The University of Chicago has a long and

distinguished history in the interdisciplinary

study of international aff airs. The international

studies major was founded to bring together

the College’s commitment to exemplary

undergraduate education with students who

are interested in preparing for academic,

government, nonprofi t, or business careers with

an international focus, and who also value the benefi ts of cross-cultural

learning. International studies students are encouraged to understand

the operation of social, cultural, economic, and political systems and to

question their very formation.

Students in the international studies major often choose to go abroad through UChicago’s Study Abroad programs.

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Sample CoursesSpoons Full of Sugar: Economic, Political,

and Social Repercussions of the Sugar

Industry

Follow sugar’s spread around the world from

slavery and colonialism to the present-day

world of cartels, state regulation, global trade

agreements, and zero-calorie sweeteners.

Students come away with a framework to

think about commodities in world history.

Introduction to Asian/Pacifi c Islander

American History

Looking through an interdisciplinary lens,

this course examines not only what it

means to have been and to be an Asian or

Pacifi c Islander in America, but also what

role Asian Americans have played in

striving for a multiracial democracy.

NGOs and Humanitarian Subjects: Politics

of Humanitarian Intervention

This course examines political forms, stakes,

dispositions, and strategies surrounding the

fi eld of international emergency relief as

well as the consequences of international

NGO humanitarianism. The course includes

case studies from Bosnia, Rwanda,

and Darfur.

Migration and Immigration: Causes and

Consequences

This course reviews basic concepts, research

methodology, and theories for all forms of

spacial mobility. Equal emphasis is given to

the United States and to other world regions.

Living with Debt: A Comparative

Perspective

This class investigates debt as a universal

cultural practice with economic and politi-

cal implications. National, transnational,

familial, and personal debt is studied in the

contexts of North America, postcolonial

Africa, postsocialist Eastern Europe, and

the former Soviet Union.

S O C I A L S C I E N C E SS O C I A L S C I E N C E S

CO L L E G I AT E D I V I S I O NCO L L E G I AT E D I V I S I O N

MAJORS

InternationalStudies

Th oughtful engagement with diverse modes of understanding is a cornerstone of international studies—one of UChicago’s most popular majors.

Faculty

Th e University of Chicago has a long-standing commitment to interdisciplinary

international studies. Th e faculty has included many founders of the international studies fi eld, among them Hannah Arendt, Hans Morgenthau, Morton Kaplan, and Quincy Wright.

Current faculty members draw upon a wide variety of disciplines in both the social sciences and humanities to build on

International studies majors engage in a variety of disciplines with international relevance, including human rights, international

relations, globalization, transnationalism, and area studies.

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this tradition of excellence. With a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching, faculty also shape the field of study through their own publications and through their involvement with such organizations as the Center for International Studies, Human Rights Program, and Chicago Center on Democracy.

CurriculumThe goal of the international studies major is to encourage undergraduate study in many areas of international relevance, including human rights, international security, globalization, and regional/interregional studies. Students must complete a two-quarter introductory sequence, Contemporary Global Issues, and a course distribution requirement to ensure that their international studies curriculum has breadth and depth.

International studies majors take classes from a number of disciplines that are organized into three subfields of study:n International political economyn Transnational processesn Area and civilization

Contrasting perspectives among these subfields are presented in the two-quarter introductory core course. The first part of this course surveys international, social, political, and cultural patterns in the context of global interactions. The second part of the course examines a select set of global issues in depth: nationalism, transnational identities generated by migration and refugee flows, global environ-mental movements, human rights, cyberspace, and international conflicts.

Students prepare a BA thesis under the supervision of a faculty adviser and an international studies preceptor. Examples of recent papers are:

n “The Age of Detention: U.S. Nativism and De Facto Immigrant Criminalization in

the 1990s”n “Lessons from the Land of the Thunder

Dragon: The Creation of a Medical Modernity in Bhutan”

n “Creating European Bodies: Organ Transplants, Identity, and the European Union”

Students must also achieve proficiency in an additional language. Language acquisition and Study Abroad are integral parts of the international studies curriculum. These requirements are based on the belief that communicative proficiency in languages and focused, unsheltered international experiences are vital for understanding diverse civilizations and regions.

Course work is supplemented by opportunities to participate in a variety of related student organizations, such as Model United Nations, Amnesty International, and the Student Committee on the Middle East. Internships are another way to gain experience and make contacts, and both Career Advising and Planning Services and the Human Rights Program help students identify placements and prepare applications.

Study AbroadThrough programs in Africa, Asia, Europe, Canada, and Latin America, international studies majors can strengthen language skills in addition to learning about the political and economic systems of another nation. Through the Human Rights Program, students can intern in countries around the world. Previous interns have conducted research projects on health care in El Salvador and the state of media freedom and safety for journalists in South Asia. Others have assisted in planning humanitarian relief efforts in Thailand or promoted national peace

and unity in the Seychelles. International studies majors frequently win

awards, grants, and fellowships. Support is available through programs that include the Foreign Language Acquisition Grants ($2,000 stipends in support of summer language study abroad) and the F. Champion Ward Third Year International Travel Grants ($3,000 grants for summer honors thesis research abroad). Many international studies majors also choose to study abroad through the University’s partnerships with foreign schools, including the London School of Economics and Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris.

Joint Degree ProgramQualified UChicago students may pursue graduate study in Middle Eastern studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, and international relations while also completing their undergraduate work. A special strength of these master’s degree programs is their interdisciplinary approach to a wide range of questions relating to international issues.

Faculty members’ expertise extends over a broad range of subjects, including international relations theory, security studies, international political economy, international history, history and conduct of U.S. foreign policy, human rights, and international law and organization.

After GraduationStudents who graduate with a degree in international studies are well prepared for a variety of different careers. Many international studies graduates take part in Teach for America or the Peace Corps, or complete research abroad with Fulbright Fellowships. Graduates likewise serve at the highest levels in government, provide leadership in some of the world’s largest and most influential international organizations, and contribute to many respected journals and media outlets.

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