BA in International Relations
Units required for Major: 42
Total units required for BA: 120
Program Description
The International Relations major complements a student's liberal arts education with an emphasis on understanding the theoretical and practical aspects of government and politics with a focus on global politics. The International Relations major is structured to provide students with a background in the basic fields of political science with an emphasis on the fields of Comparative Politics and International Politics, as well as to permit them to take supporting courses in a range of other disciplines with foci on politics and cultures in regions outside the United States and in the international system.
Minimum GPA Requirement
Students are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA.
Program Requirements
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Required Lower Division Courses (3 Units) | ||
POLS 1 | Essentials Of Government 1,2 | 3 |
Required Upper Division Courses (15 Units) | ||
POLS 100 | Introduction to Research Methods in Political Science | 3 |
POLS 111 | Political Thought II | 3 |
or POLS 110 | Political Thought I | |
or POLS 112 | Current Political Thought | |
POLS 130 | International Politics | 3 |
POLS 136 | International Political Economy | 3 |
POLS 140 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
Electives (24 Units) | ||
Select 24 units | 24 | |
World Politics 2 | ||
Just War, Natural Right, and the Law of Nations | ||
Socialism Marxism-Communism | ||
International Law | ||
International Organization | ||
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age | ||
American Defense and National Security | ||
War, Peace and the Mass Media 2 | ||
United States Foreign Policy | ||
Nationalism | ||
UN Simulation | ||
Globalization | ||
International Politics and International Development | ||
Intelligence and Espionage | ||
Topics in Human Security | ||
Politics of the African Diaspora 2 | ||
Government and Politics in Africa 2 | ||
Causes of War, Causes of Peace 2 | ||
European Politics 2 | ||
Asian Politics | ||
Latin American Government and Politics 2 | ||
Governments and Politics in the Middle East 2 | ||
Original Research in Comparative Politics | ||
Comparative Revolutions | ||
American Film and Culture in the Nuclear Age | ||
Gender and Politics | ||
Up to 3 classes (9 Units) of Electives may be taken from the following approved list of classes in other departments: | ||
Anthropology of War | ||
Peoples and Cultures of Latin America | ||
African Cultures and Societies | ||
Anthropology of Contemporary Asia | ||
Anthropology of Human Rights | ||
Genocide in Southeast Asia | ||
International Trade | ||
International Finance | ||
Development Economics | ||
Race and Ethnicity in Latin America and Caribbean 2 | ||
Geography Of Europe | ||
Great Ages and Issues in Modern European History 2 | ||
World War I: Causes, Conduct, Consequences | ||
The Rise and Fall of European Colonial Empires | ||
Latin American Revolutions in the Twentieth Century | ||
Colonial Latin America 2 | ||
Modern and Contemporary Latin America 2 | ||
History of Africa Since 1800 2 | ||
History of Women in Africa 2 | ||
The Modern Middle East 2 | ||
The Making of Modern Southeast Asia | ||
Immigration Studies | ||
Middle Eastern Societies and Culture 2 | ||
Conflict, Oil and Development in the Middle East 2 | ||
Sociology of Globalization 2 | ||
Women Of The Middle East | ||
Sex & Gender in South Asia | ||
Violence Against Women | ||
Women & Globalization | ||
Total Units | 42 |
- 1
POLS 150 or an AP Test of 3 or above in AP American Government may be used in place of POLS 1 to satisfy the requirement.
- 2
Course also satisfies General Education (GE)/Graduation Requirement.
- 3
21 of the 24 elective units must be upper division.
Note:
- POLS 35 may be taken to satisfy 3 elective units all others must be selected from Government courses numbered from 130 through 149. Students may also include POLS 118, POLS 119A, POLS 127 POLS 162, and POLS 166 as electives. Up to nine (9) units of work in classes in other disciplines that have an international relations/comparative politics content can be used to satisfy the requirements of the major. Approved classes are listed above.
- The Department strongly recommends that students select elective courses that include both thematic areas, such as globalization, internal organizations, and security studies, as well as regional concentrations such as Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle east.
- If a student has not taken POLS 1 or its equivalent, then POLS 150 or a score on the AP American Government Exam of 3 or above may count as the prerequisite for the major..
General Education Requirements1
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units) | ||
A1 - Oral Communication | 3 | |
A2 - Written Communication | 3 | |
A3 - Critical Thinking | 3 | |
Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (10 Units) | ||
B1 - Physical Science | 3 | |
B2 - Life Forms | 3 | |
B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B5) | 1 | |
B4 - Math Concepts | 3 | |
B5 - Additional Course (Any B to reach 12 units) - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. | 0 | |
Area C: Arts and Humanities (9-12 Units) | ||
C1 - Arts | 3 | |
C2 - Humanities | 3 | |
C1/C2 - Area C Course | 3 | |
C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 3 | 0 - 3 | |
Area D: The Individual and Society (3-6 Units) | ||
Area D Course | 3 | |
Area D Course 2 | 0 | |
Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 4 | 0 - 3 | |
Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units) | ||
Area E Course | 3 | |
Area F: Ethnic Studies | ||
Area F Course | ||
Total Units | 34-40 |
- 1
To help you complete your degree in a timely manner and not take more units than absolutely necessary, there are ways to use single courses to meet more than one requirement (overlap). For further information, please visit the General Education page.
Note: There is no way to list all possible overlaps so please consult with a professional advisor. The Academic Advising Center can be visited online, by phone (916) 278-1000, or email.
- 2
Required in Major; also satisfies GE.
- 3
Department offers students a "select from the following" option:
- 4
Department offers students a "select from the following" option:
Graduation Requirements1
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Graduation Requirements (required by CSU) (3-6 Units) | ||
American Institutions: U.S. History | 3 | |
American Institutions: U.S. Constitution & CA Government 2 | 0 | |
Writing Intensive (WI) 3 | 0 - 3 | |
Graduation Requirements (required by Sacramento State) (9-12 Units) | ||
English Composition II | 3 | |
Race and Ethnicity in American Society (RE) 4 | 0 - 3 | |
Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 5 | 6 |
- 1
To help you complete your degree in a timely manner and not take more units than absolutely necessary, there are ways to use single courses to meet more than one requirement (overlap). For further information, please visit the General Education page.
Note: There is no way to list all possible overlaps so please consult with a professional advisor. The Academic Advising Center can be visited online, by phone (916) 278-1000, or email.
- 2
Required in Major; also satisfies Graduation Requirement.
- 3
Department offers students a "select from the following" option:
- 4
Department offers students a "select from the following" option:
- If student chooses to take POLS 141 they will meet the Race and Ethnicity (RE) Graduation Requirement.
- 5
If not satisfied before entering Sacramento State, it may be satisfied in General Education Area C2 (Humanities). "C- or better required." The alternative methods for satisfying the Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement are described here: https://www.csus.edu/college/arts-letters/world-languages-literatures/foreign-language-requirement.html