International Studies

The College of Letters and Science Seven-Course Breadth requirement and American Cultures Breadth requirement are the foundation of the college's liberal arts program. It can only be fulfilled with college coursework; AP exams and other high school work do not count toward this requirement.

An in-depth exploration of political, cultural, artistic and/or socio-economic life centered on a country or region other than the United States and in the contemporary period.

* - Courses that also fulfill the American Cultures Breadth requirement

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Geography 4—World Peoples and Cultural Environments (4 units)

Department Abbreviation: XGEOG 4

Prerequisite: None

Satisfies: Either the International Studies or the Social and Behavioral Sciences breadth category if completed with a C- or better or a Passed grade.

Course Description: Historical and contemporary cultural-environmental patterns. The development and spread of cultural adaptations, human use of resources, transformation and creation of human environments.

Class Description: Refugees, Climate Change, and Human Rights—This course examines the reasons behind the movement of people across national boundaries on a significant scale in the context of civil wars, fear of persecution, climate change, economic crises, armed conflict, collapsing and fragile states, natural disasters, violations of human rights, and the threat of terrorism and generalized violence. It also explores climate-related human mobility, migration, and displacement as responses to climatic and environmental changes.

Schedule of Classes

Political Science 2—Introduction to Comparative Politics (4 units)

Department Abbreviation: XPOLSCI 2

Prerequisite: None

Satisfies: Either the International Studies or Social and Behavioral Sciences breadth category if completed with a C− or better or a Passed grade

Course Description: This course aims to furnish students with the tools needed to study politics and society in comparative perspective, by introducing concepts and methods of comparative analysis and examining core assumptions about human nature that underpin social scientists’ thinking. We will investigate the variety of political regimes under which people live around the world, and consider the factors that influence which type of political regime prevails in particular national settings.

Class Description: Who has the right to hold power in society? Is there a “recipe” for economic development? Is democracy inappropriate, or impossible, within some cultural contexts? What can ordinary people do to bring about political change? PS2 will address these questions, giving you an introduction to the dynamics of political and economic development within various countries around the world.

Schedule of Classes