International Relations Major

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Major Requirements

The major in international relations requires at least ten courses distributed as follows:

Core Requirement of five required courses:
- GOVT 060 CM - Introduction to Comparative Government – to be taken in the freshman or sophomore year;
- GOVT 070 CM - Introduction to International Politics – to be taken in the freshman or sophomore year;
- GOVT 149 CM - Foreign Relations of the United States – to be taken in the freshman or sophomore year;
- ECON 101 CM - Intermediate Microeconomics , or ECON 102 CM - Intermediate Macroeconomics
- ECON 140 CM - The World Economy , or ECON 141 CM - International Economics
Thematic Electives: four additional international relations courses with a particular thematic (strategic studies or international economics) or regional (e.g., Latin America) focus.
These courses should be beyond the introductory level and may be selected from any relevant discipline in consultation with a faculty advisor and approved by the chair of the International Relations committee.
Other Elective: one elective course outside the regional focus of courses listed above. This course is to be selected in consultation with the chair of the International Relations committee.
Foreign Language Competency: all students must show proficiency in a (one) modern foreign language by completing a minimum of four semester courses at the college level, or the equivalent. Language courses may be used to fulfill general education requirements in foreign language (3^rd semester) and in foreign literature (4^th semester of an European language); they may not be counted as electives for the international relations major.
Study Abroad: all majors, including dual majors, must spend at least one semester in study abroad in a program including foreign language study. Other foreign experiences may be substituted with the approval of the chair of the International Relations Committee. No more than two courses per semester taken in study abroad (not more than four altogether) may be counted to meet requirements for the international relations major.

Note:

Students normally take at least six courses, including the required core courses, at CMC

Senior Thesis in International Relations

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience of a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception.

Prior to the senior year, the Government department faculty invites a limited number of students to write an honors thesis in international relations. Students who participate in the honors program are required to complete a two-semester project. Candidates for honors register for a thesis research course in government in the first semester and for the senior thesis in the second semester. In addition, honors candidates must participate in the mandatory two-semester, non-credit Honors Seminar conducted by the department of Government. The senior thesis and the thesis research course may not be counted as courses in the major. For further information on honors, see Honors in International Relations below.

Special Options for Majors

Dual Majors

Students majoring in international relations often wish to combine their major with another discipline such as economics or history. The international relations requirements for a dual major consist of a minimum of eight courses:

Core Requirement of five required courses:
- GOVT 060 CM - Introduction to Comparative Government – to be taken in the freshman or sophomore year;
- GOVT 070 CM - Introduction to International Politics – to be taken in the freshman or sophomore year;
- GOVT 149 CM - Foreign Relations of the United States – to be taken in the freshman or sophomore year;
- ECON 101 CM - Intermediate Microeconomics , or ECON 102 CM - Intermediate Macroeconomics
- ECON 140 CM - The World Economy , or ECON 141 CM - International Economics
Electives Requirement: at least three elective courses chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor and approved by the chair of the International Relations Committee.
Other Requirements: dual majors also must meet the study abroad and foreign language requirements that apply to full majors (see above).

Students with a dual major including international relations are required to write their senior thesis about an international topic - from whatever disciplinary point of view is appropriate. For further information, see Senior Thesis in International Relations above.

Please note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in International Relations below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, please check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Note:

Dual majors in economics and international relations may not count ECON 101 CM or ECON 102 CM for both the economics and the international relations major. They will be required to complete additional electives as substitutes for these requirements.

Honors in International Relations

Each year the Government department conducts a Government – International Relations senior honors program. Prior to the senior year, the department invites a limited number of students to participate in the program based on the high quality of their work in international relations. Students selected for the program are eligible for honors if they:

Complete a two-semester, two-unit thesis in international relations with a grade of “B+” (10.00) or better;
Satisfactorily participate in the mandatory two-semester, non-credit Honors Seminar conducted by the Department of Government; and
Attain a grade point average of 10.50 or better in the major at time of graduation.

The department faculty may also consider inviting students with a dual major in international relations to participate in the honors program. Dual majors selected for the program are eligible for honors in international relations if they:

Have completed all requirements for a full major in international relations and are granted honors, or
Qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Honors in the Major for details.

For further information on the honors program, see Professor Taw or the chair of the Government department.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes of the Program in International Relations

Learning Goals

The learning goals of the international relations program are:

To understand theories of international relations and comparative politics and use them to analyze significant international problems.
To communicate effectively in writing

Student Learning Outcomes

The student learning outcomes of international relations program are:

Students will be able to demonstrate thorough knowledge of major international and comparative theories.
Students will be able to develop a hypothesis from one or more of these theories and be able to substantiate their arguments with logic, normative insights, and quantitative evidence when appropriate.
Students will be able to express themselves effectively in writing.

The faculty of the program has set up assessment methods.

General Education Requirements for International Relations Majors

Students with interdisciplinary majors requiring courses in the humanities and/or social sciences are required to take designated courses in six different fields of the humanities and social sciences for the general education requirements. International Relations majors must take courses in all four fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology) and in two of the four fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language). International relations majors with a dual or double major in the humanities will be required to take an additional course in the humanities. For further information, see Academic Policies & Procedures .

International relations majors may use the third semester of a foreign language for the foreign language requirement; students who have completed the fourth semester of a European language for the major may use this course for the foreign literature requirement.