International Relations Major

International Relations is an interdisciplinary major administered by the Department of Government and International Relations.  It consists of ten or more semester courses, seven of which are taken in the Government and International Relations Department, and three of which are taken in other social-science departments. Of these three, one must be in Economics, and one must be in History. The third course must be taken outside the department from the approved list of social-science courses below (or with the permission of the department).  At least eight of the ten must be at the 200 level or above.  Two GOV courses must be at the 300 level or above, at least one of which must be a 400-level Government seminar taken at Connecticut College in the junior or senior year.  A 300- or 400-level individual study can also satisfy one of these requirements, except for the 400-level seminar, which is a required course. At least seven courses (eight for honors) must be taken at Connecticut College. Students writing an Honors Thesis will complete twelve courses in the major for graduation.

The required Government courses are Government 113 and six others, of which at least two shall be at the 300-level or above (including a 400-level seminar), selected from the following categories:  international politics, comparative politics, and foreign policy.

In addition to the College language requirement, majors must take at least one course in a modern foreign language beyond the intermediate level. For five of the languages taught at the College -- French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish -- the IRL major requires at least one course beyond their standard two-semester intermediate level. Relevant courses are identified in the next paragraph. Students taking Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic must complete the 200-level intermediate series. To become and remain fluent in the language, as well as to be competitive for certain graduate programs, students are encouraged to take language courses through the senior year.

Students taking French, German or Russian need a 300-level course that requires course 202. For Italian, any course that requires 202 would satisfy the requirement. Students studying Spanish must take a course at the 200 level or above.

Students are also encouraged to study abroad, especially if language immersion is involved.  To gain practical experience and to make professional contacts, students are encouraged to do an internship with a governmental or non-governmental organization concerned with international affairs.

Students are encouraged to work with their major advisor to develop a particular focus in the major, such as foreign policy analysis, international political economy, the developing world, environmental politics, security studies, international relations theory, human rights, politics or international politics of a region, ethnic conflict, terrorism, conflict and conflict resolution, or other topic. 

In planning a schedule of courses, check the Catalog for prerequisites to courses.  For example, almost all of the Economics courses listed below require both Economics 111 and 112. 

 

Requirements

Required Courses

GOV 113INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

4

One course in Comparative Politics:

GOV 112COMPARATIVE POLITICS

4

GOV 209CHINA'S RISE:POL,ECO & SOCIETY

4

GOV 220THE EUROPEAN UNION

4

GOV 224/ECO 224EMERGING ECON IN ASIA & LAT AM

4

GOV 225STATES & MARKETS IN E ASIA

4

GOV 238/GIS 238MIDDLE EAST POLITICS

4

GOV 240REVOLUTNS & REGIME TRANSITIONS

4

GOV 251/ES 251ENVIRON ACTIVISM/POL IMPACT

4

GOV 277EUROPEAN POLITICS

4

GOV 308NATNLISM/ETHNIC CONF IN EUROPE

4

GOV 337COMPARATIVE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

4

GOV 360/GIS 360ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

4

GOV 493T/ES 493TTHE GREENS IN EUR AND BEYOND

4

GOV 493U/ES 493UENVIRON JUST IN GLOBL PERSP

4

GOV 493VNAT'L DIVERSITY/GLOBL CAPIT

4

GOV 493WREBELS,ROGUES, & REVOLUTIONRS

4

GOV 493X/GER 470GERMANY:EUROPE'S LEADING POWER

4

GOV 493Z/GIS 400THE IRAQ WAR

4

One course in Foreign Policy:

GOV 215THE U.S. AND VIETNAM

4

GOV 227THE COLD WAR

4

GOV 252US FOREIGN POLICY

4

GOV 312DIPLOMACY

4

GOV 360/GIS 360ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

4

GOV 493Z/GIS 400THE IRAQ WAR

4

or an appropriate advanced course

One course in International Politics:

GOV 203INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

4

GOV 215THE U.S. AND VIETNAM

4

GOV 220THE EUROPEAN UNION

4

GOV 222CC: TORTURE & TERROR POST 9/11

4

GOV 223/AFR 224HUMAN RIGHTS, MEDIA & ACTIVISM

4

GOV 225STATES & MARKETS IN E ASIA

4

GOV 227THE COLD WAR

4

GOV 228TERRORISM

4

GOV 229UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING

4

GOV 232/ES 232GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS

4

GOV 240REVOLUTNS & REGIME TRANSITIONS

4

GOV 252US FOREIGN POLICY

4

GOV 268INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

4

GOV 307/AFR 307THE POLITICS OF REFUGEES

4

GOV 308NATNLISM/ETHNIC CONF IN EUROPE

4

GOV 312DIPLOMACY

4

GOV 314U.S. INTEL IN WAR ON TERROR

4

GOV 324HUMAN RIGHTS IN WORLD POL

4

GOV 325/GIS 325THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WORLD

4

GOV 329CIVIL WARS

4

GOV 337COMPARATIVE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

4

GOV 339/ES 339OCEANS LAW AND POLICY

4

GOV 342INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ORGANIZ

4

GOV 343TRANSNATIONAL POLITICS

4

GOV 346INT'L HUMANITARIAN LAW

4

GOV 348INT'L POLITICAL ECONOMY

4

GOV 360/GIS 360ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

4

GOV 493FTHEORIES OF INTERNAT'L RELATNS

4

GOV 493HINTL CONFLICT RESOLUTION

4

GOV 493QWOMEN AND WORLD POLITICS

4

GOV 493T/ES 493TTHE GREENS IN EUR AND BEYOND

4

GOV 493U/ES 493UENVIRON JUST IN GLOBL PERSP

4

GOV 493VNAT'L DIVERSITY/GLOBL CAPIT

4

GOV 493VFNAT'L DIV/GLOBL CAPIT(IN CHI)

1

GOV 493WREBELS,ROGUES, & REVOLUTIONRS

4

GOV 493Z/GIS 400THE IRAQ WAR

4

Two other 200-, 300-, or 400-level Government course in the International Politics, Foreign Policy, or Comparative fields noted above.

GOV 203INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

4

GOV 209CHINA'S RISE:POL,ECO & SOCIETY

4

GOV 215THE U.S. AND VIETNAM

4

GOV 220THE EUROPEAN UNION

4

GOV 222CC: TORTURE & TERROR POST 9/11

4

GOV 223/AFR 224HUMAN RIGHTS, MEDIA & ACTIVISM

4

GOV 224/ECO 224EMERGING ECON IN ASIA & LAT AM

4

GOV 225STATES & MARKETS IN E ASIA

4

GOV 227THE COLD WAR

4

GOV 228TERRORISM

4

GOV 229UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING

4

GOV 232/ES 232GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS

4

GOV 238/GIS 238MIDDLE EAST POLITICS

4

GOV 240REVOLUTNS & REGIME TRANSITIONS

4

GOV 251/ES 251ENVIRON ACTIVISM/POL IMPACT

4

GOV 252US FOREIGN POLICY

4

GOV 268INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

4

GOV 277EUROPEAN POLITICS

4

GOV 307/AFR 307THE POLITICS OF REFUGEES

4

GOV 308NATNLISM/ETHNIC CONF IN EUROPE

4

GOV 312DIPLOMACY

4

GOV 314U.S. INTEL IN WAR ON TERROR

4

GOV 324HUMAN RIGHTS IN WORLD POL

4

GOV 325/GIS 325THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WORLD

4

GOV 329CIVIL WARS

4

GOV 337COMPARATIVE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

4

GOV 339/ES 339OCEANS LAW AND POLICY

4

GOV 342INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ORGANIZ

4

GOV 343TRANSNATIONAL POLITICS

4

GOV 346INT'L HUMANITARIAN LAW

4

GOV 348INT'L POLITICAL ECONOMY

4

GOV 360/GIS 360ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

4

GOV 493FTHEORIES OF INTERNAT'L RELATNS

4

GOV 493HINTL CONFLICT RESOLUTION

4

GOV 493QWOMEN AND WORLD POLITICS

4

GOV 493T/ES 493TTHE GREENS IN EUR AND BEYOND

4

GOV 493U/ES 493UENVIRON JUST IN GLOBL PERSP

4

GOV 493VNAT'L DIVERSITY/GLOBL CAPIT

4

GOV 493WREBELS,ROGUES, & REVOLUTIONRS

4

GOV 493X/GER 470GERMANY:EUROPE'S LEADING POWER

4

GOV 493Z/GIS 400THE IRAQ WAR

4

A Government seminar taken at Connecticut College during the junior or senior year: A 400-level Government International Politics, Foreign Policy, or Comparative Politics seminar.

Appropriate 400-level courses include: 

GOV 493FTHEORIES OF INTERNAT'L RELATNS

4

GOV 493HINTL CONFLICT RESOLUTION

4

GOV 493QWOMEN AND WORLD POLITICS

4

GOV 493T/ES 493TTHE GREENS IN EUR AND BEYOND

4

GOV 493U/ES 493UENVIRON JUST IN GLOBL PERSP

4

GOV 493VNAT'L DIVERSITY/GLOBL CAPIT

4

GOV 493WREBELS,ROGUES, & REVOLUTIONRS

4

GOV 493X/GER 470GERMANY:EUROPE'S LEADING POWER

4

GOV 493Z/GIS 400THE IRAQ WAR

4

Three additional, non-Government courses selected as follows:

One additional course selected from the following:

ANT 232/CRE 233/GWS 232SECURITY,TRAFFICKING,VIOLENCE

4

ANT 234/BOT 234/ES 234S AMER CULTURES & ENVIRONMENT

4

ANT 256/FRH 256“MIGRATION CRISIS” IN EUROPE

4

ANT 258ETHNOGRAPHY OF EUROPE

4

ANT 260/AFR 260ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE CARIBBEAN

4

ANT 307/ES 307ENVIRONMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY

4

ANT 315/REL 314ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION

4

ANT 320/CRE 324/GWS 320ANTHRO OF SEXUALITY & GENDER

4

ANT 328/FRH 334INDIGENEITY IN A GLOBAL WORLD

4

ANT 330/CRE 330ANTHROPOLOGY OF TOURISM

4

ANT 370/FRH 370DECOLONIZING PLACE AND NATURE

4

ECO 210INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

4

ECO 220ECON OF MULTILATERAL ORGNZATNS

4

ECO 231COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC DEVLPMT

4

ECO 234ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

4

ECO 237/SPA 237ECON GROWTH/DEVEL IN LAT AMER

4

ECO 240HEALTH ECONOMICS

4

ECO 311INTERNATIONAL TRADE

4

ECO 322GAME THEORY

4

ECO 330INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

4

ECO 332OPEN MACRO: EMERGING ECONOMIES

4

ECO 407ECON OF CONFLICT & COOPERATION

4

ECO 412SEM: INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

4

GWS 210BLACK WOMEN IN THE CARIBBEAN

4

GWS 216GENDER & GLOBALIZATION

4

GWS 223/AFR 223GEN/SEXLTY/RACE IN CARIBB CULT

4

GWS 224/CRE 224TRANSNATNL WOMEN'S MOVEMNTS

4

HIS 202/EAS 202EMPIRE/EXPAN E ASIA,1840-1950s

4

HIS 216MODERN LATIN AMERICA

4

HIS 219/CRE 219REVOLUTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA

4

HIS 220/GWS 222GENDER IN THE ANDES AND MEXICO

4

HIS 222/EAS 222WORLD WAR II & POST-WAR JAPAN

4

HIS 224/EAS 224/PHI 213/REL 215CONFUCIAN TRADITIONS

4

HIS 226MAKING MODERN SOUTH ASIA

4

HIS 228/AFR 228/GWS 228GEND/SEX/ID IN AFRICAN HIS

4

HIS 233/CRE 232/EAS 233GLOBAL CHINA

4

HIS 234/CRE 234MODERN EUROPE, 1790s-1990s

4

HIS 243/GER 243/JS 243DIFFCLT PAST:GER HIS,1850-2000

4

HIS 245/AFR 245/CRE 244MOD AFRICAN HIST:1870-PRESENT

4

HIS 247/SLA 247SOVIET UNION & ITS LEGACIES

4

HIS 249/GIS 249EARLY ISLAMIC HISTORY

4

HIS 250ISS HIST MOD AFR 1884-PRES

4

HIS 252/CRE 252/ES 252/GWS 252SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENT

4

HIS 255/CRE 255S ASIA IN POSTCOLONIAL WORLD

4

HIS 262/EAS 262MOD CHINA:CHANGING NAT'L IDENT

4

HIS 263/GIS 263/REL 263ISLAM IN ASIA

4

HIS 264/SLA 264THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE,1700-1920'S

4

HIS 272/GER 272CC: BERLIN

4

HIS 278/EAS 278/PHI 214/REL 216DAOIST TRADITIONS

4

HIS 279/GWS 279GENDER/SEXLTY IN COLONIAL WRLD

4

HIS 281/SLA 281REVOLUTIONARY VOICES

4

HIS 312/GIS 312/REL 312BORDER CONFLICTS IN SOUTH ASIA

4

HIS 319/AMS 319COLD WAR IN THE THIRD WORLD

4

HIS 324/EAS 324GLOBALIZING CHINESE ACTIVISM

4

HIS 325/EAS 325HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA

4

HIS 344/CRE 344/SPA 344DIALOGUE BET SPAIN & AMERICAS

4

HIS 346/AFR 346/GWS 346AFRICAN WOMEN IN COMP PERSP

4

HIS 428/AMS 428/EAS 428DEBATING CHINA'S GLOBALIZATION

4

HIS 429YOUTH & SOC MOVEMNT IN AFRICA

4

HIS 462/AFR 462TERRORISM IN CONTEMP AFRICA

4

SOC 400/AFR 400/AMS 400/GWS 400/GIS 401THE SOCIOLOGY OF GLOBALIZATION

4

SOC 414POST-AUTHORITARIAN BRAZIL

4

or an appropriate advanced course

 

 

 

One course in Economics selected from:

ECO 210INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

4

ECO 220ECON OF MULTILATERAL ORGNZATNS

4

ECO 234ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

4

ECO 237/SPA 237ECON GROWTH/DEVEL IN LAT AMER

4

ECO 240HEALTH ECONOMICS

4

ECO 311INTERNATIONAL TRADE

4

ECO 322GAME THEORY

4

ECO 330INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

4

ECO 332OPEN MACRO: EMERGING ECONOMIES

4

ECO 407ECON OF CONFLICT & COOPERATION

4

ECO 412SEM: INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

4

or an appropriate advanced course

 

 

One course in History selected from:

HIS 202/EAS 202EMPIRE/EXPAN E ASIA,1840-1950s

4

HIS 216MODERN LATIN AMERICA

4

HIS 219/CRE 219REVOLUTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA

4

HIS 220/GWS 222GENDER IN THE ANDES AND MEXICO

4

HIS 222/EAS 222WORLD WAR II & POST-WAR JAPAN

4

HIS 224/EAS 224/PHI 213/REL 215CONFUCIAN TRADITIONS

4

HIS 226MAKING MODERN SOUTH ASIA

4

HIS 228/AFR 228/GWS 228GEND/SEX/ID IN AFRICAN HIS

4

HIS 233/CRE 232/EAS 233GLOBAL CHINA

4

HIS 234/CRE 234MODERN EUROPE, 1790s-1990s

4

HIS 243/GER 243/JS 243DIFFCLT PAST:GER HIS,1850-2000

4

HIS 245/AFR 245/CRE 244MOD AFRICAN HIST:1870-PRESENT

4

HIS 247/SLA 247SOVIET UNION & ITS LEGACIES

4

HIS 249/GIS 249EARLY ISLAMIC HISTORY

4

HIS 250ISS HIST MOD AFR 1884-PRES

4

HIS 252/CRE 252/ES 252/GWS 252SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENT

4

HIS 255/CRE 255S ASIA IN POSTCOLONIAL WORLD

4

HIS 262/EAS 262MOD CHINA:CHANGING NAT'L IDENT

4

HIS 263/GIS 263/REL 263ISLAM IN ASIA

4

HIS 264/SLA 264THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE,1700-1920'S

4

HIS 272/GER 272CC: BERLIN

4

HIS 278/EAS 278/PHI 214/REL 216DAOIST TRADITIONS

4

HIS 279/GWS 279GENDER/SEXLTY IN COLONIAL WRLD

4

HIS 281/SLA 281REVOLUTIONARY VOICES

4

HIS 312/GIS 312/REL 312BORDER CONFLICTS IN SOUTH ASIA

4

HIS 319/AMS 319COLD WAR IN THE THIRD WORLD

4

HIS 324/EAS 324GLOBALIZING CHINESE ACTIVISM

4

HIS 325/EAS 325HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA

4

HIS 344/CRE 344/SPA 344DIALOGUE BET SPAIN & AMERICAS

4

HIS 346/AFR 346/GWS 346AFRICAN WOMEN IN COMP PERSP

4

HIS 428/AMS 428/EAS 428DEBATING CHINA'S GLOBALIZATION

4

HIS 429YOUTH & SOC MOVEMNT IN AFRICA

4

HIS 462/AFR 462TERRORISM IN CONTEMP AFRICA

4

or an appropriate advanced course

Advisers: T. Borer, J. Dawson, E. Fleury, A. Levin, D. Patton, C. Sayej, J. Tian