International Relations Major
Requirements
Degree Requirements
This major is available as a bachelor of arts degree only, as defined in the section on degree requirements for all majors in this catalog.
Major Requirements
44-46 credits distributed as follows:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Common Core | ||
| POLS 210 | INTERNATIONAL POLITICS | 4 |
| POLS 390 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS | 4 |
| POLS 489 | SENIOR SEMINAR | 3 |
| POLS 490 | SENIOR CAPSTONE | 3 |
| ECON 210 | PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS | 4 |
| Foreign language proficiency through a second-year level and successful completion of a foreign study abroad program of at least one semester approved in advance for this purpose (relevant courses taken abroad may count toward IR electives). | ||
| Additional Credits | ||
| 4-5 Credit Methods Requirement 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | ||
| METHODS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH | ||
| SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS | ||
| 4-Credit History Requirement | ||
| An international history course (200 level or above) | 4 | |
| 4-Credit Theory and Practice of International Politics Requirement (plus corresponding 1-credit 498 Proseminar course) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| POLITICS AND RELIGION (ALSO LISTED AS RELS 315) | ||
| CURRENT DEBATES IN US FOREIGN POLICY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL LAW, ETHICS, AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE | ||
| TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS | ||
| POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| U.S. FOREIGN POLICY | ||
| TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS | ||
| POLS 498 | PROSEMINAR | 1 |
| Comparative Culture, Philosophy, and Ethics Requirement | ||
| Select 3-4 credits of the following: | 3-4 | |
| CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES | ||
| LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | ||
| GREAT POLITICAL THINKERS | ||
| PHILOSOPHY EAST & WEST (ALSO LISTED AS RELS 160) | ||
| MORAL PROBLEMS | ||
| SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY | ||
| JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY & ISLAM | ||
| PHILOSOPHY EAST & WEST (ALSO LISTED AS PHIL 160) | ||
| Major Elective Courses | ||
| Select at least 10 additional credits from the IR major elective list below, including at least one additional 300-level course or above: | 10 | |
| CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES | ||
| NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION | ||
Any other relevant COMM course | ||
| INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS | ||
| DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS | ||
| INTERNATIONAL MONETARY ECONOMICS | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS | ||
| NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS | ||
| HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT | ||
| RACE, IMPERIALISM, JUSTICE | ||
| ENVIRONMENT, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE (ALSO LISTED AS SOAN 250) | ||
| LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | ||
Any other relevant GLCS course | ||
| WESTERN CULTURE TO 1500 | ||
| WESTERN CULTURE SINCE 1500 | ||
| HISTORY OF WORLD CIVILIZATIONS TO 1500 | ||
| HISTORY OF WORLD CIVILIZATIONS SINCE 1500 | ||
| EAST ASIA BEFORE 1800 | ||
| EAST ASIA SINCE 1800 | ||
| JEWISH-MUSLIM RELATIONS IN MODERN EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN (ALSO LISTED AS RELS 207) | ||
| FASCISM AND THE HOLOCAUST IN EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA | ||
Any other relevant HIST course | ||
| LIVING IN A MEDIA WORLD 2 | ||
| MEDIA THEORY & CRITICISM 2 | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS 2 | ||
| FUNDAMENTALS OF PHILOSOPHY | ||
| MORAL PROBLEMS | ||
| PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS | ||
| PHILOSOPHY OF LAW | ||
| SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY | ||
| COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY: ASIAN THOUGHT | ||
Any other relevant PHIL course | ||
| AMERICAN POLITICS | ||
| GREAT POLITICAL THINKERS | ||
| POLITICS AND THE ARTS | ||
| CURRENT DEBATES IN US FOREIGN POLICY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL LAW, ETHICS, AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE | ||
| TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS | ||
| POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| U.S. FOREIGN POLICY | ||
| TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS | ||
| SURVEY OF PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY & ISLAM | ||
| THE HOLY QUR'AN | ||
| PHILOSOPHY EAST & WEST (ALSO LISTED AS PHIL 160) | ||
| HISTORY OF RELIGION OF THE MIDDLE EAST (ALSO LISTED AS HIST 310) | ||
| FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION | ||
| WOMEN IN RELIGION (ALSO LISTED AS GENS 342) | ||
Any other relevant RELS course | ||
Any relevant SOAN course | ||
Any relevant internship course | ||
Any relevant study in Washington, D.C. or abroad | ||
Any relevant January term course abroad | ||
| Total Credits | 44-46 | |
- 1
Subject to approval from HIST or SOAN for double majors.
- 2
JAMS courses subject to approval by IR coordinator.
Given the interdisciplinary nature of international relations, other courses may be approved to count toward the major. The student may petition the coordinator of the International Relations program, expressing a rationale for the substitution. This rationale must include a signed agreement between the student and the relevant course instructor that the student’s major project, counting for at least 1/3 of the course grade, will be devoted to an international relations issue. The IR coordinator must approve the petition before the Office of the Registrar will accept the substitution.
As noted above, courses taken while studying abroad may also be counted toward elective credit. To receive credit, students should retrieve the relevant form from the Office of the Registrar (or on the IR website), provide a course syllabus, and other supporting documentation for approval from the relevant department and/or IR major director.
Double majors with other disciplines are encouraged and three courses (up to 12 credits) may count toward both major requirements. Double majors in Political Science and International Relations, however, are not permitted. As with other majors, at most two courses can be counted toward Linfield Curriculum requirements.
Student Learning Outcomes
- think critically, systematically, and creatively about international issues by employing a variety of different disciplinary tools and perspectives;
- exhibit a fundamental grasp of the major problems facing the world today and their complexity;
- communicate in clear, cogent, and literate fashion to a range of audiences, both written and orally;
- achieve proficiency in a foreign language;
- apply their coursework to their own experiences through study abroad and beyond; and
- demonstrate an understanding of different global perspectives – social, cultural, political, and economic.