International Studies Adjunct Major
Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.
The major in International Studies is a gateway to the study of global affairs in Weinberg College. Its mission is to encourage and support student education and scholarship in international affairs and it is open to all Weinberg students and to students from across the university. In addition to the curriculum set out below, International Studies offers weekly seminars, research support, career counseling, public events, and more.
Adjunct Major Requirements (10 units, plus language study requirement)
Double-counting note: Weinberg College requires all adjunct majors be completed along with a stand-alone major. For international studies, at most 2 of the 10 required units (core courses, thematic concentration courses, and project courses) may be double-counted toward both this major and another major. There is no special allowance to allow double-counting with a minor except where this may be explicitly permitted by another rule in this catalog. Weinberg College does allow double-counting a major course toward a general bachelor's degree requirement (i.e. degree requirements other than majors or minors). Other programs or schools may have their own restrictions that supersede this, so check the relevant parts of this catalog for possible limits.
Core Courses (5 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| 5 core courses chosen from: | |
| HISTORY 250-1 | Global History: Early Modern to Modern Transition |
| HISTORY 250-2 | Global History: The Modern World |
| HISTORY 319-0 | US Foreign Relations |
| or POLI_SCI 344-0 | U.S. Foreign Policy |
| or JOUR 353-0 | Dilemmas of American Power |
| ECON 201-0 | Introduction to Macroeconomics |
| or SOCIOL 215-0 | Economy and Society |
| POLI_SCI 240-0 | Introduction to International Relations |
Thematic Concentration (4 units)
4 courses (except where noted) in a thematic concentration. More information about the concentrations and lists of additional eligible courses may be found each quarter at the program office and on the International Studies website.
Borders, Boundaries, and Crossings Concentration
Reflecting the global and transdisciplinary orientation of the International Studies Program, this cluster examines intersections, interconnections and transactions involving borders, boundaries and crossings. It encourages students to think conceptually and critically about concepts and practices of sovereignty, immigration, conflict, and cooperation.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| ANTHRO 211-0 | Culture & Society |
| ANTHRO 215-0 | The Study of Culture through Language |
| ANTHRO 315-0 | Medical Anthropology |
| ANTHRO 357-0 | Biocultural Perspectives on Water Insecurity |
| ART_HIST 224-0 | Introduction to Ancient Art |
| BLK_ST 345-0 | Afro-Latin America |
| FRENCH 211-0 | Reading Cultures in French |
| FRENCH 272-0 | Introducing Theatre |
| FRENCH 273-0 | Introducing Poetry |
| FRENCH 344-0 | Rousseau and the French Revolution |
| GBL_HLTH 302-0 | Global Bioethics |
| GBL_HLTH 306-0 | Biomedicine and Culture |
| GBL_HLTH 321-0 | War and Public Health |
| GBL_HLTH 323-0 | Global Health from Policy to Practice |
| GBL_HLTH 325-0 | History of Reproductive Health |
| GBL_HLTH 357-0 | Biocultural Perspectives on Water Insecurity |
| GERMAN 328-0 | Prague: City of Cultures, City of Conflict |
| GERMAN 366-0 | Yiddish Culture and the Holocaust |
| HISTORY 201-1 | Europe in the Medieval and Early Modern World |
| HISTORY 255-3 | Modern Africa |
| HISTORY 271-3 | History of the Modern Middle East, 1789 - Present |
| HISTORY 275-2 | History of Modern Science and Medicine |
| HISTORY 281-0 | Chinese Civilization |
| HISTORY 340-0 | Gender, War, and Revolution in the 20th Century |
| HISTORY 349-0 | The Holocaust |
| HISTORY 362-3 | Britain Since 1900: The Decline and Fall of Empire |
| HISTORY 366-0 | Latin America in the Independence Era: American Indians and Nations |
| HISTORY 379-0 | Biomedicine and World History |
| JWSH_ST 366-0 | Yiddish Culture and the Holocaust |
| JOUR 372-0 | International Journalism: South Africa |
| LING 222-0 | Language, Politics, and Identity |
| MUSICOL 330-0 | Russian Fairy Tale Opera |
| POLI_SCI 345-0 | National Security |
| POLI_SCI 376-0 | Civil Wars |
| RELIGION 210-0 | Introduction to Buddhism |
| RELIGION 230-0 | Introduction to Judaism |
| RTVF 312-1 | History of Film I |
| SLAVIC 211-1 | 20th-Century Russian Literature |
| SLAVIC 222-0 | Language, Politics, & Identity |
| SLAVIC 328-0 | Prague: City of Cultures, City of Conflict |
| SPANISH 223-0 | Cervantes (Taught in English) |
| SPANISH 250-0 | Literature in Spain before 1700 |
| SPANISH 261-0 | Literature in Modern Latin America |
Global Humanities Concentration
This concentration joins with the Kaplan Institute for the Humanities to support global perspectives on the humanities, including literature, art, philosophy, performance, and more. Students complete four approved humanities courses.
Global Law and Society Concentration
This cluster looks at the role and dynamics of law in contemporary international society, including law's relations with other social institutions and forces. This includes empirical, historical, as well as theoretical approaches to legal institutions and processes.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| LEGAL_ST 356-0 | Constitutional Challenges in Comparative Perspective |
| POLI_SCI 307-0 | Deportation Law and Politics |
| POLI_SCI 356-0 | Constitutional Challenges in Comparative Perspective |
| POLI_SCI 383-0 | War and Change in International Politics |
| RELIGION 351-0 | Islamic Law |
Political Economy Concentration
This cluster illuminates connections between economic, political, and social affairs. It encourages students to consider global political economic debates and questions from a variety of perspectives across departments of the University.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| ECON 325-0 | Economic Growth & Development |
| ECON 326-0 | The Economics of Developing Countries |
| ECON 327-0 | Economic Development in Africa |
| ECON 342-0 | Economics of Gender |
| ECON 361-0 | International Trade |
| ECON 362-0 | International Finance |
| ENVR_POL 251-0 | The Politics of Disaster: A Global Environmental History |
| GERMAN 224-0 | Contemporary Germany |
| HISTORY 203-1 | Jewish History I: 750-1492 |
| HISTORY 251-0 | The Politics of Disaster: A Global Environmental History |
| POLI_SCI 341-0 | International Political Economy |
| POLI_SCI 348-0 | Globalization |
| POLI_SCI 250-0 | Introduction to Comparative Politics |
| POLI_SCI 346-0 | European Union in International Affairs |
| POLI_SCI 351-0 | Politics of the Middle East |
| POLI_SCI 354-0 | Politics of Southeast Asia |
| POLI_SCI 355-0 | Politics of China |
| POLI_SCI 359-0 | Politics of Africa |
| POLI_SCI 368-0 | Political Economy of Development |
| POLI_SCI 373-0 | Chinese Foreign Policy |
| POLI_SCI 376-0 | Civil Wars |
| SOCIOL 324-0 | Global Capitalism |
The U.S. and the World Concentration
This cluster examines the history and politics of American foreign relations. Topics include the history and politics of manifest destiny; race, immigration and foreign policy; the role of the United States in the international legal order; the politics of globalization; religious difference and foreign policy; the privatization of authority; the ethics and politics of interventionism; and the politics of American relations to international institutions.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| BLK_ST 320-0 | Social Meaning of Race |
| HISTORY 275-2 | History of Modern Science and Medicine |
| HISTORY 282-0 | Sino-American Relations in the Modern World |
| SOCIOL 324-0 | Global Capitalism |
World Language and Experience Concentration
This concentration emphasizes learning through experience. It requires six units of training in a language beyond coursework satisfying the International Studies language study requirement, plus study abroad or comparable experience outside the U.S.
Self-designed Concentration
Students who wish to propose a thematic program of study that does not fit into one of the themes listed above may petition to create a self-designed thematic cluster.
Integrating Project Seminar or Thesis Seminar (1 or more units)
1 unit minimum of integrating project seminar or thesis seminar
- Most international studies majors in their junior or senior year take INTL_ST 395-0 Integrating Project Seminar. The seminar provides a format to complete a research project that integrates a variety of disciplines to address an issue in international culture, society, economics, or politics.
- Instead of an integrating seminar, students admitted to the international studies honors program participate in the 2-quarter thesis seminar (INTL_ST 398-1 & INTL_ST 398-2) and write an integrated honors thesis.
Language Study Requirement
Double-counting note: Weinberg College allows courses used to satisfy the language study requirement of the international studies major to be double-counted toward some other major or minor, or general bachelor's degree requirement. Other programs or schools may have their own restrictions that supersede this, so check the relevant parts of this catalog for possible limits.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English at a level equivalent to two full years of instruction at Northwestern. Students must also take at least three language courses at Northwestern even if they have documented proficiency in one non-English language through testing. These three units of credit may be at any language-learning level and may count towards the Weinberg College language proficiency requirement.
Honors in International Studies
Majors with strong academic records and an interest in pursuing honors should apply in spring quarter of junior year. Students accepted into the honors program enroll in a 2-quarter seminar (INTL_ST 398-1, INTL_ST 398-2) in fall and winter of senior year, during which they plan, research, and write their theses. The two seminar enrollments take the place of the integrating project seminar required of other international studies majors.
Students whose theses and grades meet program criteria are recommended to the college for graduation with honors. For more information contact the International Studies Program, and see Honors in the Major.