International Relations, B.A.

International Relations Student Learning Outcomes

The Political Science Department strives to help all majors:

1. Demonstrate a broad and deep understanding of international relations.
2. Possess the skills necessary to think critically and communicate effectively about international relations.
3. Value active citizenship and a just society.
4. 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].

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
Lower Division Requirements
POLS 1400 and POLS 1600	Comparative Politics and International Relations	8
POLS 2100	Empirical Approaches	4
ECON 1050	Introductory Economics	4
Subtotal		16
Upper Division Requirements
Select one of the following:
POLS 3620	International Security
POLS 4710	International Law
POLS 4760	International Organization
POLS 5600	Theories of International Relations
Select one of the following:		4-8
POLS 4650	The Politics of the Global Economy
ECON 3700	International Trade
ECON 3720	International Finance Theory
ECON 3750	Global Poverty
ECON 4740	Economic Development
Select at least one POLS International Relations or Comparative Politics 5000-level seminar OR		4
POLS 5800 and POLS 5810	Honors Seminar and Honors Thesis
Select three upper-division electives 1		12
POLS 5700	International Relations Senior Assessment 2	0
Subtotal		20-24
Total Semester Hours		36-40

¹

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.

²

All students who will have completed 100 hours or more by Spring semester are required to enroll in POLS 5700 International Relations Senior Assessment. 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.

Additional Requirements

1. An average grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in courses included in the major.
2. Lower Division requirements must be met before pursuing upper division requirements.
3. Students must take 4 semesters of the same second language or demonstrate proficiency [see Note 5].
4. Students must engage in an international experience through a study abroad program [see Note 6].

AP Scores

Students will receive credit for POLS 1200 or POLS 1400 if they receive a 5 on the related AP exam as follows:

Comparative Government and Politics -> POLS 1400
OR
United States Government and Politics -> POLS 1200

Please note that if a student has a 5 for both exams, the department will only apply a maximum of one of those AP credits to replace one of our required lower-division major / minor requirements. 

Notes

Note 1

The qualifying HIST 1000-level courses would include:

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
HIST 1110	Ancient Mediterranean History	4
HIST 1120	Heirs of Rome: Europe, Byzantium, and Islam in the Early Middle Ages	4
HIST 1130	Crisis and Expansion: Europe and the World, 1200-1648	4
HIST 1200	European Empires, Exploration, and Exchange since 1500	4
HIST 1201	Power, Privilege, and Agency in Modern Europe	4
HIST 1202	The Individual, the State, and Civil Society in Modern Europe	4
HIST 1203	Religion, Society, and the Search for Meaning in Modern Europe	4
HIST 1204	Revolutions in the Making of Modern Europe	4
HIST 1510	Minorities and Women in the Modern Middle East	4
HIST 1520	The Social Lives of Commodities in the Modern Middle East	4
HIST 1700	Colonial Latin America	4
HIST 1750	Modern Latin America	4
HIST 1800	Modern Asia: China, Korea, and Japan since 1600	4
HIST 1600	African States and Societies since 1800	4

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:

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
ECON 3410	World Economic History	4
ECON 3700	International Trade	4
ECON 3720	International Finance Theory	4
ECON 3750	Global Poverty	4
ECON 4740	Economic Development	4

In History:
HIST 3XXX and 4XXX except 33XX, 34XX, 43XX and 44XX; these include

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
HIST 3600	Conflict and Genocide in Africa	4
HIST 3702	Women in Colonial Latin America	4
HIST 3704	Latin American Revolutions in Film	4
HIST 4010	Pirates and Piracy	4
HIST 4200	Early Modern Europe	4
HIST 4205	Europe in the Long Nineteenth Century	4
HIST 4206	20th-Century Europe	4
HIST 4215	European Imperialism	4
HIST 4225	Gender and Sexuality in European History	4
HIST 4250	Modern Britain and the British Empire	4
HIST 4272	20th-Century Eastern Europe	4
HIST 4281	Modern Russia, 1825-1991	4
HIST 4282	Ethnicity and Empire in Russia	4
HIST 4402	Politics and Culture of the Cold War, 1917-1989	4
HIST 4510	Star, Cross, and Crescent	4
HIST 4520	The Ottoman Empire	4
HIST 4540	The Palestine/Israel Conflict	4
HIST 4640	Colonial Africa, 1860-1980	4
HIST 4820	Modern China	4
HIST 4830	Women in East Asian History	4

In Sociology:

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
SOCL 3260	Human Trafficking	4
SOCL 3370	Sociology of Globalization	4
SOCL 3371	Gender and Global Migration	4
SOCL 3391	Work and Labor in the Global Economy	4
SOCL 3998	Special Studies	1-4

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 consult with the IRLT Director or POLS/IRLT Department Chair to determine the best way to assess language proficiency. Although Level 4 proficiency is the required minimum for the major, we strongly encourage students to continue to more advanced levels and consider minoring in a language.

Note 6

The study abroad 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.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Semester Hours
FFYS 1000	First Year Seminar	4
POLS 1600	International Relations	4
MDLL 1XXX Foreign Language 1		4
Studies in American Diversity		4
	Semester Hours	16
Spring
RHET 1000	Rhetorical Arts	3-4
POLS 1400	Comparative Politics	4
MDLL 1XXX Foreign Language 2		4
PHIL 1800	Philosophical Inquiry	4
	Semester Hours	15-16
Sophomore Year
Fall
POLS 2100	Empirical Approaches	4
MDLL 2XXX Foreign Language 3		4
HIST 1XXX (except HIST 13XX and 14XX)		4
Theological Inquiry		4
	Semester Hours	16
Spring
ECON 1050	Introductory Economics	4
MDLL 2XXX Foreign Language 4		4
Creative Experience		3-4
Quantitative Reasoning		4
	Semester Hours	15-16
Junior Year
Fall
Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
Upper-Division International Relations Elective		3
Upper-Division International Relations Elective		3
	Semester Hours	15
Spring
International Politics Course		4
International Economics Course		4
Nature of Science, Technology, and Mathematics		3-4
Faith and Reason		4
	Semester Hours	15-16
Senior Year
Fall
Upper Division International Relations Elective		4
Upper Division Elective Engaged Learning Flag		4
Upper Division Elective		4
Upper Division Elective		4
	Semester Hours	16
Spring
POLS 5000-Level Seminar		4
Ethics and Justice		4
Upper Division Elective		4
Upper Division Elective		4
	Semester Hours	16
	Minimum Semester Hours	124-127