International Affairs
International affairs encompasses political, military, economic, legal, and cultural relations involving states, nations, international and nongovernmental organizations, and transnational groups. Study in this discipline explores how international actors, the international system, and states’ domestic environments individually and collectively affect the prospects for conflict and cooperation. Academic work focuses in particular on foreign policy, national and international security, human rights, international organizations and law, global order, economic relations, political violence, and political and economic development.
Often, this field of study is contained within a political science department. Lewis & Clark’s freestanding Department of International Affairs provides an opportunity to study the multiple dimensions of international relations in greater conceptual and empirical depth and breadth. It also allows students to integrate courses and insights from other disciplines into the major.
The department offers a rigorous and challenging conceptually oriented curriculum that introduces students to core ideas in the study of international relations, as well as the tools and methods of the social sciences and other disciplines. Students gain the analytical and methodological skills necessary to make informed judgments about the sources, significance, and consequences of diverse developments, as well as a solid empirical grounding in the field.
The department sponsors several extracurricular activities for students interested in international relations. The annual International Affairs Symposium, a three-day event organized by students, hosts academic and policy experts who debate aspects of a chosen topic in the field. Majors also participate in an active Model United Nations. The Meridian, a student-run journal, offers students a forum in which to publish their own essays and photographs related to international affairs.
Resources for Nonmajors
An understanding of international affairs is important to each student’s growth as an individual and as a citizen of an increasingly interdependent world. A number of courses in the department are accessible to nonmajors without prerequisites. Introduction to International Relations (IA 100) gives the best general introduction to the field as a whole. Nonmajors are welcome to participate in the department’s extracurricular activities, including the International Affairs Symposium.
The Major Program
Majors in international affairs are required to take six core courses as well as an elective in each of five subject areas. Each student works with an advisor to construct a program appropriate to his/her intellectual interests and career goals.
IA 100 Introduction to International Relations should be taken early in the student’s academic career. This course provides an overview of the central concepts used in understanding international relations and is a prerequisite for most other departmental courses. Students are advised to complete ECON 100 Principles of Economics, POLS 102 Introduction to Comparative Politics, and IA 212 United States Foreign Policy early in their coursework, ideally by the end of their second year. These courses introduce students to important concepts and empirical information that inform upper-level courses. IA 310 International Relations Theories must be taken before IA 430 International Affairs Seminar, otherwise known as the thesis course. Most students take these courses in the fall and spring of their final year.
In addition to the course requirements, majors are encouraged to develop an academic program that enables them to study at least one language other than English beyond the 201 level, participate in an off-campus program, and take courses in other disciplines appropriate to individual interests and career goals. Majors are also encouraged to couple their coursework with practical learning that includes, for example, internships with government and nongovernmental organizations. These opportunities may be pursued during the academic year and/or in the summer months.
The major’s diverse course offerings and opportunities create many career paths. Some majors decide to pursue further academic study and enter graduate and professional programs. Others find employment in public service, journalism, education, business, humanitarian work, international organizations, and local and national government.
The international affairs curriculum is organized into core courses and departmental subject areas. (See lists below.)
Major Requirements
A minimum of 44 semester credits (11 courses), distributed as follows:
- IA 100 Introduction to International Relations
- IA 212 United States Foreign Policy
- IA 310 International Relations Theories
- IA 430 International Affairs Seminar
- ECON 100 Principles of Economics
- POLS 102 Introduction to Comparative Politics
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One elective course from each of the following departmental subject areas: comparative and regional perspectives; global security, conflict, and diplomacy; global governance; and economic perspectives.
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One elective course from the research methods category, or an additional course from one of the departmental subject areas: comparative and regional perspectives; global security, conflict, and diplomacy; global governance; and economic perspectives.
Core Courses
International Affairs
| Introduction to International Relations | ||
| United States Foreign Policy | ||
| International Relations Theories | ||
| International Affairs Seminar |
Economics
| Principles of Economics |
Political Science
| Introduction to Comparative Politics |
Comparative and Regional Perspectives
International Affairs
| Middle East Politics |
History
| Modern European History | ||
| Modern Latin American History | ||
| The Emergence of Modern South Asia | ||
| Modern History of Palestine-Israel | ||
| The British Empire |
Political Science
| Transitions to Democracy and Authoritarianism | ||
| Russian Politics in Comparative Perspective | ||
| European Politics | ||
| Topics in Comparative Politics |
Religious Studies
| Religion and Modernity in East Asian History | ||
| Islamic Political and Social Movements |
Sociology and Anthropology
| Global Inequality | ||
| Social Change in Latin America |
Global Security, Conflict, and Diplomacy
International Affairs
| Global Resource Dilemmas | ||
| Resistance and Resilience in Civil Conflict | ||
| Crises in Global Governance | ||
| Global Security | ||
| Perception and International Relations | ||
| Global Order |
Global Governance
International Affairs
| International Organization | ||
| Human Rights in International Relations | ||
| Crises in Global Governance | ||
| International Law | ||
| Global Order |
Economic Perspectives
International Affairs
| International Political Economy | ||
| Social Justice in the Global Economy |
Economics
| Economics of Globalization | ||
| Economic Development | ||
| International Finance | ||
| International Economics |
Research Methods
Economics
| Statistics |
Mathematics
MATH 105 Perspectives in Statistics
Political Science
| Research Methods in Political Science |
Sociology and Anthropology
| Ethnographic Research Methods | ||
| Quantitative Research Methods |
Honors
The honors program is based on the IA thesis. All international affairs majors who have a major GPA of 3.700 or higher (or who can plausibly achieve this major GPA by the time of their graduation) are eligible for honors consideration. Eligible students will be invited to declare their honors candidacy early in the thesis process. Students whose theses are judged by department faculty to be of superior quality, originality, and insight will receive the award of departmental honors upon graduation.
Faculty
Elizabeth A. Bennett. Joseph M. Ha Professor of International Affairs. International political economy, global social movements, voluntary social/environmental regulation. PhD 2014, AM 2010 Brown University. MALD 2008 Fletcher School, Tufts University. BA 2002 Hope College.
Suparna Chaudhry. Associate professor of international affairs. Human rights, international law, political violence, nongovernmental organizations and civil society, South Asian politics. PhD 2016, MPhil 2014 Yale University. MA 2010 University of Chicago. BA 2009 St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi.
Kyle M. Lascurettes. Associate professor of international affairs. International relations theory, international order and global governance, international security, American foreign policy. PhD 2012, MA 2006 University of Virginia. BA 2004 St. Lawrence University.
Bob Mandel. Marc Messina professor of international affairs. Conflict and security, global resource issues, transnational studies, psychological aspects of international affairs, research methods, international relations theory. PhD 1976, MPhil 1975, MA 1974 Yale University. AB 1972 Brown University.
Matt Scroggs. Assistant professor with term of international affairs. International security, coercive diplomacy, American foreign policy. PhD 2017 University of Virginia. AM 2010 University of Chicago. BA 2008 University of Washington.
Courses
IA 100 Introduction to International Relations
Content: An introduction to a conceptual, analytical, and historical understanding of international relations. Emphasis on the international system and the opportunities and constraints it places on state and nonstate behavior. Cooperation and conflict, sovereignty, the rich-poor gap, determinants of national power, interdependence, the process of globalization, international institutions, and the role of transnational phenomena. Designed for students who have no previous background in the study of international relations.
Prerequisites: None.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 211 International Organization
Content: Examines attempts at governance in the international system, including the birth of the modern state system, the United Nations, and other international organizations. Explores competing explanations for global cooperation in conflict management, economics, and human rights.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 212 United States Foreign Policy
Content: An overview of contemporary U.S. foreign policy from a historical and theoretical perspective. International, domestic, bureaucratic, and individual determinants of policy-making. New challenges and prospects for U.S. foreign policy in the post-Cold War era.
Prerequisites: IA 100, POLS 102, or POLS 103.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 244 IA Practicum/Internship
Content: Field learning experience combining theoretical concepts and skills learned in the classroom with practical work in on- and off-campus organizations. Students may participate in individually arranged opportunities or the International Affairs Symposium: Guided readings on the topic of the College's annual International Affairs Symposium. Focus on key issues of controversy within contemporary international relation. Recent topics have included global terrorism, arms transfers, migration, disease, and humanitarian intervention. Discussion of the substantive issues involved, preparation of written materials, and training and guidance to shape sessions and the ways to create an effective symposium. The International Affairs Symposium section must be taken in a fall-spring sequence; it may not be started in the spring, and students enrolling in the fall must take it in the spring. It may be taken up to four times.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing and consent required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-4.
IA 245 International Affairs Symposium
Content: Research into international issues. Practicum involving planning and development of topics, themes, conceptual questions, and coordination of logistics, speaker invitations, and marketing, which culminates in the production of the annual International Affairs Symposium. Instructor consent required.
Prerequisites: None.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 2.
IA 257 Global Resource Dilemmas
Content: Exploration of the controversies surrounding global resource and environmental problems. Topics include the "limits to growth" and "lifeboat ethics" debates; global population, food, water, and energy problems; environment and development; and international resource conflict. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 290 Middle East Politics
Content: Analysis and explanation of the historical forces that shaped the complexities of this region, placing the area in its proper setting and perspective.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 296 Human Rights in International Relations
Content: Tensions surrounding sovereignty, or nonintervention, in the face of increasingly severe human rights abuses. Overview of the philosophical underpinnings of human rights as well as prominent debates in the human rights literature. Critical examination of the doctrine of sovereignty in international relations theory and practice. Analysis of the international community's ways of preventing human rights violations, including political and judicial enforcement of human rights norms. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 299 Independent Study
Content: Opportunities for well-prepared students to design and pursue a substantive course of independent learning. Details determined by the student and the supervising instructor. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing and consent required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-4.
IA 303 Resistance and Resilience in Civil Conflict
Content: Introduces the dynamics of civil conflicts (riots, pogroms, civil wars, revolutions, ethnic cleansing, genocide) in the 20th and 21st centuries through contemporary literature, memoirs, and documentaries. Topics include how ordinary people organize to contest injustice and resist; the various forms of mobilization (both violent and nonviolent) in which they engage; how these experiences are gendered; women's rights and roles during and after conflict; the role of NGOs and aid organizations in building resilience in post-conflict contexts as well as critiques leveled against them.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 310 International Relations Theories
Content: Contending theories of international relations, specifically those that explain the evolution and content of world politics by reference to transnational, international, state-specific, and/or individual factors. Emphasis on the conceptual, analytical, and methodological aspects of and debates in international relations theory. Junior standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100. Two 200-level international affairs courses.
Restrictions: Junior standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 315 Crises in Global Governance
Content: Exploration of how different forms of governance, ranging from more formal institutions like the European Union and United Nations to less formal ones like alliances and simple coordination, manage moments of crisis or conflict. In-depth case studies and historical analyses; quantitative and statistical analyses; in-class simulations designed to get students thinking like policymakers. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 330 Global Security
Content: Analysis of the major theories covering human, state, and international security. Emphasis on developing a probing conceptual understanding of ongoing challenges emanating from both state and nonstate sources. Explores military, economic, environmental, political, cultural dimensions. Cross-cultural security perspectives relevant to both Western and non-Western societies. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 333 International Law
Content: The political setting of international law, its changing content, its influence on the foreign policies of states, the special problems of regulating war, and developing and implementing human rights. Focus on insights from social science theories and perspectives, not on technical understanding of international law. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 340 International Political Economy
Content: The relationship between politics and economics in international relations. History of the modern international political economy, and theories to explain how political factors affect the content and evolution of international economic systems. Focus on trade, monetary, financial, and production relations. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100. ECON 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 342 Perception and International Relations
Content: Processes and patterns of intergroup and international perception, views of enemies, perception in foreign policy-making and deterrence, ways of reducing perceptual distortions. Students analyze and theorize about the role of misperception - distortions in one state's perception of other states - in international relations. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Alternate Years, fall semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 348 Global Order
Content: Exploration of the origins and development of the modern state system in world politics, focusing on the different and most productive ways to think about how international relations have been or could be organized. Topics include the origins of state sovereignty and alternatives to it; important material, ideological, and political trends in international affairs in the 17th through 20th centuries; the ingenuities and weaknesses of the American-led international order of the postwar era; the rapid development of international courts and tribunals, particularly since the end of the Cold War; and the prospects for and desirability of a non-Western-dominated global order emerging over the coming century. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 350 Social Justice in the Global Economy
Content: Examines the concepts of social justice, environmental sustainability, and fair trade within the context of the international political economy (IPE). How have these concepts been fostered or limited in the 20th- and 21st-century IPE? How have states, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector promoted or challenged further incorporation of concepts in the IPE? Focuses on empirical problems and analysis of existing and potential solutions, with special attention to voluntary, ethical certification systems such as fair trade. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 100. IA 238, IA 340 or ECON 232.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 430 International Affairs Seminar
Content: Advanced research in international affairs. Students are expected to develop, research, write, and present a methodologically rigorous and analytically oriented analysis of some dimension of international relations. Topics and explanations are to be informed and guided by the relevant international relations literature. Normally taken during spring semester of senior year. Sophomore standing required.
Prerequisites: IA 310.
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required.
Usually offered: Annually, spring semester.
Semester credits: 4.
IA 444 Practicum
Content: Field-learning experience combining theoretical concepts and skills learned in the classroom with practical work in on-campus and off-campus organizations such as the World Trade Center, World Affairs Council, or U.S. Department of Commerce in Portland. Students must be well prepared prior to enrollment, consult the faculty supervisor about the program in advance, and write a report on the practicum experience. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Junior standing and consent required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 2-4.
IA 499 Independent Study
Content: Same as IA 299 but requiring more advanced work. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Junior standing and consent required.
Usually offered: Annually, fall and spring semester.
Semester credits: 1-4.