International Studies Program

Faculty
Introduction
Major in International Studies
Minor in International Studies
Honors Track
Overseas Study
Course Descriptions

Faculty

Director

Professor Daniel Knudsen

Academic Advising

Tracy Bee, Woodburn Hall 332, (812) 856-1816

E-mail

intl@indiana.edu

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Introduction

The major in international studies (INTL) provides an intellectual foundation that enables students to communicate, collaborate, and work across national, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic boundaries. It fosters competencies that 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 Health and Environment; Global Integration and Development; Human Rights and Social Movements; International Communication; and Nations, States, and Boundaries. 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 the Jewish diaspora). Normally, the regional concentration chosen should relate to the student's language study.

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Major in International Studies

Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours including the following:

1. Three courses chosen from I100, I201-I206; one of the three must introduce the chosen thematic concentration.
2. Three courses (at least 9 credit hours) at the 300–400 level from a single thematic concentration.
3. Three courses (at least 9 credit hours) at the 300–400 level from a regional concentration area.
4. 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. Non-native speakers of English may petition the International Studies Program for exemption from third-year language study. See advisor for details about procedure and necessary documentation.
5. An overseas/international experience approved in advance by the director of the program.
6. I400 (3 credit hours)
7. ASCS Q299 Job and Internship Strategies for Liberal Arts Students
   (2 cr.) or an equivalent course approved by the advisor.

Note: Students may need at least 38 credit hours to complete the requirements listed above, including foreign language proficiencies, and may need more than 38 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 Program academic 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:

1. I100 (3 cr.)
2. Two introductory level International Studies courses from the following thematic concentrations (6 credit hours):
1. Culture and the Arts.
2. Global Health and Environment.
3. Global Integration and Development.
4. Human Rights and Social Movements.
5. International Communication.
6. Nations, States, and Boundaries.
3. 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 at the 300–400 level.
4. 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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Honors Track

Requirements

Outstanding students majoring in international studies who are interested in departmental honors should submit an application form to the program director no later than the second semester of the junior year. To be eligible for the honors track, a student must first complete 15 credit hours in the international studies major.

The student must have and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.500 in the major and 3.300 overall. Before submitting the application, the student should identify a tentative thesis topic and also identify an honors thesis director, who will advise the student during research and writing. The director of the International Studies Program will provide guidance with this process, if needed. While taking required course work, students will research and write an honors thesis or produce an in-depth creative project that integrates the student's thematic and regional concentration course work and international experience in either a substantive original paper or performance, as appropriate. The thesis or project must be defended before an International Studies Honors Committee and must receive a grade of A– or higher.

In summary, students must

• Maintain a 3.500 GPA in International Studies Program course work.
• Maintain a 3.300 GPA overall.
• Complete all requirements for major and degree.
• Apply for departmental honors no later than the second semester of the junior year.
• Take I415 and an honors section of I400 sequentially.
• Research, write, and defend an honors thesis or complete an in-depth creative project, which earns an A– or higher.

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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 to study abroad. Indiana University overseas study programs allow International Studies Program 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 approaches and issues in the study of culture and the arts internationally. Central to the course is the theoretical concept of the arts as forms of cultural expression, representation, and transformation.

I202 Health, Environment, and Development (3 cr.) S & H Introduces students to pressing environmental and health changes around the world, such as deforestation, global climate change, HIV/ AIDS, and the resurgence of tuberculosis. Focuses on problems that are interrelated with each other and with economic development, that cross national borders in their causes or impacts, and that require a multinational or global effort to solve.

I203 Global Integration and Development (3 cr.) S & H Focuses on the interaction between social, political, and economic forces and human development conditions at global, national, and subnational scales; introduces major theoretical perspectives on the structure, function, and governance of markets, as well as a substantial part of the literature on economic development.

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 the modern state and notions of nationalism that shape the world's political identities, dominate international relations, and also define stateless people's positions, as well as the role of international institutions in mediating and regulating relations among the states.

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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