International Studies

International Studies Major

Explore global issues and how nations and regions interact around the world. Examine the influence of history, international politics, economy and development, and culture. Study a language and study abroad. Do it through an interdisciplinary lens.

International Studies AT A GLANCE

Most

Students to be awarded Fulbright and Gilman Scholarships in last five years

100

Of students study abroad.

100

Of faculty have an internationally-focused research agenda and speak at least two languages.

We prepare globally-minded graduates for international-facing careers.

A major in International Studies leads to understanding the interrelationships of domestic and international politics and economic policies, and the implications of historical and cultural influences on those politics and policies.

Students acquire competencies for their next step after Allegheny College.

Through their coursework, language study, and study abroad, students develop global and intercultural competencies that inform critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

Travel the world inside and outside the classroom.

You'll set out with curiosity to know more about the complexity of the world. Completing your Senior Project, you'll have a regional focus of your choice — East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/North Africa — and will have studied abroad in that region!

In year one, the goal is to take Introduction to International Studies along with introductory courses in economics and political science. You also start or deepen language study! Over your four years, you will craft your own trajectory from a range of course options. You'll end up with a highly-personalized major.

By the end of year two, it is important to have taken an introductory course in history in your regional focus. Now you've decided if you want to focus on East Asia, Europe, Latin America, or the Middle East North Africa! You deepen your language study and proficiency, and you start to look into study abroad programs. Many students pursue an internship in the summer after year two.

This is an exciting year because it includes study abroad, either in the fall or spring semester. Another important part of the third year is beginning to orient yourself toward a Senior Project topic. For many students, this comes into focus while they are studying abroad. Many students combine their academic interests in their major and minor.

Completing remaining coursework and the Senior Project are on the agenda in year four. The Senior Comp in International Studies is a two-semester process: in the first semester, you identify a topic, the faculty you'll work with, and begin research. In the second semester, you research and write your Comp, including a part in the language you studied. Some students are selected or choose to present their project!

Locate your learning, skills, and experiences on the world-scale.

What will I come away with?

Global learning

Arrive at a view of the complexity of the world, how problems arise and resolve, and how people survive and thrive in different contexts.

Intercultural competence

Understand different religions, political cultures, values and ethics, language, and communication in relation to your own.

Critical thinking and research skills

Undertake original, independent, and interdisciplinary research on an international topic.

Faith Simms, Alumna

Class of 2019, J.D. Candidate at Villanova Law

“ Students are asked to approach issues in a more holistic manner, which greatly improves their critical thinking. You’ll broaden your perspective and be pushed out of your comfort zone. ”

Kaitlin Franzen '20

Kaitlin studied abroad in Nanjing, China. She wrote her Comp on memorialization of the Holocaust. She used an International Studies micro-grant to make a fieldwork trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

Faith Simms '19

Faith studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her Comp focused on “International Influence on Domestic Social Movements: Afro-Colombians’ Pursuit of Collective Land Rights." She is currently a J.D. candidate at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

Grant Marthinsen '17

Grant studied abroad in Jordan and completed Arabic coursework at the Middlebury College. He wrote his Comp on “De-Ba’athification, the Institutionalization of Sectarianism, and the Rise of Daesh in Iraq.” He has worked in Morocco and completed an MA at Georgetown in Arab Studies.

Amasa Smith '17

Amasa completed the Boston University Paris Internship Program. Her Senior Comp focused on “Convergence and Divergence: French and German Immigration Policy since WWII.” She is currently Director of Programming and Communication at the CIVIC Leadership Institute.

Thomas Alvarez '16

Thomas studied abroad in Argentina. His Comp is titled “The Evolution, Resilience, and Future of Bolívar’s Dream: Reevaluating Regional Integration in a Post-Liberal, Post-Hegemonic Latin America." Thomas now works for CGFNS International, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit.