Department Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in International Relations

All majors and minors must complete IR 210 International Relations: Introductory Analysis. All majors also must complete IR 211 International Relations: Approaches to Research, or its equivalent. Normally IR 210 should be completed before attempting 400-level IR courses.

Three semesters of a single foreign language are required. All majors are encouraged to obtain as much foreign language training as possible either through a major or a minor in a foreign language or through a study program abroad. A fourth semester of a foreign language may be applied toward the IR major elective requirements.

Beyond IR 210 and IR 211, or its equivalent, international relations majors are required to take eight additional courses. Seven upper division courses, at least six of which must come from the curriculum of the School of International Relations, are required. These six upper division IR courses must include at least one regional course and one 400-level course. General education courses may not be counted toward the major or minor. IR courses, the fourth semester of a language sequence, and approved courses from related fields may be taken as the seventh and eighth courses.

Department Minor Requirements

The minor in international relations allows students to develop a specialty in the field without a full major. Requirements are: IR 210 International Relations: Introductory Analysis and four upper division courses including at least one regional course and one 400-level course. Students planning to minor in international relations should register with the director of student affairs in Von KleinSmid Center 301.

Honors Program

The honors program centers around IR 494 Honors Thesis Seminar which culminates in a thesis based on original research. In the spring of the junior year, students who have earned a GPA of 3.5 in the major and an overall GPA of 3.3 submit an application, two letters of recommendation and a writing sample which identifies the thesis topic to the student affairs office. Upon admission to the program, the student identifies an appropriate faculty member to supervise the thesis and, in the fall of the senior year, enrolls in IR 494. If the program is completed successfully (a B+ or better in IR 494, a major GPA of 3.5 and an overall GPA of 3.3), the transcript will read "with Honors."

Minor in Global Communication

The rise of global firms and international changes that followed the end of the cold war raise new opportunities and challenges. This minor provides students from fields such as business, journalism, engineering and political science an understanding of the dynamic nature of global relations, communications and technology. The global communication minor consists of six 4-unit courses, three from international relations and three from communication. Students are required to complete IR 305 Managing New Global Challenges and two additional IR upper division courses, at least one of which must be a course which focuses on a specific region, and COMM 487 Communication and Global Organizations and two elective courses relevant to global communication.

Minor in International Policy and Management

The minor in international policy and management brings together courses from the School of International Relations, dealing with the new global challenges, specific regions of the world and international organizations and policies, and the School of Public Administration, dealing with core management skills and public policy processes. Students will gain an understanding of the changes and challenges transforming the world and a taste of the policy and management skills to deal with them. To increase their understanding of the context and application of these concepts, students must complete a semester-long internship either in Washington, D.C. (through participation in the Washington, D.C. Semester) or Los Angeles with an organization that has an international focus.

Students take three courses in international relations, including the gateway course, IR 305 Managing New Global Challenges, three courses in public policy and management, and an approved internship either through the School of International Relations (IR 491) or Public Policy and Management (PPMT 401).

Required Courses From International Relations:
IR 305; one regional course selected from: IR 345, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 367, 369, 383, 439, 442, 467, 468; one course from either the regional course list or the following: IR 306, 307, 310, 315, 316, 318, 323, 324, 325, 326, 330, 341, 343, 344, 381, 382, 405, 425, 427, 441.

The Public Policy and Management component requires the completion of the following three options:

From Public Policy:
PPMT 225; two additional courses from the following: PPMT 271, 357, 473, 482, 486; or from Public Management: PPMT 215; two additional courses from the following: PPMT 313, 414, 482, 485, 486; or from the Washington, D.C. Semester program: Each student enrolled in the Washington, D.C. Semester takes three, four-unit courses as well as a four-unit internship seminar. These four courses will be counted as meeting the PPMT requirement for this minor, including the internship requirement; PPMT 410a, PPMT 410b, PPMT 410c, PPMT 410d.

Internship

Each student is required to complete an approved internship with an international focus. Those students not completing the Washington, D.C. Semester option may take a two-unit internship either through the School of International Relations (IR 491) or Public Policy and Management (PPMT 401).

Minor in International Urban Development

As the world shrinks, students are increasingly working in a global environment. Even those who are employed in the United States find the world a competitor, employees from around the world, and customers of all nationalities. This minor addresses the needs of those students by introducing them to relevant urban, economic and social policy issues as they are framed in international settings.

The minor is open to all students except majors in International Relations (IR) and Urban Planning and Development (PLDV). The minor is designed for students who wish to either work in the international arena or who expect that their professional careers will be affected by activities in that arena. Students should sign up for the minor in the International Relations student affairs office.

The requirements for the minor include 6 courses (24 units): three courses from International Relations and three courses including a laboratory course from Urban Planning and Development.

The International Relations component: all students are required to take IR 305; one regional IR course must be taken from: IR 345, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 367, 369, 383, 439, 442, 467, 468; an elective IR course must be taken from the regional list above or from the following: IR 306, 307, 310, 315, 316, 318, 323, 324, 325, 326, 330, 341, 343, 344, 381, 382, 405, 425, 427, 441.

The Urban Planning and Development component: All students are required to take PLDV 250; students choose between either PLDV 405 or PLDV 355; all students complete the capstone course PLDV 475L.

Interdisciplinary Russian Area Studies Minor

See Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Interdisciplinary Peace and Conflict Studies Minor

See Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

Advisement

Advisement is required for all majors and minors. Students are encouraged to meet with the director of student affairs at least once a semester to review the direction of their individual programs. Students are also encouraged to seek the advisement of faculty members whose specializations are appropriate to their programs of study.

Academic Specialization

Students majoring in international relations who wish to develop their own specialization or emphasize a particular regional area may establish with a faculty advisor, or with the director of student affairs, an academic program which will accomplish the students' objectives.

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