International Relations Program

The International Relations major is a multi-disciplinary course of study on the ways in which people, private groups, and sovereign governments interact with each other on the international stage. States are inevitably the main focus of analysis. However, the emergence of non-state actors--international organizations, multinational corporations, and private groups ranging from religious and peace groups to terrorist organizations--is an important feature of international affairs in our time. Thus, an understanding of the broader political environment as defined by culture, demography, geography, and technology is essential to a sophisticated understanding of international affairs. 

Our interdisciplinary approach to the study of international affairs reflects this reality. We encourage a hardheaded and nuanced study of the problem of relations across international boundaries of all kinds--from the traditional political boundaries to the recently salient boundaries of culture and religion. 

Our plan for achieving this goal is twofold: First, to insist that our majors receive a firm grounding in the approach to knowledge used in the disciplines of political science, history, and economics; and second, to provide them maximum flexibility, particularly in their advanced course work and thesis, to specialize in disciplines and areas of the world of their own choosing. 

This curriculum, if assiduously pursued, offers a well-rounded liberal arts education valuable in all walks of life. However, it is also designed to prepare our students for a broad array of careers. Our students have gone on to distinguished careers in business, law, government, military service, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academia.