International Studies Bachelor of Art

Program Mission Statement

The International Studies Program seeks to enable students to think critically about the contemporary world from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and to endow them with set of competencies needed for success in graduate programs and as professionals and leaders in a diverse range of professions within government, business and the non-profit sector.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

Content/Discipline-Specific Knowledge/Skills

• demonstrate structural knowledge of the international system.
• demonstrate an ability to compare differing cultural systems.

Critical Thinking Skills

• demonstrate the ability to locate and critically evaluate sources of information appropriate to academic research.

Communication Skills

• demonstrate the ability to construct and substantiate an original and narrowly defined argument in writing
• demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate research results orally and in a public setting.

Other Skills (Opt.)

Apply classroom concepts to the "real world" through participation in a required study abroad program.

Assessment Approaches

The International Studies Program assessment is carried out in INS4930 International Studies Senior Research Seminar, and considers the indepth research project that students conduct as the culminating experience in the major. Students are evaluated on the written paper produced through this process, as well as their oral presentation of their ideas, both through in-class presentations and as participants in a research exhibit held at the end of each semester.