International Studies (B.A.)

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-4000, INTL-4100, INTL-4200, INTL-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: Professor Alfred Montoya, Associate Professor Curtis Swope
• Diplomacy, Security, War, and Peace Studies: Associate Professor Dr. Lauren Turek*
• Global Health: Professors Alfred Montoya*, Jonathan King, Benjamin Sosnaud
• International Development: Professor Katsuo Nishikawa Chávez*

Arts, Media, and Culture

(Professor Alfred Montoya, Associate 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

Arts and Practices

Histories and Contexts 

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):

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)

Social Sciences (at least two courses)

Environmental Studies (at least one course)

Global Health

(Professor Alfred Montoya*, Jonathan King, Benjamin Sosnaud)

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

Humanities

Natural Sciences

Methods

International Development 

(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)

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

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

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.