Requirements for the major

Major Requirements


The requirements for a Bachelor of Arts with a major in International Studies are as follows:

I. Program Requirements

A. No fewer than 33 credit hours, at least 21 of which must be upper-division.

B. Advanced Language study (at least 6 upper division hours in the same language).

C. One of the following courses: HIST-3469 (U.S. Foreign Relations), PLSI-1342 (International Politics), or ANTH-3349/SOCI-3349 (Globalization and Social Change).

D. Completion of INTL-1300 (Introduction to Intercultural Competence), INTL-1301 (Introduction to International Studies), and INTL-1305 (Ethics in International Engagement and Development).

E. Completion of INTL-4104 (Senior Portfolio).

F. Completion of any concentration (15-18 hours including courses taken while abroad).

G. At least one semester abroad in a program approved by the International Studies Committee. 

International Studies concentrations are individual programs of study designed by students in consultation with the assigned adviser. A student may propose courses from the concentration list (below), or with the approval of the adviser and program director, from among courses taken abroad or unlisted courses taken while at Trinity.

While not required, students may select the Internship Course option (INTL-4001, INTL-4101, INTL-4201, INTL-4301, INTL-4401, INTL-4501, INTL-4601 ; maximum 3 hours).

While not required, INTL-4000INTL-4100INTL-4200INTL-4300, (Senior Research Project) may be taken by students wishing to pursue an international studies project independently or in conjunction with an upper division course.

Students are strongly encouraged to take courses in the Languages Across the Curriculum Program.

II. University requirements: 

Completion of all other required elements of the Pathways curriculum and at least 120 credit hours.


The Concentrations

International Studies concentrations are individual programs of study that are designed by students in consultation with the appropriate concentration adviser. A student may substitute courses taken abroad or special offerings that are not shown on the lists upon recommendation of the adviser and approval by the program director.

Concentrations and Faculty (*concentration coordinator and head adviser):

  • Arts, Media, and Culture: Associate Professor Alfred Montoya, Professor Curtis Swope
  • Diplomacy, Security, War, and Peace Studies: Associate Professor Dr. Lauren Turek*
  • Global Health: Associate Professor Alfred Montoya*
  • International Development: Professor Katsuo Nishikawa Chávez*

Arts, Media, and Culture

(Associate Professor Alfred Montoya, Professor Curtis Swope)

Description: Ecological disaster, political upheaval, and economic globalization are deeply international. However, they are often perceived, felt, and analyzed in highly complex regional, national, and transnational ways. In this concentration, students grapple with the way our international world and its international problems are represented and imagined in different contexts through the lenses of language, culture, religion, art, media, and theory.

Using the humanistic tools of close reading and critical analysis, students in the Arts, Media, and Culture concentration study the philosophical frameworks through which cultural production in different parts of the world can be viewed; the artistic and communicative practices, from literature to music, through which human beings intervene in their cultural contexts; and the histories and religious traditions that shape cultures in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Majors pursuing this concentration are encouraged to work closely with advisors to create a path through the major tailored to their particular geographical and methodological interests.

Requirements: The basic requirements for the International Studies major are listed above (“The Major.”) To complete the Arts, Media, and Culture concentration within this major, students must complete two classes from each of the three conceptual areas listed below: Theories and Ideas, Arts and Practices, and Histories and Contexts.

Theories and Ideas

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-2401 The Anthropological Imagination
PHIL-1354 Ethics
PHIL-2455 Aesthetics
PHIL-3451 Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL-3453 Philosophy of Law
PHIL-2456 Applied Ethics
PLSI-1361 Politics & Morality
PLSI-3462 Modern Political Thought
PLSI-3463 Masters of Suspicion: Contemporary Political Thought
RELI-2400 What is Religion?
SOCI-3431 Language, Culture, and Society
WAGS-2352 Introduction to Gender Studies
WAGS-3401 The History of Sexuality

Arts and Practices

Course ID Course Title
ARTH-3461 Public Art across the Border
ARTH-3464 Twentieth-Century Architecture and Urbanism
CHIN-3313 Cities of Strangers: Trans-Cultural Chinese Cinema
CMLT-2301 World Literature and the Environment
COMM-2301 International Cinema
COMM-3322 International Communication [has COMM-1301 as prerequisite]
COMM-3324 Popular Culture in Asia
COMM-3372 Intercultural Communication [has COMM-1301 as prerequisite]
ENGL-1315 World Literature 
FREN-4309 Survey of Francophone Literature
ML&L-3401 Yiddish Language, Culture, and Film
MUSC-1351 Music Cultures of the World
MUSC-3344 Twentieth Century Music
PLSI-2432 Film, Literature, and Politics of the Third World
PLSI-3304 Political Communication
PLSI-3435 Global City Berlin
PLSI-3440 Performing Human Rights
RELI-2312 Religion and the Environment
SPAN-4348 Spanish American Women Writers
SPAN-4351 Transnational Mexican Popular Culture

Histories and Contexts 

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-3335 Ancient Art of the Americas (Also listed as ARTH-3335.)
ARTH-3335 Ancient Art of the Americas (Also listed as ANTH-3335.)
ARTH-1415 Art and Architecture of Mexico
ARTH-1416 Art and Architecture of South America and the Caribbean
ARTH-2429 Art of Empire: Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia
ARTH-3451 Nineteenth-Century European Art
CHIN-2311 Chinese Civilization
CLAS-1312 Greeks, Romans, and Persians
HIST-1300 The African Experience
HIST-1324 Modern East Asia
HIST-1332 Medieval Europe
HIST-1334 Early Modern Europe
HIST-1335 Modern Europe
HIST-1340 Latin American Cultural Tradition
HIST-1351 The Modern Middle East
HIST-2430 Medieval Kingship: Power, Patronage, and Propaganda, 750-1035
HIST-2432 European Frontiers 1848-Present
HIST-3400 Gender Matters in African History
HIST-3304 Religion in African History
HIST-3320 The Rise of Modern China
HIST-3426 Race and Ethnicity in East Asia
HIST-3334 Modern Germany
HIST-3338 History of the Holocaust
HIST-3439 The World War II Era
HIST-3340 Latin American Perspectives
HIST-3344 Modern Brazil
HIST-3346 Modern Mexico
HIST-3452 Modern History of Syria
ENGL-4427  Literature of the Holocaust
FREN-3306 Introduction to French Literature II
GERM-3306 Introduction to German Literature and Culture II
ML&L-3342 Peoples of Russia
RELI-1330 Asian Religions
RELI-1340 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
RELI-2371 Introduction to Islam
RELI-3431 The Hindu Tradition
RELI-3432 Buddhist Ecology
RELI-3435 Non-Violent Warriors: Jainism
RELI-3442 Global Christianities
RELI-3457 Jerusalem

Diplomacy, Security, War, and Peace Studies

(Associate Professor Dr. Lauren Turek*)

Description: The Concentration in Diplomacy, Security, War, and Peace Studies offers students the opportunity to develop a cultural, historical, and political perspective on the interactions among nations. Students will focus on issues surrounding international cooperation, international law, and foreign policy. The concentration emphasizes topics related to international organizations, human rights, economic relations, as well as historical and cultural analyses of the political interactions of nations around the globe. 

The basic requirements for the international studies major are listed above (“The Major”). To complete the concentration in Diplomacy, Security, War, and Peace Studies within this major, students must take the following courses:

A. PLSI-1342 International Politics

B. Research Methods (one of the following courses):

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-3460 Research Methods: Applied Social Statistics (also listed as SOCI-3460)
MATH-1320 Statistical Methods
PSYC-2401 Statistics and Methods I
SOCI-3460 Research Methods: Applied Social Statistics (also listed as ANTH-3460)
ALE-3301 Grant Writing and Fundraising 
ANTH-3465 Research Methods: GIS (also listed as SOCI-3465)
PLSI-3372 Research Methods in Political Science

C. No fewer than 15 credit hours, at least nine of which must be upper division, distributed across the following topical areas:

Humanities (at least two courses)

Course ID Course Title
HCOM-3440 Conflict and Human Communication 
HCOM-3372 Intercultural Communication 
HCOM-3374 International Communication
HCOM-4350 Political Communication 
CMLT-2301 World Literature and the Environment
CHIN-3330 Global Business Culture 
CHIN-4364 Internationalizing Intellectual Property 
HIST-1300 The African Experience
HIST-1324 Modern East Asia
HIST-1335 Modern Europe
HIST-1340 Latin American Cultural Tradition
HIST-1351 The Modern Middle East
HIST-2432 European Frontiers 1868-Present 
HIST-3400 Gender Matters in African History 
HIST-3304 Religion in African History 
HIST-3320 The Rise of Modern China 
HIST-3426 Race and Ethnicity in East Asia 
HIST-3334 Modern Germany 
HIST-3338 History of the Holocaust
HIST-3439 The World War II Era
HIST-3340 Latin American Perspectives
HIST-3344 Modern Brazil 
HIST-3346 Modern Mexico
HIST-3468 Latin American Economic History 
HIST-3452 Modern History of Syria
ENGL-4427 Literature of the Holocaust

Social Sciences (at least two courses)

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-1301 Introduction to Anthropology 
ANTH-3345 International Issues in Health and the Environment
ANTH-3449 Globalization & Social Change
ANTH-3445/SOCI-3445/URBS-3445 Understanding Refugees
SOCI-1316 People and Places in Global Context
ECON-1311 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON-1312 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON-3340 Economic Growth and Development
ECON-3347 International Trade 
INTB-2301  International Business Environment 
INTB-3361 International Business Law
INTB-3330 Global Business Culture
INTL-3357 Contemporary Japanese Politics and Society 
PLSI-1331 Global Politics
PLSI-1342 International Politics
PLSI-1361 Politics & Morality 
PLSI-2432 Film, Literature, and Politics of the Third World
PLSI-3333 Latin American Politics
PLSI-3434 State, Society, and Change in the Middle East
PLSI-3435 Global City Berlin*
PLSI-3441 East Asian Security 
PLSI-3442 International Law
PLSI-3446 War and Alliance 
PLSI-3447 International Criminal Justice*
PLSI-3448 International Human Rights
PLSI-3430 European Politics
PLSI-4341 International Political Economy
PLSI-3444 The Middle East and the World
PLSI-3441 East Asian Security 

Environmental Studies (at least one course)

Course ID Course Title
ENVI-1301 Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENVI-3301 Environmental Literature
GEOS-1307 Geology, Resources, and Environmental Issues of China and Southeast Asia
GEOS-1409 Earth's Environmental Systems
GEOS-3310 Global Climate Change 

Global Health

(Associate Professor Alfred Montoya*)

Description: Increasing international connectedness, local, regional, and international conflicts, and global climate change are contributing factors to morbidity and mortality around the globe. This concentration deals with the biology of disease as well as the social, political, and economic conditions that structure disease distributions among given populations around the world. Global Health captures the intersections of human processes and nature, seeking to understand the origins and drivers of, and solutions for, population health issues.

Students in the Global Health Concentration will learn how the tools and approaches of the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences can be used to address global health challenges, as well as to analyze the effectiveness of global health policy. Students graduating from this concentration will be prepared to pursue a variety of opportunities in the global and public health fields.

The basic requirements for the International Studies major are listed above (“The Major.”) To complete the Global Health Studies concentration within this major, students must take: INTL-3301 Global Health, a minimum of 15 hours, at least nine of which must be upper division, and at least one class in each of the following topical areas: Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Methods.

Social Sciences

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-3345 International Issues in Health and the Environment (also listed as SOCI-3345)
ANTH-3355 HIV/AIDS: Nature, Power, Populations (also listed as SOCI-3355)
SOCI-2339 Health, Illness, and Society (also listed as ANTH-2339)
SOCI-3345 International Issues in Health and the Environment (also listed as ANTH-3345)
SOCI-3355 HIV/AIDS: Nature, Power, Populations (also listed as ANTH-3355)
ANTH-2339 Health, Illness, and Society (also listed as SOCI-2339)
ANTH-3427 Race in America (also listed as SOCI-3427)
ANTH-3448 Modern South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Beyond
ANTH-3449 Globalization and Social Change (also listed as SOCI-3449)
ANTH-3452 Global Cities: Africa, Asia, and the Americas
ANTH-3464 Morality in the Marketplace
ANTH-3445 Understanding Refugees (also listed as SOCI-3445 and URBS-3445)
ECON-3333 Health Economics
INTL-3316 Gender, Race and Healthcare in Contemporary Cuba
PLSI-1331 Global Politics
PLSI-3333 Latin American Politics
PLSI-3434 State, Society, and Change in the Middle East
PLSI-3441 East Asian Security 
PLSI-3448 International Human Rights
PLSI-4341  International Political Economy
RELI-3403 Death and Beyond
SOCI-1110 Service Learning: Homelessness
SOCI-1310 The Urban Experience 
SOCI-2311 Sociology of Gender 
SOCI-3327 Race in America
SOCI-3329 Sexuality and Society
SOCI-3428 Gender Transgressions
SOCI-3440 Urban Geography (also listed as URBS-3440)
SOCI-3445 Understanding Refugees (also listed as ANTH-3445 and URBS-3445)
URBS-3440 Urban Geography (also listed as SOCI-3440)
URBS-3445 Understanding Refugees (also listed as ANTH-3445 and SOCI-3445)

Humanities

Course ID Course Title
HIST-1300 The African Experience
HIST-1324 Modern East Asia 
HIST-1351 The Modern Middle East
PHIL-1350 Environmental Ethics
PHIL-1354 Ethics
PHIL-2456 Applied Ethics
PHIL-3459 Biomedical Ethics
WAGS-2351 Introduction to Queer Studies 
WAGS-2352 Introduction to Gender Studies 
WAGS-3401 The History of Sexuality 

Natural Sciences

Course ID Course Title
BIOL-2306 Infectious Diseases
BIOL-3413 Genes, Phenotypes, and Evolutionary Dynamics
BIOL-1322 Ecology and Bioconservation in China

Methods

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-3460 Research Methods: Applied Social Statistics (also listed as SOCI-3460)
MATH-1320 Statistical Methods
PSYC-2401 Statistics and Methods I
SOCI-3460 Research Methods: Applied Social Statistics (also listed as ANTH-3460)
ALE-3301 Grant Writing and Fundraising 
ANTH-3465 Research Methods: GIS (also listed as SOCI-3465)

International Development 

(Associate Professor Katsuo Nishikawa Chávez*)

Description: Students in the International Development concentration will gain a deep understanding of issues that communities face in the pursuit of development. Students will study contemporary social issues and foundational theories of development. To complement this knowledge, students will gain the practical skills needed to run a Social Change Organization (SCO). SCOs may include non-profits, social enterprises, Benefit Corporations, or related organizations that have a primary goal of creating social value.

The basic requirements for the International Studies major are listed above (‘The Major’). To complete the International Development concentration within this major, students must take a minimum of 15 credit hours, at least nine of which must be upper division, distributed across the following topical areas:

A. Research Methods (at least three credits)

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-3465 Research Methods: GIS (also listed as SOCI-3465)
ANTH-3460/SOCI-3460/URBS-3460 Research Methods: Applied Social Statistics
HCOM-3354/COMM-3354 Quantitative Research Methods
PLSI-3372 Research Methods in Political Science

B. Contemporary ​Issues and Critical Understanding (at least six credits)

Course ID Course Title
ANTH-3427/SOCI-3427 Race in America
ANTH3345/SOCI-3345 International Issues in Health and the Environment
ANTH-3431/SOCI-3431 Language, Culture, & Society
ANTH-3449/SOCI-3449 Globalization & Social Change
ANTH-3445/SOCI-3445/URBS-3445 Understanding Refugees
ECON-1311 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON-1312 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON-3330/URBS-3330 Economics and the Environment
ECON-3334/URBS-3334 Urban Economics
ECON-3340 Economic Growth and Development
ENVI-4390 Topics in Environmental Policy
GEOS-3310 Global Climate Change
INTL-3315/BUSN-3315/ECON-3315/GEOS-3315/PLSI-3315 Iceland-It's Unique Geological, Economic and Cultural History
INTL-3357 Contemporary Japanese Politics and Society
PHIL-2456 Applied Ethics
PLSI-1331 Global Politics
PLSI-2432 Film, Literature, and Politics of the Third World
PLSI-3431 Comparative Political Economy of North America, Europe, and East Asia
PLSI-3448 International Human Rights
PLSI-4341 International Political Economy
RELI-1330 Asian Religions
RELI-3431 The Hindu Tradition
RELI-3442 Global Christianities
SOCI-1110 Service Learning: Homelessness
SOCI-1301 Introduction to Sociology
SOCI-1316/URBS-1316 People and Places in Global Context
SOCI-2311 Sociology of Gender
SOCI-2314 Social Problems and Human Values
SOCI-2328/URBS-2328 Social Inequality
SOCI-3313 Social Movements
SOCI-3343/CLAC-3343 Relaciones fronterizas Mexico-Estados Unidos (bilingue)
UBRS-1310/SOCI-1310 The Urban Experience
URBS-3416/PLSI-3416 Urban Politics
WAGS-2310 Introduction to Women's Studies 
WAGS-2350 Introduction to Feminist Theory

C. Social Change Organization (SCO) in Practice (at least six credits)

Course ID Course Title
ACCT-1300 Understanding the Language of Business
ALE-3301 Grant Writing & Fundraising
BUSN-1359/PHIL-1359 Professional Ethics
BUSN-2101 Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Values
BUSN-3340/CLAC-3340 Doing Business in Latin America
BUSN-4301 Strategic Management
CHIN-3330/INTB-3330 Global Business Culture
COMM-3322 International Communication
ENTR-2111 Introduction to Entrepreneurship I
ENTR-3341 Entrepreneurial Planning & Strategies
ENTR-3391 Special Topics in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
FNCE-3301 Corporate Finance
HCOM-1170 Leadership Academy
HCOM-1333 Public Speaking
HCOM-3360 Communicating in Small Groups & Teams
HCOM-2330 Conflict and Human Communication 
HCOM-3362 Organizational Communication
HCOM-3364 Communication and Effective Leadership
HCOM-3372 Intercultural Communication 
INTB-2301 International Business Environment
MGMT-2301 Management of Organizations
MGMT-3372 Organizational Behavior
MKTG-2301 Principles of Marketing

The Senior Experience

The Senior Experience offers various ways for students to reflect on and unify their interdisciplinary coursework in International Studies. 


Courses in the Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Program

Qualified Trinity students are eligible to enroll in the Cultures and Languages across the Curriculum (CLAC) Program, which gives them practice in using professional and academic Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, German, or French in special courses in the humanities, social, and natural sciences. Some of these courses are coordinated with existing upper-division courses that are taught in English, and students may enroll in both. Other CLAC courses are taught separately as “stand-alone” courses. All CLAC courses make extensive use of the target foreign language and most use it as the medium of instruction. Offerings vary from semester to semester and are listed in the preregistration course schedule under International Studies. 

Students may earn a Spanish across the Curriculum certification by successfully completing advanced work in Spanish and a series of courses listed in the Spanish across the Curriculum program. This certification will be indicated on the student’s official transcript. The requirements are: 

  • SPAN-3301 (Advanced Grammar) or the equivalent 
  • 3 credit hours of upper-division Spanish electives 

4 Spanish across the Curriculum courses or 7 credit hours in Spanish across the Curriculum courses. 

Contact Us


 Department Website


  Alfred Montoya, Ph.D. (Co-Director)
  Curtis Swope, Ph.D. (Co-Director)


 

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