Undergraduate
Bachelor's Degree Programs
Global and International Studies
Major in Global and International Studies
The world is becoming an ever smaller place in which to live, and the interdependence of our political, cultural and economic systems is growing by the day. Locally, the state of Indiana participates actively in the global economy. In 2008, Indiana was the 15th largest exporting state with exports that year of $26.5 billion dollars. To help students understand the international system, and to prepare them for a career in an increasingly globalized world, the School of Liberal Arts offers an interdisciplinary major and minor in International Studies. Students will learn another language, specialize in a given region of the world, study abroad for the major, focus on cultural, historical, political, and economic aspects of the international system, and develop a broad awareness of the major global forces at work in the 21st century world. They will be better equipped to understand and pursue a career or graduate study in an interdependent world.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of the major is the way that students can tailor their combination of area and thematic concentrations to meet their individual academic interests and career goals. A student interested in pursuing a career in development as part of the burgeoning nongovernmental sector could combine a thematic concentration on development or global civil society with an area concentration on Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean and study French or Spanish as their foreign language. Another student interested in working for a transnational corporation could combine a thematic concentration on international business and economics with an area concentration on Europe and study German as their foreign language. A student interested in a career in the Foreign Service could combine a thematic concentration on international relations with an area concentration on the Middle East and study Arabic as their foreign language. In short, students can tailor their area and thematic course work in a variety of ways to meet their individual interests and goals.
The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Global and International Studies (INTL) requires satisfactory completion of the following:
- completion of general education and distribution requirements as indicated in the School of Liberal Arts section of the IUPUI bulletin that was current when the student declared a major in International Studies,
- completion of a total of 33 credit hours, with a minimum grade of C in each course,
- Completion of a minimum of 15 credit hours in the Global and International Studies major at IUPUI (effective Fall 2015),
- courses from at least four different departments or schools,
- no more than 6 credit hours of I 415: Individual Readings in International Studies (independent study credit) may be taken,
- no double counting within the major. Courses that can potentially count in two or more areas can only fulfill one requirement within the major.
- This checksheet is for students majoring in Global & International Studies prior to fall 2017
Major Requirements:
- INTL-I 100: Introduction to International Studies, interdisciplinary required introductory course (3 credits)
Windows on the World” requirement (3 credits)
Choose from one of the following four courses:
- ANTH-A 104: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (or A 304)
- GEOG-G 130: Introduction to World Geography
- HIST-H 109: Perspectives on the World Since 1800
- POLS-Y 219: Introduction to International Relations
- REL-R 133: Introduction to Religion
Foreign language requirement
Complete one approved 300-level course in World Language and Culture (WLAC) with at least one class taken at IUPUI. 3-4 credits count toward the International Studies major.
Area concentration requirement (9 credits) in one of the following geographical regions:
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- The Middle East
The area concentration must include courses from at least two different departments or schools and at least two courses at the 300 or higher level. See separate list for class choices.
Thematic concentration requirement (9 credits), chosen from one of the following:
- Comparative Systems
- Development
- Global Civil Society
- Global and Cross-Cultural Interactions
- Global Environment
- International Business and Economics
- International Relations
The thematic concentration must include courses from at least two different departments or schools and at least two courses at the 300 or higher level. See separate list for class choices.
International Experience requirement (3 credits):
- 3 credits of academic work earned abroad or relating to an international experience or research project conducted outside of the United States of America
Capstone:
- INTL-I 400: International Studies Capstone Seminar (3 credits) fulfills
A list of area and thematic concentration courses may be found on-line at: https://liberalarts.iupui.edu/international/pages/courses/index.php.
Students must complete courses from at least 4 different departments or schools. In addition to the major degree requirements listed above, students must also satisfy the general requirements of the School of Liberal Arts, earn at least 120 credits to graduate, and achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Students must earn a C or higher on all courses counting for the major. Courses taken to satisfy degree requirements for the major may not double count towards Liberal Arts general requirements. Nor is double counting within the major permitted. Therefore, courses that are cross-listed under various regional and/or thematic concentrations may only fulfill one requirement within the major.
