International Relations Student Learning Outcomes
The Political Science Department strives to help all majors:
- Demonstrate a broad and deep understanding of international relations.
- Possess the skills necessary to think critically and communicate effectively about international relations.
- Value active citizenship and a just society.
- Develop proficiency in a second language.
Major Requirements
In addition to the major requirements below, all majors must take one additional core curriculum course: HIST 1XXX except 13XX and 14XX (lower-level non-U.S. History course; Core: Explorations: Historical Analysis and Perspectives) [see Note 1]). Majors who are also University Honors students must take an international History upper division elective (HIST 3XXX and 4XXX except 33XX, 34XX, 43XX and 44XX).
Students may not double-major in International Relations and Political Science. However, students may choose to major in International Relations, while minoring in Political Science (or vice versa). In this case, students may only double-count one of the lower division courses and none of the upper division courses towards the minor.
Students seeking to double-major in International Relations and another department/program may do so. Up to one course, beyond the lower division, may double-count [See Note 2].
B. Upper Division Requirements: 6 courses (24 semester hours)
- Students must take POLS 3620 and POLS 4650 .
- Students take at least one POLS International Relations or Comparative Politics 5000-level seminar OR POLS 5800 and POLS 5810 (Honors Seminar and Thesis, 2 semesters). [see Note 3]
- Students must take 3 upper-division electives (courses with international focus from POLS, ECON, SOCL or HIST [see Note 2], or advanced methods course [see Note 4]). For University Honors students, one of these must be HIST.
- All students who will have completed 100 hours or more by Spring semester are required to enroll in POLS 5700 . This is a zero-semester-hour course, required for graduation, which includes an assessment of program learning outcomes, a senior exit interview, and possible additional program evaluation.
C. Additional Requirements
- An average grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in courses included in the major.
- Lower Division requirements must be met before pursuing upper division requirements.
- Students must take 2 semesters of the same second language or demonstrate proficiency [see Note 5].
- Students must engage in an international experience through a study abroad program [see Note 6].
Note 1:
The qualifying HIST 1000-level courses would include: HIST 1110 Ancient Mediterranean History , HIST 1120 Heirs of Rome: Europe, Byzantium, and Islam in the Early Middle Ages , HIST 1130 Crisis and Expansion: Europe and the World, 1200-1648 , HIST 1200 European Empires, Exploration, and Exchange since 1500 , HIST 1201 Power, Privilege, and Agency in Modern Europe , HIST 1202 The Individual, the State, and Civil Society in Modern Europe , HIST 1203 Religion, Society, and the Search for Meaning in Modern Europe , HIST 1204 Revolutions in the Making of Modern Europe , HIST 1510 Minorities and Women in the Modern Middle East , HIST 1520 The Social Lives of Commodities in the Modern Middle East , HIST 1700 Colonial Latin America , HIST 1750 Modern Latin America , HIST 1800 Modern Asia: China, Japan, and Korea since 1600 , HIST 1600 African States and Societies since 1800 .
Note 2:
In Political Science: Any upper division comparative politics or international relations course (taught by Drs. Cherif, Finkel, Fisk, Magni, Park, and Ramos.) Other POLS courses with significant global perspectives or international politics course content may count towards the major at the discretion of the faculty director, and in consultation with the professor.
In Economics: ECON 3410 World Economic History (prerequisite is ECON 1050) ECON 3700 International Trade (prerequisite is ECON 1050); ECON 3720 International Finance Theory (prerequisite is ECON 1050); ECON 3750 Global Poverty (prerequisite is ECON 1050), ECON 4740 Economic Development (prerequisite is ECON 3100).
In History: HIST 3XXX and 4XXX except 33XX, 34XX, 43XX and 44XX; these include HIST 3600 Conflict and Genocide in Africa, HIST 3702 Women in Colonial Latin America, HIST 3704 Latin American Revolutions in Film, HIST 4010 Pirates and Piracy, HIST 4200 Early Modern Europe, HIST 4205 Europe in the Long Nineteenth Century, HIST 4206 20th-Century Europe, HIST 4215 European Imperialism, HIST 4225 Gender in European History, HIST 4250 Modern Britain and the British Empire, HIST 4272 20th-Century Eastern Europe, HIST 4281 Modern Russia, 1825-1991, HIST 4282 Ethnicity and Empire in Russia, HIST 4402 Politics and Culture of the Cold War, 1917-1989, HIST 4510 Star, Cross, and Crescent, HIST 4520 The Ottoman Empire, HIST 4540 The Palestine/Israel Conflict, HIST 4640 Colonial Africa, 1860-1980, HIST 4820 Modern China, HIST 4830 Women in East Asian History.
In Sociology: SOCL 3260 Human Trafficking , SOCL 3370 Sociology of Globalization, SOCL 3371 Gender and Global Migration, SOCL 3391 - Work/Labor in the Global Economy, SOCL 3998 - Blacks in Latin America.
Any other courses must be approved by the faculty director prior to course enrollment.
Note 3:
Students must write an internationally-focused thesis.
Note 4:
Students interested in graduate studies are strongly encouraged to take an advanced methods course.
Note 5:
Language proficiency will be assessed via the Modern Languages’ online placement tests. In the event the test is not offered, the student must go to a language department in a university that does offer that language and have an instructor there assess proficiency and provide a letter as evidence. Although Level 2 proficiency is the required minimum for the major, we strongly encourage students to continue to more advanced levels.
Note 6:
The study broad experience must be an LMU or LMU-approved semester or summer program, including the Washington Center. A summer program must be at least 6 semester hours. Ideally, this requirement should enhance a student’s language skills and cultural awareness that he, she or they is/are focused on at LMU. A maximum of two courses from study abroad may count towards the major, in consultation with the faculty director. The IR director may approve an internationally-oriented internship in lieu of studying abroad on a case-by-case basis.
Honors in International Relations
Students who attain a GPA of 3.70 or higher, both overall and in the major, are automatically eligible to enroll in the POLS 5800 Honors Seminar in the Fall of their senior year and write a POLS 5810 Honors Thesis in the Spring of their senior year. Other students may be invited to pursue Honors by the faculty. The Honors Seminar is a prerequisite for the Honors thesis. Students who attain a grade of A- or higher for the Honors Thesis will graduate with Honors in International Relations. Both the Honors Seminar and Honors Thesis count toward the 24 semester hours of upper division coursework required of majors.
International Relations Model Four-Year Plan
The normal course load is 16 semester hours (4 classes). By following the model below, a student interest in completing the major will complete all lower division core requirements by the end of the sophomore year, as well as all major prerequisites. Note that core areas are suggested to provide a distribution of various disciplines every semester. Please be flexible implementing these suggestions, given your own interests and course availability. In four years, this plan meets all common graduation requirements.
Total: 15-16 semester hours
Total: 15-16 semester hours
Fall Semester
- POLS 2100 Empirical Approaches 4 semester hours
- HIST 1XXX (except HIST 13XX and 14XX) 4 semester hours
- University Core 3-4 semester hours
- University Core 3-4 semester hours
Total: 14-16 semester hours
Total: 13-16 semester hours
Fall Semester [Study Abroad]
- Elective 3 semester hours
- Elective 3 semester hours
- Elective 3 semester hours
- Upper-Division Elective 3 semester hours
- Upper-Division Elective 3 semester hours
Total: 15-16 semester hours
Fall Semester
- Upper Division International Elective 4 semester hours
- Upper Division International Elective 4 semester hours
- Upper Division Elective 4 semester hours
- Upper Division Elective 4 semester hours
Spring Semester
- POLS 5700 International Relations Senior Assessment 0 semester hours
- POLS 5XXX International Relations or Comparative Politics Seminar 4 semester hours
- University Core 3-4 semester hours
- Upper Division Elective 4 semester hours
- Upper Division Elective 4 semester hours
Total: 15-16 semester hours
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