Message from the Director

Erik Owens

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the International Studies Program at 乱伦小可爱. Founded in the mid-1990s, the IS Program has enjoyed remarkable success because of its rigorous interdisciplinary approach and global focus. In 2018 we were cited in 乱伦小可爱鈥檚 Strategic Plan as a key area of investment in its push to enhance global engagement, and we see the results of that investment in new faculty, expanded course offerings, and new opportunities for study abroad. The IS Program consistently ranks among the top 10 most popular majors and minors at 乱伦小可爱 in terms of size, with approximately 265 majors and 140 minors in 2023.

What makes our program special? When we survey students and alumni about the IS Program, they consistently highlight the fact that it is rigorous, flexible, interdisciplinary, and global.

The rigor in our program rests both in the structure and the content of our curriculum. Following a competitive application process for majors (applications are due February 1 each year), our challenging core courses provide a crucial multi-disciplinary foundation for advanced work in a selected concentration. We require five more courses than most majors at 乱伦小可爱, plus a higher level of language proficiency; a senior thesis or research seminar completes the major course of study.

Our flexibility shows in the many choices students have to develop their interests within one of four concentrations (Conflict and Cooperation, Ethics & Social Justice, Global Cultures, and Political Economy & Development Studies), and to focus their expertise within those concentrations by taking four clustered electives drawn from across the