Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2013 - 2014 
    
Undergraduate Catalog 2013 - 2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]


International Relations, B.A.



At-a-Glance

Minimum hours required for major: 32 credit hours — 14-hour introductory core with 11 hours of political science courses and 3 hours in economics, 15 to 16 hours in a selected International Relations concentration that includes political science and other courses in the social sciences, humanities, and arts, or in business, depending on the specific concentration, and a 5-credit-hour political science senior seminar as a capstone course.

Language Competence: Students must demonstrate mastery in a major world language of relevance to their concentration comparable to that obtained from two years of college-level instruction. Competence may be demonstrated by examination.

Admission to Major: No requirement other than good academic standing in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Double majors are encouraged.

Evening Program: Because courses are offered in a variety of departments, no assurance can be given that the major can be fully completed at night. All core courses will be available over a two-year cycle.

Foreign Study Programs: Students may apply study-abroad credit toward a concentration.

Internship Opportunities: Students can acquire valuable work experience, and can earn up to 5 credit hours through an internship in the U.S. or abroad (sign up for PSC 406 ). Specific intern assignments will be worked out on an individual basis by the department’s International Relations intern adviser. Hours earned will apply toward a concentration.

Advising: When a student signs up as an International Relations major, an adviser will be assigned to the student. To make an advising appointment, please telephone 216-687-4541 or e-mail v.varaljay@csuohio.edu in the Department of Political Science.

Additional Information:

This major is designed to give students the opportunity to engage in a multidisciplinary study of the variety of subjects concerned with international affairs. Successful completion of the major does not assure job placement in an international career. It does offer a number of advantages to students seeking entry placement in domestic and overseas private-sector firms and nongovernmental organizations where a premium is placed on the ability to interact successfully with people and economic and political practices in other cultures. It also provides an excellent foundation for more specialized graduate study in international studies, and for taking entry-level examinations into international service.

All students follow a series of core courses in political science and economics. In addition, students choose from one of a number of concentrations in the areas of international business and economics. For each of these concentrations, students take four courses from a recommended list. Students, with the agreement of the IR director or the chair of the Department of Political Science, may also design their own concentration if a grouping of appropriate courses is available.

In addition to the analytic tools of political science and economics, all International Relations majors are required to demonstrate competence in at least one major world foreign language at a level comparable to two years of college instruction. Competence may be demonstrated either by completing course work or passing an examination. Non-native English speakers may submit English as their foreign language. All other students must obtain approval for their language and show its relevance to their area of concentration. IR majors are encouraged to gain or deepen their language competence through a period of residence and/or study abroad. The department works closely with the Center for International Services and Programs to develop study-abroad opportunities for International Relations majors. In some cases scholarship support may be available to assist with travel expenses. Foreign-language majors or minors are welcome to double major in International Relations.

The Department of Political Science also encourages students to benefit from an internship program which will further deepen their knowledge of international affairs and improve their marketability. The director of the International Relations program will work with interested students to arrange internship opportunities in Cleveland, elsewhere in the United States or in some instances with foreign corporations or organizations abroad. Students can consult a list of existing opportunities, or additional ones can be developed on an individual basis.

Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in their major in order to graduate.

 

 

A minimum total number of 128 credit hours are required for every student in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. All degree seeking, CLASS students must complete a specific number of General Education (GenEd) requirements which are comprised of University and College requirements.  This is in addition to the credits for their major field of study. Students are responsible for ensuring the appropriate selection of courses to satisfy GenEd requirements. Students are highly encouraged to consult with both their general education advisor and faculty advisor regarding the applicability of selected courses each semester. A comprehensive description of Cleveland State University’s General Education Requirements for undergraduate students is available online at http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/gened/summarytable.html.

Major-Field Requirements


The curriculum for the International Relations major consists of an introductory core, a concentration, and a capstone course. The following courses represent the introductory core are required of all International Relations majors:

The Concentration:


(15 to 16 hours all at the 300-level or above, except for either PSC 221 - Comparative Politics  or PSC 274 - Introduction to Middle East, but not both.)

The purpose of the concentration is to enable students to pursue an in-depth study of one area of international studies corresponding to their intellectual and/or career interests. Courses in the concentration may be chosen from among a variety of courses in different disciplines of arts and sciences and from the College of Business. All courses selected for the concentration must be approved by the student’s adviser or by the director of the International Relations major. Students can select from among the three concentrations listed below, or may create their own concentration with the approval of their adviser. Courses listed below for each concentration are indicative and may not all be available as needed. Students should see their advisers to work out their specific set of concentration courses.

An internship or study abroad program may br applied to any of these concentrations.

1. Concentration in International Business and Economics:


Every student needs to achieve and demonstrate the equivalent of a two-year academic competence in a language relevant to the area of International Business the student is concentrating in. International Relations majors in this concentration are encouraged to focus on either a Marketing (MKT) track or a Management and Labor Relations (MLR) track.

Note(s):


*Requires instructor’s permission

3. Area Studies Concentration


(No more than one course in the disciplines of Art, Religion, and Communications may be applied toward the concentration.

Study-Abroad


The International Relations program encourages all students to include a study abroad experience as part of their curriculum if it is at all practical. We are willing to accept any CSU-approved study abroad courses to fulfill concentration requirements, provided that the subject matter is in the Social Sciences or Humanities (or, in the case of the international business concentration, Business Administration), and is directly relevant to the region represented by the concentration.

Capstone Course


All International Relations majors will be required to conclude their major with a 5-credit-hour capstone course. The capstone experience in International Relations is to complete a political science senior seminar. To take a senior seminar the International Relations major must have completed the Introductory Core and at least two 300- or 400-level courses in their concentration, or permission of the instructor.

Transitional Policy


The International Relations major frequently changes when new courses are added or when old courses are dropped, or when the department revises the curriculum. Any student has the right to complete the requirements as they existed at the time the student declared his/her IR major, or may decide to adhere to subsequent requirements. Copies of previous IR major requirements are available from the Department of Political Science.

 

 

International Relations and MAGI 4+1 Accelerated Program


For additional information, please contact:  Department of Political Science, Rhodes Tower (RT) 1744, 216-687-4541

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to allow undergraduates to complete an undergraduate and graduate degree in the equivalent of five years of study (depending on course load).

Undergraduate Students

Before entering the program, undergraduate students must complete 90 credits, including:

Transitional Students (Senior Status)

The transitional year senior status) includes the following four courses:

Admissions Criteria

Admissions Criteria for the 4+1 program include an overall GPA of 3.25, with at least a 3.5 GPA in course work counting toward the International Relations major.