International Affairs

Admission Requirements

None.

Any student admitted to KSU as a degree-seeking undergraduate may declare this major directly in Owl Express.

Foreign Language Requirement

All International Affairs majors must demonstrate competence in a foreign language up through the level of FL 2002.

Foreign Language options include: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Students can also choose American Sign Language, Arabic, or Hebrew under the FL prefix.

Double Owl Pathways

• International Affairs, B.A./Conflict Management, M.S.
• International Affairs/Public Administration, M.P.A.

Related Minors or Certificates Available

• Intelligence and Homeland Security Certificate
• Chinese Studies Minor
• Crisis Preparedness Minor
• European Studies Minor
• French and Francophone Studies Minor
• German Studies Minor
• International Affairs Minor
• Italian Studies Minor
• Japanese Minor
• Korean Minor
• Legal Studies Minor
• Lusophone Studies Minor
• Political Science Minor
• Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Minor
• Spanish Minor

Sample Classes

• POLS 2230: Careers in International Affairs

  This course focuses on academic and career planning and development issues for International Affairs majors.

• POLS 4430: International Law and Organization

  This course examines the system of law governing relations between nation-states, and the roles and functions of international organizations. It explores the conventional international law in the areas of diplomacy, territorial questions and armed conflicts, as well as the developing regimes in trade and human rights. In addition, the course examines the structures and functions of some contemporary organizations in the security and economic areas and evaluates their performance and contribution.

• POLS 4440: Comparative Democratization

  This course examines the process of democratization from a cross-national comparative perspective, with significant emphasis placed on the relationship between economic and political development. It begins with an examination of Western conceptions of democracy and the paths to democratic governance that Western states have taken. It then examines the concept of democracy through the lenses of non-Western cultures and values, and compares the distinct paths that states in each region of the world have taken toward democratization. In so doing, students critically analyze the merits of many controversial arguments put forth by political development scholars.

• POLS 4456: International Environmental Policy

  An examination of the basic elements of environmental policy making in the international arena. The course highlights current issues such as tropical rain forests, the “Global Commons” concept, biodiversity and endangered species. Policy approaches will draw upon examples from specific countries as well as policy developed within international organizations such as the United Nations.