Faculty
Introduction
Minor in International Studies
Overseas Study
Course Descriptions
Faculty
Director
Professor Daniel Knudsen
Academic Advising
Tracy Bee, Woodburn Hall 332, (812) 856-1816, E-mail: intl@indiana.edu; Web: www.indiana.edu/~intlweb
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Introduction
Introduction
The major in International Studies (INTL) is designed to provide an intellectual foundation that enables students to communicate, collaborate, and work across national, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic boundaries. It fosters competencies students need in order to function successfully in a global environment and involves foreign language study as well as overseas experience.
The major is broadly constructed to allow flexibility as well as depth. Students explore the major by taking three introductory courses chosen from the following thematic areas: Culture and the Arts; Global Environment; Global Markets and Governance; Human Rights and Social Movements; International Communication; Nations, States, and Boundaries; and Rituals and Beliefs. They also are required to focus on one thematic area by taking three additional courses in that area.
Students must choose a regional concentration area with the approval of the international studies advisor in consultation with the director of the program. This area can be perceived in one of two ways (students must select one): 1) an area defined geographically (either broadly defined, such as the Pacific Rim, or with a concentrated focus, such as Egypt or Germany); or, 2) an area defined linguistically, religiously and/or ethnically (such as Jewish diaspora). Normally, the regional concentration chosen should relate to the student’s language study.
Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours including the following:
- Three courses chosen from I100, I201-I207; one of the three must introduce the chosen thematic concentration.
- Three courses (at least 9 credit hours) at the 300-400 level from a single thematic concentration.
- Three courses (at least 9 credit hours) at the 300-400 level from a regional concentration area.
- Foreign language proficiency beyond the College’s general requirement for B.A. degrees. Students may pursue the study of a single foreign language through six semesters; they may study one foreign language through four semesters and study a second foreign language through two semesters; or, they may study one foreign language through four semesters, study the first semester of a second foreign language, and study the first semester of a third foreign language. See advisor for details.
- An overseas/international experience approved in advance by the director of the program.
- I400 (3 credit hours)
Note: Students may need at least 36 credit hours to complete the requirements listed above, including foreign language proficiencies, and may need more than 36 credit hours to complete the overseas/international experience requirement.
Students must complete the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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Minor in International Studies
Students should develop their minor in consultation with the International Studies advisor and their departmental advisors in their majors.
Requirements
The minor comprises at least 15 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences course work including the following:
- I100 (3 credit hours.)
- Two introductory level International Studies courses from the following thematic concentrations (6 credit hours):
- Culture and the Arts
- Global Environment
- Global Markets and Governance
- Human Rights and Social Movements
- International Communication
- Nations, States and Boundaries
- Rituals and Beliefs
- Students must choose one thematic concentration in which they wish to focus and must take the International Studies introductory-level course for that particular thematic concentration. Additionally, students must take a minimum of two elective courses (6 credit hours) from the thematic concentration that they chose. These elective courses must be 300/400-level courses.
- If students choose course work outside the College in partial fulfillment of their concentrations, they will need to take additional College of Arts and Sciences course work in the concentration to bring the minimum total of College of Arts and Sciences hours in the minor to 15.
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Overseas Study
Students who major in International Studies are required to have international experience to graduate. The typical way to fulfill this requirement is study abroad. Indiana University overseas study programs allow International Studies students to make progress toward their degrees and apply financial aid to program fees. For information about study abroad, contact the Office of Overseas Study, Franklin Hall 303, (812) 855-9304 (www.indiana.edu/~overseas).
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Course Descriptions
I100 Introduction to International Studies (3 cr.) S & H This introductory, interdisciplinary core course exposes students to the various academic approaches essential to international studies and to the various tracks that comprise the major.
I115 Exploring International Studies (3 cr.) Offered in conjunction with the "International Studies Summer Institute," this course examines a wide range of international issues including global environmental change, international economics, populations-at-risk, and conflict resolution through the overall theme of globalization. The objective is to develop critical skills through analysis of current international issues.
I201 Culture and the Arts: International Perspectives (3 cr.) A & H Introduction to the theoretical concepts of the arts and the role of the arts in the formation and transformation of identity. This core course examines the various mechanisms, sites, and institutions through which the arts and culture are disseminated globally.
I202 Global Environment (3 cr.) S & H Provides a fundamental organizing framework for thinking about the global environment in both biophysical and social terms. Reviews the fundamentals of Earth Systems Science and Environmental Social Science.
I203 Global Markets and Governance (3 cr.) S & H Focuses on how political and social factors affect the economic conditions of sub-national groups, countries, and the globe, and vice versa, how such economic circumstances affect local, national, and world politics.
I204 Human Rights and Social Movements: International Perspectives (3 cr.) S & H Introduction to basic issues relating to human rights and social movements, emphasizing the differing ways that these topics are addressed in various disciplines and thought about within various global cultures.
I205 International Communication (3 cr.) S & H Examination of global communication as a process governed by culture-specific and institution-specific rules. Semiotic aspects of meditation are covered as well as nation and state mediation in mass communication (including the setting of policy on language and arts) and the role played by intent, power, gender, and politics in inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic interaction.
I206 Nations, States, and Boundaries (3 cr.) S & H Introduction to the development of modern states and their mutual relations as well as the role of international institutions in mediating and regulating relations between the states and protecting the individuals and stateless peoples from persecution.
I207 Rituals and Beliefs: International Perspectives (3 cr.) A & H Exposes students to a wide range of rituals in politics and popular culture throughout the world while exploring some of the most prominent comparative theories about the nature and function of ritual. Among other things, the course aims to examine how rituals enable practitioners to represent a set of beliefs in visible, often dramatic performance.
I300 Topics in International Studies (3 cr.) This course focuses on the intensive study and analysis of selected international problems and issues within an interdisciplinary format. Topics will vary but will cut across fields, regions, and periods. Course may be repeated once with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
I325 International Issues through Foreign Languages (1 cr.) This seminar will examine an international issue through a foreign perspective. Course readings and discussions will be conducted in a foreign language at an advanced level. The seminar’s objective is to expose participants to global problems utilizing non-U.S. sources.
I400 International Studies Capstone Seminar (3 cr.) This required seminar is designed for majors who have completed all of the program requirements to consolidate their studies. Students complete a project that addresses an issue appropriate to their track.
I415 Individual Readings in International Studies (1-3 cr.) Students may conduct individually designed research projects on an international issue or problem under the direction of a faculty member. Student and instructor should develop a project and submit a "contract" to the program director for approval. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
I498 Internship in International Studies (1-6 cr.) P: Approval of the director of International Studies. S/F grading. Provides students with an opportunity to receive academic credit for a part-time or full-time internship experience within the U.S. or overseas that allows them to apply the knowledge gained through course work in International Studies to the work world, thereby developing additional knowledge and skills and exposing them to professional career options. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
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