Many students choose to pursue a International Studies minor to prepare themselves to meet the challenges of the complex and interconnected world of the twety-first century. The major consists of three elements: seven courses in the International Studies core, six courses according to the student's chosen disciplinary base, and the senior year requirement consisting of one to three courses.
The International Studies major is open to a select group of students after they have completed one year of study at Boston College. Admission is determined by the Academic Board of the International Studies program. Applications are submitted in early October.
Curriculum
I. International Studies Core: 7 courses
A. Introduction to International Studies (IN 500/PO 500)
B. Microeconomics (EC 131)
C. Macroeconomics (EC 132)
D. One of the designated Comparative Politics courses
E. Ethics, Religion, and International Politics (TH 563)
F. Two courses from the following list of History, Culture, and Society course options or other courses approved by the International Studies Director or Academic Advisor
1. HS 005-006 Asia in the World I and II
2. HS 055-056 Globalization I and II
3. HS 067-068 Latin America in the World I and II
4. HS 572 U.S. Foreign Policy
5. SC 003 Introductory Anthropology
6. HS 059-060 Islam and Global Modernities I and II
7. SC 040 Global Sociology
8. TH 161-162 The Religious Quest
9. TH 386 Ethics in a Comparative Perspective
10.TH 507 Introduction to Comparative Theology
II. Disciplinary Base: 6 courses (top)
Select a Disciplinary Base in Economics, Political Science, or History, Culture, and Society:
A. Economics
1. Microeconomic Theory (EC201) or (preferably) Honors Microeconomic Theory (EC203)
2. Macroeconomic Theory (EC202) or (preferably) Honors Macroeconomic Theory (EC204)
3. Statistics (EC151) or (preferably) Honors Statistics (EC157)
4. Econometrics (EC228) or Game Theory in Economics (EC308)
5. and 6. Two electives chosen from the following:
EC 271 International Economic RelationsEC 371 International Trade
EC 372 International Finance
B. Political Science
1. Fundamentals of Politics I & II (PO 041-042)
2. IN 540 Resarch Methods in International Studies or another methods course
3. Three electives in International or Comparative Politics
C. History, Culture, and Society
Choose either the Ethics and International Social Justice or the Global Cultural Studies option.
1. Ethics and International Social Justice
A. Foundational courses – choose one course from each of the following two areas: Foundation in Moral Philosophy, Religious Ethics, or Political Theory - Choose one of the following:
PL 440 Historical Intro. 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
Foundation in the Social Sciences (providing an introduction to this approach) - Choose one of the following:HS 300 Study & Writing of History
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
SC 003 Introduction to Anthropology
SC 093 Comparative Social Change
SC 215 Social Theory
B. 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.
· 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, the pursuit of economic justice, racial justice, or gender justice.
· Area Option. Four electives focusing on the study of questions of social justice in one geographical region.
2. Global Cultural Studies
A. Foundational courses – choose one course from each of the following two areas:
Theoretical Perspectives on culture and/or the arts - Choose one of the following:
EN 551 Intro. to Literary and Cultural Theory
EN 232 Literature and Social Change
FA 109 Aspects of Art
FM 381 Propaganda Film
PS 254 Cultural Psychology SC 003 Introductory AnthropologySC 093 Comparative Social Change
HP 134 Twentieth Century and the Tradition II (only available to students enrolled in the Honors Program)
CO 442 International & Intercultural Communication
Research Strategies and Methods for the Study of Culture - Choose one of the following:
HS 300 Study and Writing of History
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
B. Electives - select 4 courses according to one of the following options:
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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.
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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.
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Area Option. Four electives focusing on the study of culture in one geographic region.
III. Senior-Year Requirements: 1 or 3 courses
(top)
International Studies Senior Seminar (IN530) There is also an option to do one of the following: a senior thesis (IN 497-498: 6 credits over two semesters) or an internship (IN 199: 1 credit).
Those who plan to do a thesis are encouraged to take IN 540 Seminar: Research Methods in International Studies in their junior or senior year. This course also fulfills the Methods or Foundational Course for the major in the Political Science or History, Culture and Society track.