Director:
Associate Professor Mark Mufti,
Political Science
Core faculty:
Associate Professor Paula Aymer, Sociology
Associate Professor Marcelo Bianconi, Economics
Associate Professor Drusilla Brown, Economics
Assistant Director Dale Bryan, Peace and Justice Studies
Associate Professor Gregory Carleton, Russian
Assistant Professor Kerry Chase, Political Science
Associate Professor David Dapice, Economics
Associate Professor Robert Devigne, Political Science
Assistant Professor Karen Eggleston, Economics
Associate Professor Richard C. Eichenberg, Political Science
Professor Leila T. Fawaz, History
Associate Professor David M. Guss, Anthropology
Associate Professor Hosea Hirata, Japanese
Professor Elizabeth T. Howe, Spanish
Professor Charles Shiro Inouye, Japanese
Professor Yannis Ioannides, Economics
Professor Ayesha Jalal, History
Professor Vida Johnson, Russian
Professor Paul Joseph, Sociology
Associate Professor Claudia Kaiser-Lenoir, Spanish
Associate Professor Erin Kelly, Philosophy
Assistant Professor Henry Sunghyun Kim, Economics
Associate Professor Brigitte Lane, French
Professor Gary P. Leupp, History
Associate Professor David Locke, Music
Associate Professor Mohammed Mahmoud, Comparative Religion
Professor Howard Malchow, History
Associate Professor Beatrice Manz, History
Professor George J. Marcopolos, History
Associate Professor Bernhard Martin, German
Associate Professor Ina Bagdiantz
McCabe , History
Associate Professor Margaret McMillan, Economics
Associate Professor Jayanthi J. Mistry, Child Development
Associate Professor Malik Mufti, Political Science
Assistant Professor Sharun Mukand, Economics
Professor Daniel M. Mulholland, History
Associate Professor Isabelle Naginski, French
Professor George Norman, Economics
Associate Professor Jeanne M. Penvenne, History
Associate Professor Elizabeth Remick, Political Science
Associate Professor Daniel J. Richards, Economics
Associate Professor Pearl T. Robinson, Political Science
Associate Professor Modhumita Roy, English
Associate Professor Rosalind H. Shaw, Anthropology
Professor Martin J. Sherwin, History
Associate Professor David Sloane, Russian
Assistant Professor Paulette Smith, French
Professor Tony Smith, Political Science
Associate Professor Vickie Sullivan, Political Science
Associate Professor Jeffrey Taliaferro, Political Science
Associate Professor Rosemary Taylor, Sociology/Community Health
Associate Professor Peter Winn, History
Associate Professor Xueping Zhong, Chinese
The program offers a rigorous plan of study for students with a primary interest in international relations. The field of international relations includes the study of international and regional systems; the foreign relations of states, including their political, military, economic, and environmental policies; the sources of international conflict and cooperation; the domestic and transnational interests and actors that influence states; and the historical, political, social, cultural, ethical, and humanistic traditions that impinge on the international relations of particular states or regions.
The program is governed by an executive committee representing the departments that serve the major. All majors select an academic adviser who is a member of the international relations core faculty.
First-year students who anticipate majoring in international relations should read the concentration requirements below. Generally, prospective majors in the first year should select a program of study that includes a foreign language and perhaps the first course in international relations (Political Science 51) and in economics (Economics 1 or 2). The major is usually declared during the sophomore year, although first-year students are encouraged to consult with the program in planning their course of study, especially if they plan to spend all or part of their junior year abroad.
The program awards four academic prizes: the John S. Gibson Prize, the Distinguished Achievement Award in International Relations, the International Relations Research Scholars Award, and the Anne E. Borghesani Memorial Prize. The International Relations Research Scholars Award is designed to enable promising IR majors to conduct high-level, original research under the supervision of IR core faculty members in the summer before their senior year. The Borghesani award, open to sophomores and juniors from any concentration, is intended to help defray the costs of study, research, or community service abroad that adds an international dimension to the student's program of study. Each year the IR Program also selects students to represent Tufts at several national student conferences.
Majors in international relations may take advantage of the Tufts-in-Washington program administered by the Department of Political Science. Additionally, they are strongly encouraged to take advantage of study abroad opportunities and to participate in the Tufts-in-Talloires summer session, where several international relations courses are offered each session. Students who study abroad with non-Tufts programs may credit qualified courses toward the major, provided that they have consulted closely with the IR Program office, have completed the appropriate transfer credit preapproval forms (available from the registrar), and have submitted appropriate documentation to the IR Program office in Cabot 605. Students who study on Tufts programs should consult with their adviser and the IR Program to make sure course work fulfills requirements.
International relations majors may wish to note the combined-degrees program offered by the College of Liberal Arts and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Qualified juniors may apply to the Fletcher School after they have completed and received grades in twenty courses. Details of this highly competitive dual-degree program are described in this bulletin under Combined-Degrees Programs; an interview with the Fletcher admissions office is required.
Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
The international relations major requires thirteen courses as follows. No course may be
counted more than once. A grade of C- or better is required for a course to
count for the IR major.
The following are required of all majors:
Language Requirement
The IR Program requires of all of its students oral and written proficiency in a language
other than English. Proficiency is defined as successful completion of eight semesters (or
equivalent) of university-level language instruction. All students wishing to major in
international relations are required to comply with this requirement. Courses used to
fulfill this requirement may not overlap with the core, thematic cluster, or seminar
requirements.
Core Requirements (seven courses)
Political Science 51 International Relations
Economics 5 Principles of Economics
One course in international economics*
One course in United States foreign policy*
One course in theories of society and culture*
One course in the historical dimension*
One course in the arts or literature of the language
used to satisfy the IR culture requirement
*A complete list of courses that satisfy the above requirements is contained in The
International
Relations Program Planning Guide, available in Cabot 605.
Thematic Cluster Requirement (four courses)
All majors must choose one of the following five thematic clusters and complete four courses
within that cluster. A complete list of courses that qualify for each cluster is contained
in the academic planning guide.
1. FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS
2. REGIONAL AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Choose one of the following:
Africa
East and Southeast Asia
Europe and the former Soviet Union
Latin America
Middle East and South Asia
3. GLOBAL CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND JUSTICE
4. INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
Choose one of the following:
International economics and trade
International economics and finance
International economics and environment
International economics and development
5. NATIONALISM, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY
Seminar or Research Requirement (one course)
All students must take one seminar course from the list contained in the
academic planning guide.
Students should make every effort to choose a seminar that relates to the thematic cluster
chosen above. Alternatively, majors may fulfill this requirement by completing a
one-semester directed research project or a two-semester honors thesis under the guidance
of a faculty member who is listed among the international relations core faculty.
Additional limitations on this research option are described in the academic
planning guide.
Undergraduate Courses
91 International Research Colloquium. Provides classroom instruction, Web-based communication, and faculty support to promote and facilitate the development of high-quality research projects and post-graduate research proposals with an international focus. Designed for second-semester sophomores who anticipate eventual development of any of the following projects: a senior honors thesis, a senior seminar paper, an integrative capstone project for a minor or related major field, a directed study with an individual faculty member, a research project as a component of a study-abroad experience, or a research proposal required as part of an application for national and international scholarships (such as the Fulbright program). Open to students of all majors. One-half credit. Spring.
92 International Research Colloquium. Continuation of International Relations 91. Instruction and faculty support through fall semester of the junior year. Especially geared toward juniors studying abroad. Open to students of all majors. One-half credit. Fall.
99 Internship. Open to IR majors; internship must be supervised by a member of the IR core faculty and can be applied to the thematic cluster only. A complete description of the restrictions on this option can be found in the IR academic planning guide.
193, 194 Independent Study. Concentrated study on a topic of special interest growing out of regular course work or participation in programs not directly involved in the IR curriculum. Available to IR majors only by petition (see guidelines in the IR academic planning guide). Counts for thematic clusters only. Prerequisites: two courses in the proposed field of study.
195, 196 Directed Research. An alternative to the IR seminar requirement, if relevant seminars are unavailable in the student's senior year. Available to IR majors only by petition (see guidelines in the IR academic planning guide). Requires the completion of a seminar-type research paper consistent with the student's IR focus.
197, 198 Senior Honors Thesis. A two-semester honors thesis representing the
highest level of work available to undergraduate IR majors. For high-demand enrollment
guidelines, see the IR academic planning guide.