. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, please see a College of Letters & Science adviser.
7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

The minor is organized around three core and two elective course requirements, in addition to the practice that is comprised of a field experience and a reflection course. The requirements must be completed in the following sequence:

Practice Experience

An individualized global engagement practice experience is the signature element of the minor, providing an opportunity for students to connect the theory and practice of poverty and its alleviation. This practice experience can take place domestically or internationally. The minimum time expected for the practice experience is 240 hours in the field over the course of at least 6 weeks. Field work completed prior to a student beginning GPP 105, while valuable to the overall educational experience, will not be considered for the minor’s practice requirement.

Plan of Study

Sample Plans of Study

Below are two common academic plans for completing the GPP Minor, but there are many other potential timelines for completing the minor.  Students are encouraged to speak with a GPP adviser to discuss a plan that best works for you.

Advising

GPP staff advisers and peer advisers are available to meet with students to discuss any questions they have regarding the GPP Minor.

The GPP peer advisers are undergraduate students who have completed a majority of the requirements for the GPP Minor, including the Practice Experience. They are a great resource for seeking information about what the minor entails, selecting a practice experience, course planning, and much more.

The department encourage prospective students to meet with a GPP adviser before applying to declare the minor. Students declared in the minor should check in regularly with the advisers for guidance on ensuring regular progress towards completing the minor.

Advising Hours

Drop-in advising hours during the fall and spring semesters are held in 100H Blum Hall at the following times:
Monday and Wednesday, 10 to noon and 1:30 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday,  1:30 to 4 p.m.
Friday, 10 to noon

Advising during the summer term is by appointment only. Please email gppminor@berkeley.edu to set up an appointment.

Academic Opportunities

Practice Experience Fellowship Funding

Students who have declared the GPP minor are eligible to apply for a Global Poverty and Practice Fellowship which provides financial support for students’ US and international practice experiences. Further details can be found on the program's website.

Mentorship Program

The GPP Minor Mentorship Program matches students who have recently joined the minor with students who have completed most of the requirements for the minor, including the practice experience. Mentees receive guidance on selecting and preparing for their practice experience as well as selecting courses.

Courses

Global Poverty and Practice

Faculty and Instructors

+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Faculty

Alice M. Agogino, Faculty Director, Blum Center for Developing Economies. New product development, computer-aided design & databases, theory & methods, intelligent learning systems, information retrieval & data mining, digital libraries, multiobjective & strategic product, nonlinear optimization, probabilistic modeling, supervisory.
Research Profile

+ Maximilian Auffhammer, Professor. Climate change, econometrics, air pollution, environmental economics, energy economics.
Research Profile

Jenna Burrell, Associate Professor.

J. Bradford Delong, Professor. Economics, globalization, economic growth, convergence, economics of post WWII Europe.

Ashok Gadgil, Professor. Fuel-efficient stoves, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, developing countries, drinking water, buildings energy efficiency.
Research Profile

Aihwa Ong, Professor. Cultural anthropology, anthropology, transnationalism, citizenship, global cities, migration, Southeast Asia, urbanism.
Research Profile

Isha Ray, Associate Professor. Water and development; Gender, water and sanitation; technology and development.
Research Profile

Robert Reich, Professor. Industrial Policy, Labor and Employment, Leadership and Management, Politics, Poverty, Inequality, Leadership and Social Change, Macroeconomic Policy, Social and Economic Policy.
Research Profile

Arthur L. Reingold, Professor. Public health, epidemiology, infectious diseases, biostatistics.
Research Profile

S. Shankar Sastry, Professor. Computer science, robotics, arial robots, cybersecurity, cyber defense, homeland defense, nonholonomic systems, control of hybrid systems, sensor networks, interactive visualization, robotic telesurgery, rapid prototyping.
Research Profile

Nora Silver, Adjunct Professor.

+ Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Professor. High-technology competition, US industrial and technology policies, international economy, US trade policy, US competitiveness, emerging market economies, multinational companies in the US economy, gender gap (economic participation, educational attainment, political empowerment and health), research and development tax credit.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Fatmir Haskaj, Lecturer. Political economy, development, critical theory and urban studies.

+ Khalid Kadir, Lecturer. Pathogen removal in natural water and wastewater treatment systems, water and sanitation in developing countries, role of experts in poverty action and development, political economy, engineering pedagogy for social justice.
Research Profile

Cecilia Cissell Lucas, Lecturer. Racial justice and decolonization, poverty alleviation, reparations, education, the arts, and social justice activism. .
Research Profile

Clare Talwalker, Lecturer. Qualitative methods, global poverty action, human rights, South Asia and economic anthropology.
Research Profile