International Studies

OFFICE: Suite 100, ERC Administration Building
Web site: www.intlstudies.ucsd.edu

Program Faculty

Courses

The International Studies Program

Technology and the forces of cultural and economic integration appear to reduce the distances between societies, which now impinge on one another on many dimensions. At the same time, ethnic, religious, and economic conflicts erupt within and between societies, often in violent form. Both the proximity of other societies and the remaining divides within and between them demand a better understanding of their cultures and institutions. Societies cannot be understood in isolation or at a single point in time, however; they are shaped by global and regional environments—political, military, economic, cultural—and their pasts. Individuals and societies in turn shape those environments as they reinterpret their histories.

Using different disciplinary lenses, the international studies major explores the interaction between international and national, global and local, contemporary and historical. The program builds on the strengths of existing international specializations at UCSD. International relations and comparative politics are established and distinguished fields of political science. The comparative study of societies and cultures lies at the core of sociology and anthropology. Literature and linguistics offer a rich array of courses dealing with languages and traditions outside the English-speaking societies. Area studies programs provide comprehensive understanding of particular countries and regions.

The international studies major provides students with both a firm grounding in a discipline and the flexibility to permit exploration from alternative perspectives. The primary and secondary tracks chosen by each student contain the disciplinary foundations of the major. International studies majors also complete two core courses that serve as gateways to disciplinary approaches and to central international and comparative issues that cut across disciplines. Among these subjects are cultural boundaries and identities, economic and social development, international and regional integration and their effects, the evolution of political and social institutions, and forms of communication and language. A required capstone seminar permits the completion of a research paper in close association with a member of the faculty. International studies majors benefit throughout from the activities and programs of the Institute for International, Comparative, and Area Studies (IICAS), the home for international studies at UCSD.

Education Abroad

Majors in international studies are encouraged to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UCSD's Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP). Subject to approval by the faculty director of the major, courses taken through EAP/OAP will be accepted for credit toward the major. Students are strongly encouraged to complete INTL 101 and INTL 102 before departure. Students interested in studying abroad should see an international studies program adviser to discuss appropriate courses and programs for their plan of study. Information on EAP/OAP is given in the Education Abroad Program section of the UCSD General Catalog. Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center and visit its Web site at http://www.ucsd.edu/icenter/pao. Financial aid can be used for EAP/OAP study, and special study abroad scholarships are also available.

Careers

International studies attracts students who are interested in a variety of careers, including government and international organizations, international business, non-governmental organizations, journalism, the arts, and the media. Because of its strong disciplinary core, the major also prepares students who wish to pursue graduate degree programs in international affairs or in one of the participating disciplines.

HONORS

The Honors Program in International Studies recognizes academic excellence in the major. The Honors Program allows qualified students to complete an honors thesis on a topic of their choice in close collaboration with a member of the faculty. Students who wish to participate in the Honors Program in International Studies should indicate their interest in the Spring quarter of their junior year. Honors program application is available on the Web site at http://www.intlstudies.ucsd.edu/requirements.html under HONORS. Application is due by Monday of the ninth week, the quarter before you enroll in 190H.

Requirements for the Honors Program

Candidates for honors in any of the International Studies degrees must meet the following requirements:

  • A GPA of 3.5 in courses in the International Studies Major (INTL 101, 102, primary track, and secondary track courses)
  • Completion of INTL 190H: Senior Honors Seminar in International Studies.
  • Completion of a senior honors thesis (INTL 196H). On the recommendation of the student's instructor in INTL 190H and with the approval of the director of the International Studies program, qualified students will enroll in INTL 196H: Directed Thesis Research (4 units) and complete a senior honors thesis under the direction of a member of the International Studies faculty. The thesis must reflect a research project that is substantially broader in scope and that includes more original research than the research paper required of all International Studies students in INTL 190.

Criteria for “distinction,” “high distinction,” and “highest distinction”

  • Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in the major to graduate with distinction.
  • Each student whose honor thesis also earns a grade of A– shall be entitled to the designation “with distinction.”
  • Each student whose honors thesis earns a grade of a A shall be entitled to the designation “with high distinction.”
  • Each student whose honors thesis earns a grade of a A+ shall be entitled to the designation “with highest distinction.”

The International Studies Major

A student who satisfactorily completes the general-education requirements of Muir, Revelle, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, or Sixth College in addition to the international studies requirements described below will be awarded one of the following bachelor of arts degrees based upon selection of the primary track:

International Studies-Anthropology
International Studies-Economics
International Studies-History
International Studies-Linguistics
International Studies-Literature
International Studies-Political Science
International Studies-Sociology

All upper-division courses applied to the requirements of the major must be taken for a letter grade. A 2.0 grade-point average is required in the major, and students must earn at least C– in each course counted for the major. Transfer students should see the international studies adviser to determine whether courses taken elsewhere satisfy international studies program requirements.

Lower-Division Requirements

Foreign language (four quarters of college-level language or equivalent proficiency)

Students majoring in international studies are required to demonstrate basic proficiency in a modern foreign language by completing four quarters of foreign language instruction (or equivalent) with a passing grade. Students may also complete this requirement by demonstrating advanced language ability on a proficiency exam.

College-level language study is a prerequisite for study abroad in most non-English speaking countries and enhances understanding of those societies. Students who plan to study abroad in non-English speaking countries may need to take additional language classes, and they will need to take all language courses for letter grades.

Students should make substantial progress toward fulfilling college general-education requirements and the foreign language requirement of the international studies major before beginning the core sequence of the international studies major.

Departmental tracks (described below) may have lower-division requirements. In the absence of such requirements, majors are encouraged to take lower-division courses that will prepare them for their departmental or area tracks. Students in colleges whose general-education requirements do not have an international component are also encouraged to take lower-division courses in their prospective departmental or area tracks or as part of their college distribution requirements.

Upper-Division Requirements

The upper-division requirements for a major in international studies are

  1. Two core courses (INTL 101 and INTL 102)
  2. A capstone seminar (INTL 190)
  3. Eight 4-unit upper-division courses in a primary track
  4. Five 4-unit upper-division courses in a secondary track
Core courses

Two core courses (INTL 101 and INTL 102) provide an intellectual gateway to central issues and disciplinary approaches in international studies. Students may begin the sequence with either course. Sophomore status is a prerequisite for both courses.

INTL 101. Culture and Society in International Perspective (4)

INTL 102. Economics, Politics, and International Change (4)

Capstone seminar

All majors will complete the capstone seminar, preferably in the fall or winter quarter of the senior year. Students are required to complete a research paper for this course.

INTL 190. Seminar in International Studies (4)

Primary and secondary tracks

Each international studies major will complete eight four-unit upper-division courses for his or her primary track. Five additional four-unit upper-division courses will be required for a secondary track. Of these thirteen track courses (eight primary and five secondary), three courses must concentrate on one country or region.

Departments offering both primary and secondary tracks

Anthropology:

Primary Track: Students are required to take at least one course from the core sequence, Anthropology: Program Courses (ANPR):

ANPR 105. Social Anthropology
ANPR 106. Cultural Anthropology
ANPR 107. Psychological Anthropology

The remaining upper-division courses should be selected from the Anthropology: General (ANGN) and Anthropology: Regional (ANRG) listings. Up to two approved courses from Anthropology: Biological Anthropology (ANBI) can also be counted toward the major with the approval of the international studies program adviser.

Secondary Track: Students should be encouraged to take ANPR 105 and 106; all other courses should be from the ANPR, ANGN, or ANRG series; one course from the ANBI series will be accepted for credit by petition.

Economics:

Primary and Secondary Tracks: Both primary and secondary track IS majors must satisfy lower- division department requirements:

Calculus. Mathematics 10A-B-C or Mathematics 20A-B and 20C and
Economics 1, 2, 3

Upper-division courses may be selected from:

Economics 100A-B. Microeconomics or Economics 170A-B Management Science Microeconomics
Economics 110A-B. Macroeconomics
Economics 120A-B-C. Econometrics
Economics 101. International Trade
Economics 103. International Monetary Relations
Economics 116. Economic Development
Economics 117. Economic Growth
Economics 125. Economics of Population Growth
Economics 131. Economics of the Environment
Economics 132. Energy Economics
Economics 145. Economics of Ocean Resources
Economics 161. Latin American Economic Development
Economics 163. Japanese Economy

Both primary and secondary track majors must take at least two of the following courses:

Economics 101. International Trade
Economics 103. International Monetary Relations
Economics 116. Economic Development
Economics 117. Economic Growth
Economics 125. Economics of Population Growth
Economics 131. Economics of the Environment
Economics 132. Energy Economics
Economics 145. Economics of Ocean Resources
Economics 161. Latin American Economic Development
Economics 163. Japanese Economy

At least one of the above must be Economics 101, 103, or 116.

History:

Primary Track: At least 6 of 8 courses must be taken in any of the following categories:

History of Africa (HIAF)
History of Europe (HIEU)
History of East Asia (HIEA)
History of the Near East (HINE)
History of Latin America (HILA)
History of Science (HISC)
History of Religion (HIRE) and/or History Topics (HITO), except HITO 194-199

Up to two courses may be taken in History of the United States (HIUS).

Secondary Track: All courses must be taken in non-U.S. history.

Linguistics:

Primary Track: Eight upper-division courses in linguistics, which must include LIGN 101 (Introduction to the Study of Language) and at least three courses from the following list:

LIGN 105. Law and Language
LIGN 108. Languages of Africa
LIGN 141. Language Structures
LIGN 142. Language of Typology
LIGN 143. Structure of Spanish
LIGN 145. Pidgins and Creoles
LIGN 174. Gender and Language in Society
LIGN 175. Sociolinguistics
LIGN 176. Language of Politics and Advertising
LIGN 177. Multilingualism

At most, one of the eight courses can be LIGN 199 (Independent Study in Linguistics).

Secondary Track: Five upper-division courses in linguistics, which must include LIGN 101 (Introduction to the Study of Language) and at least two courses from the list above. At most, one of the five courses can be LIGN 199 (Independent Study in Linguistics).

Literature:

Primary Track: Eight upper-division courses may be selected from the following:

Literatures in English (LTEN):

LTEN 188. Contemporary Caribbean Literature
LTEN 189. Twentieth-Century Postcolonial Literatures

and all courses listed under:

Literatures in Chinese (LTCH)
Literatures in French (LTFR)
Literatures in German (LTGM)
Greek Literature (LTGK)
Literatures in Italian (LTIT)
Latin Literature (LTLA)
Korean Literature (LTKO)
Literatures in Portuguese (LTPR)
Russian Literature (LTRU)
Literatures in Spanish (LTSP) with exception of (150,151,152,153,162)

Selected courses listed as Literatures from the World (LTWL) can also be taken for credit for the IS major with the approval of the undergraduate adviser.

Students whose primary track is in Literature may take up to two courses in Literature/Theory (LTTH) and Literature/Cultural Studies (LTCS) with approval of the undergraduate advisor.

Secondary Track: Five courses selected from the above.

Political Science:

Primary Track: Eight courses selected from the following: all courses numbered POLI 120 through POLI 159:

Comparative Politics: POLI 120A through POLI 139A
International Relations: POLI 140A through POLI 159

Up to three courses may be from the following subfields:

American Politics: POLI 100A through POLI 108
Political Theory: POLI 110A through 119A
Policy Analysis: POLI 160AA through 168
Research Methods: POLI 170A and POLI 181

Secondary Track: Five upper-division courses selected from courses numbered POLI 120 through POLI 159 (see above); 1 of the 5 courses may be selected from the following subfields:

American Politics: POLI 100A through POLI 108
Political Theory: POLI 110A through 119A
Policy Analysis: POLI 160AA through 168
Research Methods: POLI 170A and POLI 181

Sociology:

Primary Track: Eight upper-division courses selected from the following list:

Cluster B: Culture, Language, and Social Interaction (Soc/B)

Soc/B 111A-B. Human Rights
Soc/B 122. Jerusalem: Sacred and Profane
Soc/B 162R. Religion and Popular Culture in East Asia

Cluster C: Social Organization and Institutions (Soc/C)

Soc/C 136A. Sociology of Mental Illness: An Historical Approach
Soc/C 136B. Sociology of Mental Illness in Contemporary Society
Soc/C 139. Social Inequality: Class, Race, and Gender
Soc/C 148. Political Sociology
Soc/C 156. Sociology of Religion
Soc/C 157. Religion in Contemporary Society
Soc/C 180. Social Movements and Social Protest

Cluster D: Comparative and Historical Sociology (Soc/D)

Soc/D 151. Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations
Soc/D 158J. Religion and Ethics in China and Japan
Soc/D 169. Citizenship, Community, and Culture
Soc/D 171. Science and the Making of the Modern World
Soc/D 177. International Terrorism
Soc/D 178. The Holocaust
Soc/D 179. Social Change
Soc/D 181. Modern Western Society
Soc/D 183. Minorities and Nations
Soc/D 185. Sociology of Development
Soc/D 187. African Societies through Films
Soc/D 188A. Community and Social Change in Africa
Soc/D 188B. Chinese Society
Soc/D 188D. Latin America: Society and Politics
Soc/D 188F. Modern Jewish Societies and Israeli Society
Soc/D 188J. Change in Modern South Africa
Soc/D 189. Special Topics in Comparative- Historical Sociology

Secondary Track: Five upper-division courses selected from the above lists.

Departments and programs offering only secondary tracks

Communication:

Course Prerequisites: Must have COGN 20 to enroll in upper-division courses.

Secondary Track: Five courses selected from the following lists:

Communication as a Social Force (COSF)

COSF 120.The Transformation of Global Communication
COSF 140A. Comparative Media Systems: Asia
COSF 140B. Comparative Media Systems: Europe
COSF 140C. Comparative Media Systems: Latin America and the Caribbean
COSF 159. Work and Industry in the New Information Economy
COSF 160. Political Economy/ Global Consumer Culture
COSF 167. Emerging Global High-Tech Regions: Labor and National Development
COSF 181. Political Economy of International Communications

Communication and Culture (COCU)

COCU 110. Cinema in Latin America
COCU 130. Tourism: Global Industry and Cultural Form
COCU 162. Popular Culture
COCU 179. Colonialism and Culture
COCU 180. Cultures and Markets

Communication and Human Information Processing (COHI)

COHI 114. Bilingual Communication
COHI 121. Literacy, Social Organization, and the Individual

Regional Secondary Tracks

Five upper-division courses in a single area studies program selected from the following list of programs:

African Studies
Chinese Studies
German Studies
Italian Studies
Japanese Studies
Latin American Studies
Middle East Studies
Russian and Soviet Studies
Third World Studies

Course lists can be found in the UCSD General Catalog. All courses must be four units, upper-division, non-language courses. Please contact ISP academic adviser with questions.

Students seeking a broader regional focus (e.g., European or East Asian Studies) may elect to combine courses from area studies programs dealing with that region.

International Studies