International Affairs (IA)
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Read more about the courses within this subject prefix in the descriptions provided below.
IA 401 - Foundations of International and Global Studies
Credits: 4
The world’s most pressing political, environmental, and socio-economic challenges lack clear or easy resolutions. This course provides students with a broad, interdisciplinary engagement of key challenges in international affairs. Students will learn how to analyze complex international issues, ranging from topics such as climate change, trade and technology, global pandemics, and war and conflict. As the introductory course to the International Affairs and Global Studies programs, this course provides foundational knowledge and analytical skills to make sense of ongoing issues an in interconnected world. Required for the International Affairs and Global Studies majors and minor. IA 401 should be completed before the international experience, preferably during the 1st or 2nd year of study.
Attributes: World Cultures(Discovery)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
IA 501 - From Ideas to Evidence: Researching Global Issues
Credits: 4
How do we study and make evidence-informed arguments in international affairs? This course is designed to familiarize students with conceptual foundations and methodological approaches in international affairs. Students will learn how to break down complex topics into a feasible independent research project. Topics vary with faculty expertise, and have included war and political violence, global environmental issues, social mobilization and protest, and development, race, and gender. IA 501 prepares students for their international experience and their capstone project in IA 701. This course is normally taken before the international experience and is required before enrollment in IA 701.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): IA 401 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
View Course Learning Outcomes
- Be familiar with some of the major issues of contemporary international affairs.
- Develop a preliminary research proposal.
- Design to conduct independent analysis.
IA 695 - Independent Study in IA
Credits: 2-4
Faculty supervised independent Study in International Affairs.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading
IA 701 - Investigating the World: Seminar in International Affairs and Global Studies
Credits: 4
As the capstone seminar in International Affairs and Global Studies, this course explores important topics in international affairs through individualized research projects and collective study of important topics in international affairs. Students learn how to investigate global issues, analyze their manifestations in different social, cultural, economic, and political contexts, and formulate new insights and policy recommendations. Drawing upon their international experience, second language skills, and other IA course work, students complete individual capstone research projects, through which they learn how to generate empirical research and explore real-world applications of research findings.
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisite(s): IA 401 with a minimum grade of D- and IA 501 with a minimum grade of D-.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading