International Studies Major -
Course Descriptions

Course of Study
The program offers a 10 course major (3 credits each), with foundational courses, a capstone and a specialization developed from course listings in three thematic areas:

• Global Social Justice and Humanitarianism
• Diplomacy and Peacebuilding
• Global Development

Students may also customize their own specialization (the self-designed option) in consultation with their advisor and approval of the program director instead of choosing five courses from the themes. In a final capstone course, students demonstrate their understanding of the dynamics underpinning the contemporary global system by researching its manifestations in a particular context. Students may elect to take one semester of directed, independent study in preparation for their capstone project. This course will not count towards the 10-course requirement for the major.

Proficiency and Experiential Learning in the International Context
The International Studies Program strongly encourages the acquisition of foreign language competency beyond Fairfield University's minimum requirement of two semesters at the intermediate level or above. To enrich the course of study in the three thematic areas (or self-designed option), students are also required to complete one of the following (for at least 3 credit hours) with an international dimension: (1) study abroad; (2) service learning; (3) internship; or (4) independent study. This may be used to fulfill the applied electives for the major. Students are expected to develop expertise in specific topics and regions of the world, including languages, methods of assessment and other research and applied skills. They are also encouraged to pursue a second major or minor in a related field or interdisciplinary studies program (environment, peace and justice, area studies, etc.).

International Studies Major (Arts and Sciences)
Requirements (10 course minimum)
The International Studies major requires four foundational courses, five electives (at least two theory and two applied) from the three thematic areas (see descriptions below), and the IL 300 senior capstone seminar. Alternatively, students may use the five electives for a self-designed study, choosing interrelated courses with the approval of the Director of International Studies (see details below). Courses must come from at least two different disciplines.

Note: International Studies majors can only take 6 of their 30 credit hours toward the major in International Studies from courses in the Dolan School of Business.

Foundational Courses:
IL 50 World Regions
This course introduces students to some of the fundamental concepts of International Studies through a detailed overview of world regions. Major world regions and selected countries within them are discussed with respect to their physical, demographic, cultural, political, and economic characteristics. Several concepts and themes are explored, among which the physical environment, conflict, inequality, global interconnectedness, and the movement of goods and people across borders are central. This course will emphasize contemporary events, particularly as they relate to the fundamental themes covered. The course meets the world diversity requirement.
3 credits

IL 51 Challenges of Global Politics
Global politics is multifaceted and has many different kinds of players, ranging from states and international organizations, to transnational social movements and illicit networks. The course examines how these players work together or confront each other over issues in: (1) global development; (2) global justice and humanitarianism; (3) diplomacy and peacebuilding. The course draws from international relations theories and related disciplines and methodologies to understand the challenges of shaping narrow or multidimensional solutions, and the ethical concerns, and consequences - both intended and unintended.
3 credits

IL 52 Culture and Political Economy
This course examines the ways in which global political economic dynamics impact local cultures. Students will begin with classic texts in social theory, examine how this theory informs contemporary debates, and look to small-scale societies in the Global South for an intimate, ethnographic perspective of our global era.
3 credits

IL 53 Introduction to Economics
This course introduces the fundamentals of economic analysis from individual consumer behavior to the choices firms make, as well as framing the aggregate economy and indicators that measure global economic activity. It will cover the basics of both micro and macro economic study. Supply and demand, market structures, international trade, fiscal and monetary policy are introduced.
3 credits

IL 260/HI 274 The West and the World: Historical and Cultural Perspectives
Required for all International Studies Majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, and available for History majors and minors. Examines, in topical, geographic, and critical approaches, the interaction of the United States and western Europe with the rest of the world in the 20th century. Considerable attention is given to non-western perspectives such as those of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Arab World, Russia, and Eastern Europe. An introduction to the history of U.S. foreign relations, international organizations, social change in the developing world, and world systems theory is included.
3 credits

IL 295 Seminar in International Studies
Special topics in International Studies. The specific topic for a given semester is announced at the time of registration. The course may be repeated with permission of the Program Director.
3 credits

IL 298 Internship in International Studies
Students are placed with a local corporation, governmental agency, or non-profit organization in a position with an international component. Interns learn how to apply the knowledge acquired in their course of study to real-world situations. Completion of the internship requires attendance at a bi-weekly seminar, submission of a work log, and two papers. (Prerequisite: junior or senior status and 2.8 G.P.A.) Note: if an internship is taken, the internship is in addition to the basic requirements of the major or minor.
3 credits

IL 299 Independent Study
Students pursue an independent research project on international issues under the supervision of a faculty member. Open to juniors and seniors with permission.
3 credits

IL 300 Senior Capstone Seminar
This course requires students to theorize and analyze emerging trends in the political, socio-cultural, economic, and business dimensions of global affairs, and develop the implications in a particular context or setting. Students undertake a major research project as a central activity in this course drawing on the expertise and research methodologies they have developed in International Studies. This course is offered the senior year after students have completed all core courses in international studies.
3 credits

Description of Themes
Global Development
More than three quarters of the world's population lives below the globally defined poverty line of less than $2 per day. This theme focuses on people living in those very parts of the world and how their economic, political and socio-cultural systems are working or failing to improve their well-being and participation in the global political economy. Local, regional and global regimes are explored - from regional trade agreements to multinational corporate arrangements, from IMF lending to micro finance - the focus is on whether and how development can benefit all. The discussion of the market-based economic model is contrasted with the critique of its inequitable distributional effects, and gender and environmental concerns. Students are encouraged to specialize in a particular region, such as Asia, Latin America, the Middle East or Russia to deepen their understanding of global development.

Diplomacy and Peacebuilding
This theme explores the historical struggles to end conflict, and rebuild society on the basis of international law and democratic principles, with state and non-state actors and NGOs. Important lessons from diplomatic history span negotiations to end World War I and II, the creation of the League of Nations, and later, the United Nations and regional organizations. Students study conflict, war, and methods of averting and overcoming them. The courses focus on the contributions and impact of nonviolent leaders, peace movements, and diplomacy to create a more secure and peaceful global community. The concept of peacebuilding encompasses theories of nonviolence, and efforts to rebuild societies after war, through international law and organizations and non-state actors. It also provides students with hands-on learning through simulations and training in dispute settlement and conflict resolution.

Global Justice and Humanitarianism
This concentration explores the linkages between humanitarianism and social justice, as they relate to equity, poverty, distribution of resources, and power among states, NGOs, international organizations, and other actors. Humanitarian crises involve the interplay of these concerns in relation to scarcity, conflict and natural disasters. They are often magnified or caused by the abuse of power and failures of the state and the international community to respond. Students learn how theories of social change, politics, economics and other approaches provide perspectives on humanitarian crises and injustice, and how to overcome them within an ethically informed framework.

Thematic Areas and Course Listings (T=emphasizes theory/conceptual content; A=applied)

*IL 260 was previously titled: West and the World.
*HI 273 was previously titled History and Culture of Central and Eastern Europe since 1945.

Self-Designed Study in International Studies
Students will take five interrelated courses chosen in concert with a mentor, and approved by the director of International Studies. These five courses - along with the four IL foundational courses - must form the basis of the International Studies Capstone (IL 300) project. Students are not limited by theme in conceiving their self-designed track, but it should not duplicate coursework in the existing three themes. Potential foci can be broad or narrowly focused, for example: migration, women in development, religion in developing societies, or art and social transformation in the Global South. Students must choose a mentor to guide the work, and the mentor must be willing to assess the coherence of the course selection and its relevance to the student's goals and plans. Students are encouraged to sign up for a minor that complements the self-designed track.

Restrictions on completion of self-designed study:

• Students may not count more than three courses from a minor.
• Capstone courses in minors may count towards the IL self-designed study, but will not replace the IL capstone course.
• Students must take courses from at least three different instructors to fulfill their five electives in the self-designed study.
• No more than one independent study may count.
• Courses in Western languages will not normally be credited. However, up to two semesters of a non-Western language may be credited towards the self-designed study.
• Students may count no more than one course taken prior to signing their contract for a self-designed specialization. (The self-designed study must be planned in advance rather than assembled post hoc.)

Procedure

During or before the first semester of the junior year, students write a one-page plan for their self-designed track. This should explain what courses the student will take, when the student will take the courses (i.e. they have to check with the departments to find out what semesters the specified courses are offered), and how the different courses will form the basis of the International Studies capstone project. The student presents this prospectus to a faculty member willing to act as mentor, makes any changes suggested by the mentor, and then submits the proposal to the Director of International Studies. If the director approves of the plan, the sheet signed by the student, the mentor, and the Director of International Studies becomes the contract for the student's self-designed specialization.