BA in International Relations

Degree Roadmaps (2YR) (4YR)

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

Required Lower Division Courses (3 Units)
POLS 1Essentials Of Government 1,23
Required Upper Division Courses (15 Units)
POLS 100Introduction to Research Methods in Political Science3
POLS 111Political Thought II3
or POLS 110 Political Thought I
or POLS 112 Current Political Thought
POLS 130International Politics3
POLS 136International Political Economy3
POLS 140Comparative Politics3
Electives (24 Units)
Select 24 units24
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 Units42
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

Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units)
A1 - Oral Communication3
A2 - Written Communication3
A3 - Critical Thinking3
Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (10 Units)
B1 - Physical Science3
B2 - Life Forms3
B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B5)1
B4 - Math Concepts3
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 - Arts3
C2 - Humanities3
C1/C2 - Area C Course3
C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 30 - 3
Area D: The Individual and Society (3-6 Units)
Area D Course3
Area D Course 20
Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. 40 - 3
Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units)
Area E Course3
Area F: Ethnic Studies
Area F Course
Total Units34-40
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

Graduation Requirements (required by CSU) (3-6 Units)
American Institutions: U.S. History3
American Institutions: U.S. Constitution & CA Government 20
Writing Intensive (WI) 30 - 3
Graduation Requirements (required by Sacramento State) (9-12 Units)
English Composition II3
Race and Ethnicity in American Society (RE) 40 - 3
Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 56
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