International Studies, B.A.

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University General Education Requirements

Note: Admission to the program has been suspended for new students, effective, Fall 2022. Minors are still being accepted.

Chairperson: Concetta Williams

The Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Interdisciplinary Programs offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and a minor sequence in International Studies for students majoring in other disciplines. All program majors must complete assessment requirements, which may be found on the program webpage.

The International Studies program provides students with an understanding of international issues and problems; extends skills needed to engage the global community in a variety of careers and from a variety of perspectives; and provides knowledge of basic forms of international behavior and interaction, based upon student interests.

A major or minor degree in International Studies at CSU enables students to compete well with peers in our ever-growing global society. A student with knowledge of International Studies is well positioned for entry-level positions in the foreign, diplomatic, and intelligence services of national and international governments and organizations. The US State Department, the Peace Corps, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization are some of the first-level employment institutions that value students with knowledge of our global society and its dynamics in relation to national and local contexts.

The International Studies degree offers students a distinctive curriculum consisting of 48 credit hours of coursework, including a 3-credit-hour capstone course. The instructional component of the International Studies degree features a core curriculum of 15 hours, an intensive foreign language requirement, an area or component specialization, a study-abroad or internship experience, and a senior-level capstone project. In addition, students are required to complete all general education requirements (36 credit hours - see the University’s official list) and of the College of Arts and Sciences. University electives totaling 36 credit hours also must be taken to reach a grand total of 120 semester hours. For freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 30 hours, there is a required one-hour cognate elective (IS 1099) to acclimate student majors to the university academic experience.

Core Requirements

First, the core curriculum consists of the following: five required courses (15 credit hours) in the subfields of international studies (POL 2500 , HIST 2200 , ECON 2030 , GEOG 1100 , ANTH 1010 ); two years of foreign language study (12 credit hours); an internship of study-abroad experience (6 credit hours) chosen with the coordinator of International Studies and the Office of Global Engagement.

Second, students must complete two years of study in a single foreign language, after which they may choose to pursue oral proficiency certification in that language. Such study may fulfill the language requirement(s) for any specific college, if applicable.

Third, students must complete a study-abroad and/or internship experience (6 credit hours). The study-abroad courses may be selected according to the student’s academic college and interests, with the approval of the Office of International Programs and the International Studies degree coordinator. Should students choose to complete an associated internship experience, the internship would need to be approved by the International Studies degree coordinator. Students will need to have completed the study-abroad or internship before the beginning of their senior year.

Area Specialization

Each student is required to complete 12 hours of coursework in one of the six subfields below.

Note: Many of these courses have significant prerequisites. It is recommended that students choose a minor in a related field.

International Language and Literatures

Two years of an additional foreign language or equivalent; two semesters of foreign literature taught in the target language.

International Public Health

ECON 2200 - Health Economics Credit Hours: 3
H SC 2250 - Health Care Ethics Credit Hours: 3
H SC 3310 - HIV: People of Color Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4210 - Geog Hlth & Disease Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4270 - Geog of Population Credit Hours: 3

International Environmental Studies

GEOG 3450 - Conservation Nat Res Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4250 - Geog of Food & Hunger Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4460 - Globalization Hazard Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 4800 - Intro Geog Info Sys Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 4730 - Environmental Biology Credit Hours: 4
CHEM 4365 - Analytical Chemistry II Lecture and Laboratory Credit Hours: 4

Capstone Course

All International Studies students must complete a required senior-level capstone course entitled International Studies Seminar (IS 4000), which will cover theory and methods of international studies. This course also will involve the preparation of a seminar paper and attention to special topics in international studies.

Honors in International Studies

Students approved for the Honors Program in International Studies must fulfill the following requirements:

complete two designated international studies classes or independent studies at the 3000 and 4000 levels as honors classes (6 credit hours).
complete a two-semester honors thesis project with a faculty mentor (6 credit hours), taking I S 4750 and I S 4850
earn a B or better in each honors course
maintain a major GPA of 3.25 or higher.

Qualified students interested in beginning honors-level work in their freshman or sophomore year are encouraged to apply to the Honors College for advanced study in general education. See the Honors College section of this catalog for further details.