International Relations

International Relations (IR) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate concentration within the social sciences that focuses on the study of global issues from a wide variety of perspectives. It has an additional requirement of competence in at least one modern foreign language and research methods. IR emphasizes political, economic, social, and cultural interactions that take place among governments, international and transnational organizations, and non-state actors such as multinational corporations, nongovernmental organizations, ethnic groups, social movements, and insurgent or terrorist groups. Taking a broad approach, the concentration examines a range of issues including diplomacy, war, and peace; poverty, inequality, and development; trade, globalization, regional integration, and economic conflict; human rights and humanitarianism; the construction of political identities and institutional norms, and the role of culture; transborder flows and networks; and environmental change, disease, population and urbanization trends.

The program is divided into three tracks or themes, from which concentrators must select one:

• Global Security
• Political Economy and Development
• Politics, Culture, and Identity

Each track brings together a set of courses which focuses broadly on each of these themes. Overall, concentrators in international relations must take eleven courses approved for the concentration (no double-counting within concentration) plus fulfillment of the language requirement.

1. The core courses (4 courses) Required for all students, preferably to be taken during their freshman or sophomore years. These four courses provide a multidisciplinary, conceptual basis for approaching international relations. Advanced Placement credit does not count toward the concentration. The four courses are:
• POLS 0400: Introduction to International Politics
• ECON 0110: Principles of Economics or ECON 1210 Intermediate Macroeconomics
• HIST 0020: Europe Since the French Revolution or a modern regional History course
• One of the following: ANTH 0100: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, ANTH 1232: War and Society, ANTH 1251: Violence and the Media, SOC: 0150 Economic Development and Social Change, or SOC 1620: Globalization and Social Conflict


2. The Tracks (3 courses from ONE track) Take two courses form the website track list and one of the following track keystone courses:
• Global Security:
  • ANTH 1232, War and Society
  • POLS 1390, International Organization and World Politics
  • POLS 1410, Global Security After the Cold War
  • POLS 1470, International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
  • POLS 1480, Theories of International Relations
  • POLS 1560, American Foreign Policy


• Political Economy and Development:
  • ANTH 1320, Anthropology and International Development: Ethnographic Perspectives on Poverty and Progress
  • ECON 1500, Current Global Macroeconomic Challenges
  • ECON 1510, Economic Development
  • POLS 1450, Political Economy of Development
  • POLS 1460, International Political Economy
  • SOC 1600, Comparative Development


• Politics, Culture and Identity:
  • ANTH 1230, Political Anthropology
  • ANTH 1232, War and Society
  • ANTH 1233, Ethnographies of Global Connection: Politics, Culture and International Relations
  • POLS 1380, Ethnic Politics and Conflict


3. Regional Focus (1 course) Course on one region or country, typically from the social science or area studies. Course should focus on the modern period (see IR website for more information).


4. Electives: (1 course 1000-level or above) Student choice: Course must contribute to track and overall coherence of the student's program and be approved by the concentration advisor.


5. Research Methods (1 course) A quantitative or qualitative research methods course (see IR website for list). Recommended prior to senior year.


6. Senior Seminar: INTL 1800 (1 course) One IR or IR-XLIST seminar taken junior or senior year (see IR website for list).


7. Language Requirement Three full years of university study or equivalent (see IR website).

Detailed lists of courses that satisfy these requirements may be obtained from the International Relations Program office at 111 Thayer Street or on the IR program website: www.watsoninstitute.org/IR.

The program is administered by affiliated faculty from different departments at Brown. It has a director, an assistant director/concentration advisor, and a faculty advisor for each track to assist students in planning their academic programs.

Page last updated in April, 2009.

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