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Undergraduate Program Description
The International Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary curriculum to students interested in the international aspects of Arts and Sciences disciplines. Both a major and a minor are available to qualified students. Course offerings under the Program are drawn from nearly all departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. A key goal of the Program is to provide students with the opportunity to combine insights from different disciplines so as to develop a broad understanding of international affairs. The Program encourages study abroad and advanced study of a foreign language.
Applying for the International Studies Major
Students are accepted into the International Studies major by application only. Admission to the major is by competitive application at the end of freshman year. Approximately 70 students will be accepted into the major each year, after they have completed one year of study at Boston College. Admission is determined by the Academic Board of the International Studies program, which includes faculty drawn from many departments and an associate dean from the College of Arts and Sciences. Criteria for admission include academic achievement (overall GPA, rigor of the academic program, and other noteworthy aspects of academic performance), faculty letter of recommendation, student's personal statement, and foreign language proficiency (where applicable to the proposed course of study).
The deadline for submitting applications is early May, at the end of your freshman year. The application form and further details about the program are available online at www.bc.edu/isp.
Major Requirements
For students graduating in 2014 and later, 42 credits as described below. For students graduating before 2014, 14 courses as described below.
International Studies Core: 22 credits
- IN 500/PO 500 Introduction to International Studies (4 credits)
- EC 131 Principles of Microeconomics (3 credits)
- EC 132 Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits)
- One Comparative Politics (PO 4xx) Course (3 credits)
- IN 563/TH 863 Ethics, Religion and International Politics (3 credits)
- Two of the following History, Culture & Society courses (6 credits):
- EN/IN 503 Global Englishes
- HS 005-006 Asia in the World I and II
- HS 055-056 Globalization I and II
- HS 059-060 Islam and Global Modernities I and II
- HS 063-064 Latin America in the World I and II
- HS 572 U.S. Foreign Policy II 1945-present
- SC 003 Introductory Anthropology
- SC 040 Global Sociology
- TH 161-162 The Religious Quest
- TH 386 Ethics in a Comparative Perspective
- TH 507 Introduction to Comparative Theology
- Upper-division history, social science, or humanities courses that are approved by the International Studies Director or Associate Director.
Disciplinary Base: 17-18 credits
Choose a Disciplinary Base in Economics, Political Science, or History, Culture and Society.
Economics Base:
- EC 201 or EC 203 Microeconomic Theory (3 credits)
- EC 202 or EC 204 Macroeconomic Theory (3 credits)
- EC 151 or EC 157 Statistics (3 credits)
- EC 228 Econometrics or EC 308 Game Theory in Economics (3 credits)
- Two electives chosen from (6 credits):
- EC 271 International Economic Relations
- IN 273/EC 273 Development Economics
- EC 275 Economic Development: The Experience of El Salvador
- EC 371 International Trade
- EC 372 International Finance
- IN 374/EC 374 Development Economics and Policy
- EC 375 Economic Growth and Development
- EC 377 The World Economy: From the Gold Standard to Globalization
Political Science Base:
- PO 041-042 Fundamentals I and II (6 credits)
- IN 540 Research Methods in International Studies or another methods course, e.g., PO 415 Models of Politics (3 credits)
- Three electives in International Politics or Comparative Politics (Political Science courses numbered at the 400 or 500 level) (9 credits)
History, Culture, and Society Base:
- Choose either the Ethics and International Social Justice track or the Global Cultural Studies option.
Ethics and International Social Justice Base:
Foundational courses—one in each of the following two areas:
- Foundations in Moral Philosophy, Religious Ethics, or Political Theory
Choose one of the following (3 credits): - PL 440 Historical Introduction to Western Moral Theory
- PL 500 Philosophy of Law
- PL 524 Ethics: An Introduction
- PL 594 Foundations of Ethics
- PO 648 Natural Justice and Moral Relativism
- TH 160 The Challenge of Justice
- TH 373 Fundamental Moral Theology
- TH 496 The Moral Dimensions of the Christian Life
- TH 507 Introduction to Comparative Theology
- TH 762 Christian Ethics: Major Figures
- Foundations in the Social Sciences (providing an introduction to this approach)
Choose one of the following (3 credits): - HS 300 The Study and Writing of History (section selected with attention to its relevance to International Studies)
- IN 540 Research Methods in International Studies
- PO 415 Models of Politics
- PO 422 Comparative Social Movements
- EC 234 Economics and Catholic Social Teaching
- EC 271 International Economic Relations
- EC 273 Development Economics
- SC 003 Introduction to Anthropology
- SC 049 Social Problems
- SC 093 Comparative Social Change
- SC 210 Research Methods
- SC 215 Social Theory
- NU 210 Public Health, (with relevant concentration)
Electives—Select electives according to one of the following options:
- Normative Option. Four electives in the area of normative philosophical, theological, or normative political approaches to international affairs (12 credits)
- Thematic Option. Four electives in the social sciences, including history, focusing on a thematic topic in international affairs such as inequality, war and peace, global social institutions and movements, access to healthcare, the pursuit of economic justice, racial justice, or gender justice (12 credits)
- Area Option. Four electives focusing on the study of questions of social justice in one geographic region (12 credits)
Global Cultural Studies
Foundational Courses
- Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and/or the Arts—One
course in each of the following two areas:
Choose one of the following (3 credits): - CO 442 International and Intercultural Communication
- EN 232 Literature and Social Change
- EN 551 Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory
- FA 109 Clues to Seeing
- FM 381 Propaganda Film
- PS 254 Cultural Psychology
- SC 003 Introductory Anthropology
- SC 093 Comparative Social Change
- HP 134 Twentieth Century and the Tradition II (only available to students enrolled in the Honors Program)
- Research Strategies and Methods for the Study of Culture
Choose one of the following (3 credits): - HS 300 Study and Writing of History (section selected with attention to its relevance to International Studies)
- IN 540 Research Methods in International Studies
- SC 210 Research Methods
- SC 509 Feminist Approaches to Theory and Methodology
- SC 511 Ethnography and Field Research
- SL 279 Language and Ethnicity
- Electives—Select according to one of the following options:
- Global Culture and the Humanities Option. Four electives that examine or compare cultures through works of literature, the fine arts, theology, and/or philosophy, involving themes such as a comparative study of artistic production, literature, religious belief, epistemology, or a study of the insights and cultural functions of literature and the arts (12 credits).
- Global Culture, History, and the Social Sciences Option. Four electives in the social sciences, history, and/or communications that focus on a thematic topic such as the study of technology, race, sexuality, business, aging, myth and symbolism, identity, or kinship in an international context (12 credits).
- Area Option. Four electives focusing on the study of culture in one geographic region (12 credits).
Senior Year Requirements: 3 or 6 credits
- IN 530 International Studies Seminar (3 credits) or
- Senior Thesis:
- IN 497 Senior Honors Research (3 credits)
or - IN 498 Senior Honors Thesis (3 credits)
- Note: IN 497 may count as an elective toward a student's disciplinary base.
Minor Requirements
For students graduating in 2014 and later, 18 credits as described below. For students graduating before 2014, six courses as described below.
The International Studies minor consists of 18 credits (six courses). Students enrolling in the minor must select one of the following Thematic Concentrations:
- International Cooperation and Conflict
- International Political Economy
- Development Studies
- Ethics and International Social Justice
- Global Cultural Studies*
*Select electives according to ONE of the following options for GCS:
- Global Culture and the Humanities option
- Global Culture, History, and the Social Sciences option; or
- Area option
- Foundation Course I: IN 510/PO 510 Globalization (3 credits) or IN 546 World Politics (3 credits) is required of all minors.
- Foundation Course II: Students select one course from the list of courses approved for the student's chosen Thematic Concentration (3 credits).
- Thematic Concentration Electives: Students select four elective courses from the list of courses approved for the student's chosen Thematic Concentration (12 credits).
In selecting electives, students must bear in mind the University's requirement that the six courses for the minor must come from at least three different academic departments. The specific courses approved for each Thematic Concentration are reviewed and updated regularly by the International Studies Program. For a list of courses, visit the International Studies web site at www.bc.edu/isp.
University regulations permit one course taken for the student's academic major or the University Core to be counted also toward the requirements of the Minor.
Advanced study of a foreign language and Principles of Economics (EC 101-102) are strongly recommended for all students pursuing the Minor in International Studies.
Additional information about the International Studies Minor and an enrollment form are available on the International Studies web site at www.bc.edu/isp.
Information for First Year Students
Freshmen who are considering applying to become International Studies majors in their sophomore year should consider taking the following courses to fulfill their social science University Core requirement and to fulfill the core requirement in Economics for the International Studies major:
- EC 131 Principles of Microeconomics
- EC 132 Principles of Macroeconomics
Students may also consider taking one or both of the basic courses in Political Science which fulfill Disciplinary Base requirements for Political Science track for International Studies major as well as social science requirements of the University Core.
- PO041 and PO042 Fundamentals of Politics
To enroll in PO041 or PO042 students need to declare a Political Science major.
Although the following courses are not required, they provide excellent background for the major in International Studies, fulfill University Core requirements in Theology and History, and may be used to fulfill the International Studies core requirement in History, Culture, and Society:
- TH 161-162 The Religious Quest I and II
- HS 005-006 Asia in the World, HS 055-056 Globalization, HS 059-060 Islam and Global Modernities, or HS 063-064 Latin America in the World.
Information for Study Abroad
Many International Studies majors benefit from studying abroad. Students can transfer credit for two courses taken in each semester that they spend studying abroad. International Studies minors may transfer credit for a maximum of two courses toward their International Studies minor.
Students who are contemplating writing a senior honors thesis and who will be abroad during the spring of their junior year when the normal application process for an honors thesis occurs are strongly urged to plan ahead. They should try to establish a thesis topic and identify a faculty member who is willing to supervise their work before they leave Boston College. While abroad, such students should keep in contact by e-mail with their thesis adviser.
For more information, contact Patricia McLaughlin, International Studies Program Administrator at mclaugpp@bc.edu or 617-552-3272.