Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Studies

International Studies is an interdisciplinary, stand-alone major that includes four Specialty Tracks:

-  Asian Studies
-  European Studies
-  Latin American Studies
-  International Affairs

The first three Specialty Tracks are area studies, which investigate how people of a specific region understand and interpret the world, as well as the ways in which others have interpreted the people of that region, and the complex interactions between the two. The fourth track, International Affairs, explores the depth and breadth of culture, politics, policies, and processes in their international contexts.

Specific Course Requirements

The international studies major requires a minimum of 32 credit hours (eight courses).

I. Core Common Courses (INTR 230 & 465) (8 credits)

II. Specialty Track Courses (16 credits )

III. Study Abroad

IV. Modern Language (0-8 credits ), or International Electives or Additional Language Work (0-8 credits)

I.  Core Common Courses: (4 credits x 2 = 8 credits), which must include:
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
INTR 230	Theories & Methods in International Studies	4

Note: Students should take this course in the spring 12-week semester of their sophomore year.  If a student is abroad during their sophomore spring 12-week semester or joins the major late, this course can be taken during the spring 12-week semester of their junior year (or, with permission of the Chair, their senior spring 12-week semester).

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
INTR 465	International Research Colloquium	4

Note: Majors in International Studies will normally take INTR 465 during the fall 12-week semester of their senior year. If they are abroad during the fall semester of their senior year, and thus cannot take INTR 465, then they must take Independent Studies (INTR 460) during their senior spring semester, finish a research paper at least 20 pages (double-spaced, 12 font size) in length, and ideally will present their research findings at the Guilford Undergraduate Symposium (G.U.S.) during the spring.

II.  Four Specialty Track Courses : (4 credits x 4 = 16 credits), which must include: One designated core survey course 

For each track, and three additional courses within the same track (two of which must be at the 300/400 level). Note:  this requirement of coursework at the 300/400 level cannot be fulfilled by INTR 465: International Research Colloquium.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Asian Studies Specialty Track (16 credits)
- Core Survey Course (4 credits)
HIST 164	Asia Pacific in Modern Times	4
Select three of the following (4 credits X 3 = 12 credits)
Note: two of the three courses must be at 300/400 level
HIST 188	History of East Asia to 1800	4
HIST 266	Modern China in Film	4
HIST 268	Gender and Sexuality in Chinese History	4
HIST 283	Silk & Silver: Imperial China	4
HIST 284	China in Revolution	4
HIST 285	Samurai in Word and Image	4
HIST 268	Gender and Sexuality in Chinese History	4
JAPN 220	Women in Modern Japan	4
JAPN 221	Contemporary Japanese Society	4
JAPN 310	Media, Gender and Nation in Japan	4
PSCI 210	East Asian Politics	4
PSCI 275	Asia and the World	4
PSCI 315	Chinese Politics	4
PSCI 316	China and the World	4
REL 208	Hinduism	4
REL 283	HP:Religions of the Minorities of Southwest China	4
REL 317	Women in Tibetan Buddhism	4
REL 318	Tibetan & Himalayan Religions	4
REL 319	Buddhist Emptiness	4
REL 445	Shamanism	4
European Studies Specialty Track (16 credits)
- Core Survey Course (4 credits)
HIST 238
- Select three of the following (4 credits x 3 = 12 credits)
Note: two of the three courses must be 300/400 level
ART 235	Art History: Renaissance in Florence (HIST 235)	4
HIST 235	The Renaissance in Florence (ART 235)	4
ENGL 221	British Literature I	4
ENGL 222	British Literature II	4
ENGL 223	Shakespeare	4
ENGL 306	Medieval Literature	4
ENGL 309	Early Modern Literature	4
ENGL 327	British Romantic Literature	4
ENGL 328	Victorian Literature	4
FREN 315	French and Francophone Cinema	4
FREN 365	Literature and Culture: Period	4
FREN 375	Literature and Culture: Theme	4
FREN 385	Literature and Culture: Genre	4
GERM 310	Contemporary German Culture	4
GERM 311	German Youth Culture	4
GERM 320	Culture and Society: The Weimar Republic	4
GERM 400	Seminar	4
HIST 101	Medieval Lives in Love and War	4
HIST 102	The Web of Europe since 1400	4
HIST 219	The Age of Dictators: Europe, 1920s-30s	4
HIST 233	Medieval Civilization: Crusades and Chivalry	4
HIST 236	Reformation: Luther to Fox (REL 236)	4
REL 236	Reformation: Luther to Fox (HIST 236)	4
HIST 237	Europe in Revolution, 1789-1914	4
HIST 255	The Second World War	4
HIST 289	The French Revolution and Napoleon	4
HIST 314	Immigration & a Multicultural Europe, 1800-Present	4
HIST 336	The Elizabethan Age (ENGL 336)	4
ENGL 336	The Elizabethan Age (HIST 336)	4
IDS 452	Homer to Socrates: Cultures of Classical Greece (HIST 335)	4
MUS 310	Early Music and Culture	4
PHIL 310	Ancient Western Philosophy	4
PHIL 320	Modern Western Philosophy	4
REL 415	Contemporary Theolgy:Holocaust	4
SOAN 216	HP:The Anthropology of Colonialism	4
SPAN 311	Contemporary Spain	4
SPAN 321	Culture and Society: Golden Age of Spain	4
SPAN 323	Culture and Society: Beginnings of a Nation (The Integration of Three Cultures)	4
SPAN 403	Senior Seminar: Spain	4
THEA 130	Theatre and Culture I	4
THEA 131	Theatre and Culture II	4
Latin American Studies Specialty Track (16 credits)
- Core Survey Course (4 credits), select one of the two following:
HIST 272	Modern Latin America	4
SOAN 245	Race and Ethnicity in Latin America	4
- Select three of the following (4 credits X 3 + 12 credits)
Note: two of the three courses must be 300/400 level
ECON 336	Economic and Social Development: “‘Beneath’ the United States.”	4
HIST 271	Colonial Latin America	4
SOAN 331	Latinx Migration Patterns	4
SPAN 310	Contemporary Latin America	4
SPAN 320	Culture and Society: Mexico, Central America and Caribbean	4
SPAN 322	Culture and Society: South America	4
SPAN 340	Film, Life and Literature of Latin America	4
SPAN 402	Senior Seminar: Latin America	4
SOAN 430	Inequality in Latin America	4
Special Topics Course approved by the Chair of International Studies
International Affairs Specialty Track (16 credits)
- Core Survey Course (4 credits), select one of the four following:
ECON 222	Microeconomic Principles: Public Policy	4
BUS 246	International Business	4
PSCI 103	International Relations	4
SOAN 216	HP:The Anthropology of Colonialism	4
- Select three of the following (4 credits X 3 = 12 credits)
ART 203	Arts:Afr,Asia & the Americas	4
BUS 251	International Experience	4
BUS 333	Money and Capital Markets (ECON 333)	4
ECON 221	Macroeconomic Principles: “Global Vision: the U.S. in the World Economy”	4
ECON 333	Money and Capital Markets (BUS 333)	4
ECON 335	Comparative Economic Systems: “The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire”	4
ECON 336	Economic and Social Development: “‘Beneath’ the United States.”	4
ECON 342	Poverty, Power and Policy	4
ECON 344	Environmental and Resource Economics	4
ECON 432	International Economics: “‘Beside’ the United States”	4
ENGL 270	World Literature	4
ENGL 272	World Cinema	4
ENVS 101	Environment and Society	4
GEOL 151	HP:Climate and History	4
IDS 402	Business Ethics (BUS 402)	4
IDS 428	Agricultural Revolutions	4
IDS 435	Understanding Poverty	4
IDS 442	International Development	4
REL 310	Islam and Modernization	4
PECS 103	Voices of Liberation	4
PECS 110	Introduction to Peace & Conflict Studies	4
PECS 206	Challenges of Global Democratization (PSCI 206)	4
PECS 215	War and Peace in the Middle East	4
PECS 236	Conflict Transformation for Peacebuilding and Justice (JPS 236)	4
PECS 235	Peacebuilding in Divided Societies	4
PECS 246	Mediation & Conflict Intervention	4
PECS 315	Human Rights	4
PECS 316	Globalization: Economics & Social Justice	4
PECS 330	Nonviolence: Theories and Practice	4
PECS 345	Social Change: Promoting Peace	4
PECS 355	Culture, Conflict, Negotiation	4
PECS 363	Reconciliation and Justice	4
PECS 468	Religion, Spirituality and Social Change	4
PHIL 241	Ethics In a Digital World	4
PHIL 242	Environmental Ethics	4
PHIL 249	Pacifism and Just War Theory	4
PSCI 105	Comparative Politics	4
PSCI 201	Comparing Countries	4
PSCI 206	Challenges of Global Democratization (PECS 206)	4
PSCI 266	Global Terrorism	4
PSCI 319	Modern Environmental Problems	4
PSCI 330	Global Power and Wealth	4
PSCI 345	Avoiding War, Making Peace	4
PSCI 391	Globalization and Its Discontents	4
REL 230	Comparative Religious Ethics	4
SOAN 103	Cultural Anthropology	4
SOAN 321	Development Anthropology	4
SOAN 322	Environmental Anthropology	4
Total Credits		500

III.  Study Abroad 

All majors are required to study abroad for at least one semester.  Note that many (but not all) study abroad courses can count toward students’ specialty track course requirements.  Students are expected to obtain requisite permission for counting study abroad courses toward the major prior to their international study experience.

The “one-semester” study abroad requirement can also be met by taking three (3) 3-credit or 4-credit 3-week (Fall or Spring) intensive study abroad courses (i.e. the 3-week intensive courses offered under the 3-12/12-3 curriculum).  Of the three 3-week intensive study abroad courses, two must be to regions matching the student’s Specialty Track.  In the case of students following the International Affairs Specialty Track, the three 3-week intensive courses may be study abroad courses to any region. Any summer-semester coursework for three or more academic credits may also be considered for fulfilling this requirement.  In case of any ambiguity about whether or not any particular 3-week intensive study abroad course can count toward a particular area track, a final decision will be made by the Chair of International Studies.

 IV. Proficiency in a Modern Language relevant to the chose Specialty Track, at the second Intermediate level or its equivalent 

Determined by the Modern Language Studies Department's appropriate proficiency exam (0-8 credits, or 0-2 course units, depending on one’s placement). This requirement can be fulfilled by the completion of a Modern Language course at the second intermediate level with a C- or above, or by testing out of that level in the Modern Language Studies Department’s placement exam. Only the third and fourth semester (i.e. second year) of language credits count toward the major. In case of any ambiguity in choice of language, a consultation with the Chair of International Studies is required.

 As students need at least 32 credits (or 8 course units) to complete the major, if students place out of the Foreign Language requirement for the International Studies major, they must take at least two (4 credits each x 2 = 8 credits, or 2 course units) additional elective courses in any area (any “specialty track”).  In other words, these courses may be (but do not need to be) within the student’s specialty track.  These courses may be at any level.  These electives may be fulfilled by additional advanced language coursework in the student’s chosen modern language.  These electives may also be fulfilled by language coursework in a different language (i.e. different from the language(s) for which the student has already demonstrated proficiency), or any combination of the two (e.g. one semester of language and one elective course from any track, or one semester each in two different languages, etc.).  If a student places into the fourth semester of language at Guilford and thus only needs to complete a single semester of language in order to fulfill the language requirement for the International Studies major, then this International Studies Open Elective requirement for the student will be only one (4 credit) course.  Students who do not place out of either the third or fourth semester (i.e. second year) of language do not need to take any credits in this major requirement, as they will fulfill 8 credits (or 2 course units) of language for the major as they complete the equivalent of the second year of language study.  Students may elect to count approved 3-credit (or 2-credit or 1-credit) courses for elective credit but must then take more than two (4-credit) course in order to meet the minimum requirement of credits if, for example, they pass out of the foreign language requirement and therefore need eight (8) credits of electives.  Any final decisions about which coursework counts for which requirements will be made by Chair of International Studies.