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Overview

From knowing who the president of France is, to understanding how the global economy really works, International Studies majors are immersed in the politics, culture, and history of various parts of the world.


As an International Studies major your focus is more on depth than breadth, so while you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the commerce of the world as a whole, you will probably concentrate on a specific region of the globe, studying in detail its unique history, economy, and political structure. Whether it’s Africa, Asia, or Western or Eastern Europe, you will have the opportunity to focus on the region or countries that interest you most, learning their language, and perhaps even spending a semester studying abroad. In addition to focusing on a specific region, International Studies majors concentrate on some of the most pressing political and social issues of the contemporary world. You can choose to focus your area of study on economic development issues around the globe, or problems of diplomacy.


Drawing upon other fields of study, such as economics, history, and political science, International Studies will equip you with a greater understanding of how other cultures live and govern themselves.

SAMPLE CURRICULUM

  • And don’t forget that as an international studies major you will also need to be fluent in at least one foreign language

  • Area Studies in your chosen region

  • Conceptual Approaches to International Studies

  • Econometrics

  • Economic Development

  • Introduction to Sociology

  • Macroeconomics

  • Political Analysis

  • Sociological Inquiry

  • Sociological Theory

  • Statistics


HIGH SCHOOl PREPARATION

Foreign language: find one that you love early and stick with it through high school. The higher levels of a language usually incorporate more study of the culture of the countries in which it’s spoken than lower level classes. World history and Western civilization classes lay the foundation of how the world has shaped up so far. If you have the means and can spend an extended period of time living in another country, immerse yourself in the culture. Believe us, you won’t regret it.