International Studies Courses
The International Studies Major is an interdisciplinary major which includes courses from large number of departments, most of them in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, but some in other colleges, like the College of Management or the College of Natural Resources.
The two required IS courses are:
IS 393 - International Affairs Seminar
A course for your junior year.
This course provides an introduction to the evolving field of international studies with a
specific focus on the theme of globalization. Over the course of the semester, we will
examine the evolution of the global political and economic system with a focus on
various themes: international affairs, the emergence of markets and construction of a
global economy; nationalism and the formation of a world of nation-states; European
colonialism and its legacies; conceptions and consequences of "development”;
contemporary debates over economic, political and cultural globalization, and America’s
place in the world.
Our goal is to understand the intellectual, cultural, political and economic issues that have
marked the historical process of globalization. We will draw on both the scholarly
literature of the social sciences, film accounts of personal experiences within the modern
global system, as well as more popular treatments of these issues. The course will evolve
on two levels: (1) an account of changing social relations within increasingly global
economic, cultural and political systems, and (2) analytical and critical reflections on the
terms and categories that are used to describe these relations.
This course is a requirement for International Studies majors/minors, but it will also be
beneficial for students who will study abroad or be international exchange students, and
for those who will live and work outside the United States after graduation in fields as
varied as non-profit organizations, international business, environmental and human
rights advocacy groups, or transnational corporations and media.
IS 491 - Senior Seminar in International Studies
Your senior seminar in which you will complete a research project with your team of IS major colleagues.
