Major in International Studies

All students must complete 15 courses (45 units) to complete the major. Upon entering the major all students should choose a set of planned electives that will focus on a specific region of the world or an international topic as a course of study. All students are required to complete an entrance survey upon registering for the major. In order to graduate, students must complete an exit survey and submit an assessment portfolio to the director of the major program. It is recommended that students complete the foundation courses in the program before proceeding through the upper-level electives.

Foreign Language Requirements

In addition to the 45 units required for the major, students must also achieve a level of proficiency equivalent to four terms of college-level language training in a modern foreign language that is offered by, or can be tested by, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Testing by outside entities other than accredited universities is not permissible. The language selected may depend upon the course of study the student chooses. For example, students with a course of study in Latin America should achieve proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese. Students can fulfill the language requirement for the International Studies major through any of the procedures outlined in the “Meeting B.A. Requirements” section of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures entry in this catalog. Lower-division courses taken in a foreign language do not count toward the 45 units needed to complete the International Studies major.

International Studies Required Courses

Courses used to fulfill a requirement in the foundation courses and research and practicum sections cannot also be used to fulfill a requirement in the upper-level electives of the course of study.

Foundation Courses
Select four of the following (from at least three different areas): 112
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
MICROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES 2
MACROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES 2
WORLD REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
HISTORY OF EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION FROM THE 17TH CENTURY
WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1300
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Research and Practicum 5
Select one of the following:3
Any 3-unit approved course in an approved study abroad / away program
Any Independent Study course offered by departments affiliated with International Studies with approval from the director of International Studies
An honors thesis if the topic is approved by the director of International Studies
One of the following:
INTERNSHIP IN ANTHROPOLOGY I 6
ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELD METHODS
STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS I 6
INTERNSHIP IN ECONOMICS 6
INTERNSHIP IN FRENCH 6
GEOGRAPHY/ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING INTERNSHIP 6
INTERNSHIP IN GERMAN 6
INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL STUDY
INTERNSHIP 6
INTERNSHIP: WASHINGTON CENTER 6
INTERNSHIP I 6
INTERNSHIP IN SPANISH 6
Total Units15
1

Honors equivalents of these courses can be substituted.

2

Students should note that upper-level ECON courses require both ECON 201 and ECON 202 as prerequisites

3

Students are encouraged to complete the International Studies required courses requirement before taking the ten courses necessary for the major electives.

4

Many of these courses require a departmental prerequisite course.

5

Students may only apply six units of any internship toward satisfying major requirements.

6

Internships must be taken for 3 units, must be in work related to international studies and must be approved by the director of International Studies or the internship coordinator for the major.

International Studies Electives (30 units)

The International Studies electives are intended to provide students with flexibility in designing a curriculum in international studies that addresses their interests while maintaining academic rigor and focus. A selection of elective courses focusing on a region or topic will be created with the assigned adviser based on a number of factors including course availability. Students are required to submit an assessment portfolio prior to graduation demonstrating how the ten elective courses completed address an international region and/or topic. Students should also consider methods and survey courses to provide an analytical skill set.  Students must complete 10 courses from at least six different disciplines. Students must take at least one course in each of the four disciplines of Anthropology, Geography, History and Political Science.

All courses in the electives must be 300 level or above unless approved by the director of International Studies or previously approved and listed in the curriculum for the major. Other courses, not listed below, that are relevant to international studies (such as special topics courses or directed readings courses) may be accepted with the approval of the student’s academic adviser or director of the program. The director of the program approves a list of special topics upper level electives not in the permanent curriculum for the major on a semester to semester basis that students may use as upper-level electives.

Study Abroad / Away

Up to 12 approved units may be utilized from an approved study abroad and away program toward satisfying the 30 units in the electives. Students who study abroad and away must obtain course equivalents for Towson courses prior to departing for their study abroad and away course work. Courses cannot count toward both the research and practicum requirement and International Studies electives in the major. These courses must be approved by the student’s academic adviser or by the program director to count as upper level electives in the major.

Honors Thesis

Students who qualify for an honors thesis may apply up to 6 units of departmental thesis courses to the 30 units in the International Studies upper-level electives. Students must obtain approval for the honors thesis topic and course work from the director of International Studies.

Disciplines

Only courses from the permanent curriculum are listed below. Students should select 10 courses from at least 6 different disciplines to complete the major ensuring that there is at least one upper level course in each of the disciplines of Anthropology, Geography, History and Political Science. The remaining 6 courses may be from these four disciplines or others dependent on the course of study pursued by the student for the major.

List of Electives

Anthropology
ANTH 307KOREA AND GLOBALIZATION3
ANTH 309SOUTH ASIAN POPULAR CULTURE3
ANTH 321ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER3
ANTH 325MORAL PANICS3
ANTH 329THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF AFRICA3
ANTH 341INFORMATION AGE CULTURES3
ANTH 343RESOURCE WARS OF THE 21ST CENTURY3
ANTH 346WEALTH, POWER AND POLITICS IN CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE3
ANTH 351DRUGS IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE3
ANTH 352ANTHROPOLOGY OF MEDIA3
ANTH 364RELIGION, MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT3
ANTH 367PEOPLES OF THE MIDDLE EAST3
ANTH 368GLOBALIZATION IN CROSS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE3
ANTH 369TRADITION & REVOLUTION IN LATIN AMERICA3
ANTH 382VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY3
Arabic
ARAB 301ARABIC COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 33
or ARAB 302 ARABIC COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II
Art History
ARTH 330EAST ASIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE3
ARTH 331ART OF CHINA3
ARTH 333ART OF JAPAN3
ARTH 339LATIN AMERICAN ART: 1800 TO PRESENT3
Asian Studies
ASST 470ADVANCED TOPICS IN ASIAN STUDIES 1,21-4
Chinese
CHNS 301CHINESE COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 33
or CHNS 302 CHINESE COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II
CHNS 306CHINESE CULTURE IN PRACTICE3
CHNS 311CHINESE CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION3
CHNS 312CHINESE MEDIA AND POP CULTURE3
CHNS 331CHINESE FOR BUSINESS3
CHNS 341CHINESE CINEMA3
CHNS 370SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHINESE 13
Cultural Studies
CLST 301PERSPECTIVES IN GLOBAL CULTURE3
Economics
ECON 305SURVEY OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS3
ECON 321HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT3
ECON 322COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS3
ECON 326ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT3
ECON 334ECONOMICS OF POVERTY AND DISCRIMINATION3
ECON 375ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS3
ECON 421INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS3
ECON 423INTERNATIONAL MONETARY THEORY AND POLICY3
English
ENGL 324EARLY 17TH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE3
ENGL 326LITERATURE OF THE BRITISH ROMANTIC PERIOD3
ENGL 336POST-COLONIAL LITERATURE3
ENGL 347CITIES IN WORLD LITERATURE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH3
ENGL 401GRANT AND ADVOCACY WRITING3
ENGL 427SHAKESPEAREAN COMEDY3
ENGL 428SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY3
ENGL 439MODERN WORLD POETRY3
ENGL 441MODERN FICTION TO WORLD WAR II3
ENGL 442MODERN FICTION SINCE WORLD WAR II3
ENGL 471TOPICS IN WORLD LITERATURE 13
Finance
FIN 435INTERNATIONAL FINANCE3
French
FREN 301ADVANCED CONVERSATION3
or FREN 302 ADVANCED COMPOSITION
FREN 32618TH-CENTURY LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION3
FREN 32719TH-CENTURY LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION3
FREN 32820TH-CENTURY LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION3
FREN 329CONTEMPORARY FRENCH LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION: 1945 TO PRESENT3
FREN 330FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION3
FREN 331FRENCH FOR BUSINESS3
FREN 351INTRODUCTION TO TRANSLATION: FRENCH TO ENGLISH3
FREN 370SPECIAL TOPICS IN FRENCH 13
FREN 420FRANCE TODAY THROUGH THE MEDIA3
FREN 422CULTURES OF THE MAGHREB3
FREN 470SPECIAL TOPICS IN FRENCH 13
Geography
GEOG 355HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF URBANIZATION3
GEOG 357CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 358FEMINIST GEOGRAPHIES3
GEOG 359ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 381POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 383NATURAL RESOURCES AND SOCIETY: A GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE3
GEOG 385POPULATION GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 410ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 411STUDIES IN NATURAL HAZARDS3
GEOG 412GEOGRAPHIES OF CONSUMPTION AND WASTE3
GEOG 419CLIMATE CHANGE: SCIENCE TO POLICY3
GEOG 427THE GLOBAL ECONOMY3
GEOG 431GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA3
GEOG 443GEOGRAPHY OF EAST ASIA3
GEOG 444GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH ASIA3
GEOG 447GEOGRAPHY OF THE MIDDLE EAST3
GEOG 451GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE3
GEOG 454RETHINKING BRAZIL3
GEOG 453GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA3
GEOG 461GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA3
GEOG 462THE TWO DOWN-UNDERS: GEOGRAPHIES OF AUSTRALIA AND AOTEAROA-NEW ZEALAND3
GEOG 463THE SILK ROAD: THE GEOGRAPHIES OF CENTRAL EURASIA3
German
GERM 301GERMAN COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 33
or GERM 302 GERMAN COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II
GERM 311CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION3
GERM 321SURV GERM LIT I3
GERM 331GERMAN FOR BUSINESS3
GERM 341READINGS IN CONTEMPORARY GERMAN3
GERM 370SPECIAL TOPICS IN GERMAN 13
GERM 441MODERN GERMAN LITERATURE3
GERM 442GERMAN LIT SI 19453
GERM 470SPECIAL TOPICS IN GERMAN 13
GERM 481THE GERMAN NOVELLE3
Hebrew
HEBR 301HEBREW COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 33
or HEBR 302 HEBREW COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II
HEBR 370SPECIAL TOPICS IN HEBREW 13
HEBR 391READING MODERN HEBREW LIT3
History
HIST 301ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION3
HIST 302ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN AND ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS3
HIST 303ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND HIS SUCCESSORS3
HIST 304ANCIENT GREEK CIVILIZATION3
HIST 305ROMAN CIVILIZATION3
HIST 307THE ANDEAN REPUBLICS3
HIST 308WOMEN IN ANTIQUITY3
HIST 309THE ETRUSCANS: ANATOMY OF A CIVILIZATION3
HIST 314THE UNITED STATES AND VIETNAM:1945-19753
HIST 315IMPERIAL CHINA: THE LAST DYNASTY3
HIST 316REVOLUTIONARY CHINA3
HIST 319JAPAN, 1830-19303
HIST 320JAPAN, 1930-PRESENT3
HIST 322HISTORY OF MEXICO: NATIONAL PERIOD3
HIST 323THE CITY AND URBAN LIFE IN LATIN AMERICA3
HIST 325GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN IMPERIAL CHINA3
HIST 328THE MAKING OF COLONIAL AFRICA (C. 1884-1994)3
HIST 329HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA3
HIST 331AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY: 1865 - 19503
HIST 332AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY SINCE 19503
HIST 336THE ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD: 1492-THE PRESENT3
HIST 338THE MIDDLE EAST: AN URBAN PERSPECTIVE3
HIST 339THE MAKING OF THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST3
HIST 340ISRAEL/PALESTINE: CONFLICTING PAST, CONFLICTING PRESENT3
HIST 342SAILORS, MERCHANTS, SPIES: PORTUGUESE ENCOUNTERS 1400-17003
HIST 354CONFLICT AND COOPERATION IN COLD WAR EAST ASIA3
HIST 355HISTORY OF JAPANESE CINEMA3
HIST 356JAPAN IN THE NUCLEAR AGE: HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI, FUKUSHIMA3
HIST 370DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 19003
HIST 378IMMIGRANTS & IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES3
HIST 384DISEASE AND HISTORY: FROM THE NEOLITHIC TO THE PRESENT3
HIST 390MEDIEVAL CITIES OF EUROPE: A COMPARATIVE HISTORY3
HIST 406EUROPE: 1815-19143
HIST 431FRANCE 1643-1871: FROM PRINCES TO PARLIAMENTS3
HIST 432FRANCE 1871-PRESENT: PARIS COMMUNE TO EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET3
HIST 440THE SAMURAI3
HIST 441GERMANY: 1871-19453
HIST 451THE HISTORY OF RUSSIA, 1801-1917: THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE 19TH CENTURY FROM REFORM TO REVOLUTION3
HIST 452HISTORY OF THE SOVIET UNION, 1917-1953: WAR, REVOLUTION, AND THE CREATION OF THE STALINIST SYSTEM3
HIST 453HISTORY OF THE USSR, 1953-1991: FROM THE DEATH OF STALIN TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION3
HIST 462THE HOLOCAUST IN HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE3
Italian
ITAL 301ADVANCED CONVERSATION 33
or ITAL 302 ADVANCED COMPOSITION
ITAL 311ITALIAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION3
ITAL 321SURVEY OF ITALIAN LITERATURE I3
ITAL 322SURVEY OF ITALIAN LITERATURE II3
ITAL 331ITALIAN FOR BUSINESS3
ITAL 341ITALIAN CINEMA3
ITAL 370SPECIAL TOPICS IN ITALIAN 13
Japanese
JPNS 301JAPANESE COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 33
or JPNS 302 JAPANESE COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II
JPNS 311JAPANESE CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION THROUGH MANGA3
Latin
LATN 301ADVANCED READINGS IN LATIN I 33
or LATN 302 ADVANCED READINGS IN LATIN II
Latin American Studies
LAST 385MODEL ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES3
LAST 484SPECIAL TOPICS IN LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO/A STUDIES 13
Management
MNGT 375INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: THEORY AND PRACTICE3
MNGT 438MULTINATIONAL MANAGEMENT3
Marketing
MKTG 445GLOBAL MARKETING3
Philosophy
PHIL 301PHILOSOPHIES OF INDIA3
PHIL 302PHILOSOPHIES OF CHINA & JAPAN3
PHIL 327AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY3
PHIL 341ETHICS3
PHIL 353PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION3
PHIL 361BIOMEDICAL ETHICS3
Political Science
POSC 303THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS3
POSC 307CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POLITICS3
POSC 329THE POLITICS OF ETHNICITY AND NATIONALISM3
POSC 337COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT OF FOREIGN POWERS: THE WESTERN WORLD3
POSC 338GOVERNMENT OF USSR AND EASTERN EUROPE3
POSC 339COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS3
POSC 340COMPARATIVE PUBLIC POLICY3
POSC 342RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS3
POSC 345GOVERNMENTS AND POLITICS OF EAST ASIA: FOCUS ON CHINA AND JAPAN3
POSC 351THE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS OF LATIN AMERICAN3
POSC 355LATIN AMERICAN POLICY OFTHE UNITED STATES3
POSC 410POLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA3
POSC 428POLITICAL THEORY II3
POSC 432UNITED STATES-RUSSIAN RELATIONS3
POSC 434COMPARATIVE FOREIGN POLICY3
POSC 436U.S. FOREIGN POLICY3
POSC 439POLITICS OF THE DEVELOPING WORLD3
POSC 445TERRORISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE3
POSC 447INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ORGANIZATION3
POSC 449U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY POLICY3
POSC 453INTELLIGENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY3
Portuguese
PORT 301COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION IN PORTUGUESE 33
Religious Studies
RLST 305FAITH PERSPECTIVES IN MEDICAL ETHICS3
RLST 307BUDDHISM IN TIBET3
RLST 308BUDDHIST SAINTS AND THEIR STORIES3
RLST 310JEWISH LAW AND ETHICS3
RLST 313ISLAMIC ETHICS3
RLST 325JEWISH GRAPHIC NOVELS3
RLST 357SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE RELIGION 13
RLST 363SUFISM: ISLAMIC MYSTICISM3
RLST 367ISLAM IN THE MODERN AGE3
Sociology
SOCI 323SOCIAL MOVEMENTS3
SOCI 326RELIGION AND SOCIETY3
SOCI 329DEMOGRAPHY3
SOCI 333POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY3
SOCI 440SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION3
Spanish
SPAN 301COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION I 33
or SPAN 302 COMPOSITION AND CONVERSATION II
SPAN 303SPANISH FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS I 33
or SPAN 304 SPANISH FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS II
SPAN 311CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION OF SPAIN3
SPAN 312CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA3
SPAN 321SURVEY OF SPANISH LITERATURE3
SPAN 322SURVEY OF SPANISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE3
SPAN 331SPANISH FOR BUSINESS3
SPAN 370SPECIAL TOPICS IN SPANISH 13
SPAN 409SPANISH TRANSLATION3
SPAN 412CONTEMPORARY SPANISH NOVEL3
SPAN 417GOLDEN AGE IN SPANISH LITERATURE I3
SPAN 43119TH CENTURY SPANISH LITERATURE3
SPAN 455HISPANIC POPULAR CULTURES3
SPAN 465FILM AND SOCIETY IN THE SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD3
SPAN 470SPECIAL TOPICS IN SPANISH 13
SPAN 481THE SHORT STORY IN SPANISH3
Women's Studies
WMST 233INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES OF WOMEN3
WMST 345WOMEN, ENVIRONMENT, AND HEALTH3
WMST 386WOMEN'S SPIRITUAL PRACTICES3
WMST 388GENDER AND RELIGION IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA3
1

Special topics, seminars, and independent study and readings courses must be related to international topics to count toward the course of study in International Studies and must be approved prior to enrollment by the major advisor or director of International Studies. 

2

Must be taken for at least 3 units in order to count toward major requirements.

3

For foreign language courses, 302 may count in place of 301 with permission of the program director.

Sample Four-Year Plan

The selected course sequence below is an example of the simplest path to degree completion. Based on course schedules, student needs, and student choice, individual plans may vary. Students should consult with their adviser to make the most appropriate elective choices and to ensure that they have completed the required number of units (120) to graduate.

(Students should attempt to use Core requirements to satisfy INST foundation courses when applicable.)

Freshman
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
FORL 101 (Core 5)3FORL 1023
INST Foundation (Core 12)3INST Foundation (Core 6)3
Core 1 (or Core 2)3Core 2 (or Core 1)3
Core 33Core 74
Core 43Core 113
 15 16
Sophomore
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
FORL 2013FORL 2023
INST Foundation 3INST Foundation3
Core 84Core 103
Core 133Core 143
Elective3Elective3
 16 15
Junior
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
INST Upper Level Elective13INST Upper Level Elective13
INST Upper Level Elective13INST Upper Level Elective13
Core 93INST Research and Practicum (Study Abroad / Internship or other qualifying course)23
Elective3Elective3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Senior
Term 1UnitsTerm 2Units
INST Upper Level Elective13INST Upper Level Elective13
INST Upper Level Elective13INST Upper Level Elective13
INST Upper Level Elective13INST Upper Level Elective13
Elective3Elective3
Elective3Elective1
 15 13
Total Units 120
1

 Students should follow the degree plan for International Studies to ensure that they have at least one course in ANTH/GEOG/HIST/POSC and at least 6 disciplines represented in their degree plan with a course of study chosen in consultation with their adviser.

2

 Students must enroll in INST 493 in order to receive credit for an internship. Students must consult with the Study Abroad office and their adviser to ensure courses taken abroad satisfy the requirements of the major. 

  1. Students will possess competency in a foreign language.
  2. Students will have the capacity to explain aspects of contemporary globalization.
  3. Students will be able to summarize and compare the historical or contemporary political, geographic, economic or cultural context of at least two foreign nation states.
  4. Students will conduct, analyze and apply research from two or more disciplines pertaining to international topics.