International Affairs
Degree: B.A., International Affairs
Department of Political Science and International Affairs
The interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs is designed to provide students with a broad knowledge of contemporary international politics as well as with specific expertise in a given geographic area and/or sub-field focus. To this end, the major combines required courses that examine international affairs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives (i.e., economics, geography, history, and political science) with related field courses that permit students to pursue in depth their particular geographical and/or disciplinary interests. Students majoring in International Affairs have ample opportunities to pursue internships with the numerous governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as organized interests located in Washington, D.C., which focus on different aspects of contemporary international economic, political, and social issues.
Career opportunities for the major in International Affairs range from such traditional areas as work with government or private agencies engaged in research on foreign policy or intelligence issues to private sector work in consulting or international banking institutions.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSCI 101A | Introduction to Political Science | 3 |
| PSCI 102A | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| PSCI 321A | Theories of International Relations | 3 |
| PSCI 350B | Politics of Developing Countries | 3 |
| or PSCI 351 | International Political Economy | |
| PSCI 356 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| ECON 382 | International Trade | 3 |
| or ECON 384 | Economic Development | |
| or ECON 386 | International Finance | |
| GEOG 338 | Geopolitics | 3 |
| or GEOG 339A | Development Studies | |
| Additional 15 credits 1 | 15 | |
Students must take at least one (3 credit) elective in HIST | ||
| Completion of one language through the intermediate level 2 | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
- 1
Chosen by student and advisor from among, but not limited to, the following disciplines: Economics, French, Geography, German, History, Italian, Political Science, Spanish.
- 2
Except Latin or Greek
Effective for students matriculating Fall 2020 and beyond, completion of one Writing Intensive (WI) course and one Speaking Intensive (SI) course must be taken within the major.
General Education Requirements
The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of BLS general education requirements.
Electives
Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the BLS degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits
Political Science and International Affairs Department
Rosalyn L. Cooperman, Chair
Jason W. Davidson, Career Advisor and Director of the Security and Conflict Studies Minor
Faculty
Professors
Rosalyn L. Cooperman
Jason W. Davidson
Stephen J. Farnsworth, Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies
Surupa Gupta
Emile J. Lester
Associate Professor
Ranjit Singh
Assistant Professor
Guanyi Leu
Melissa Martinez
Jared A. McDonald