International Relations Major (BA)

Political Science Department | College of Liberal Arts

Program Declaration

At time of admission to the University or by completion of a Major, Minor, Concentration Declaration Form or Inter-College Transfer Form .

Degree Requirements

If this is the student’s only or primary major, the degree requirements below must be completed for graduation. See graduation requirements for more information.

University Requirements

College of Liberal Arts Requirements for Bachelor of Arts

Major Requirements

Complete at least 30 credits from ten courses including three required courses, three regional electives, three topical electives, and one capstone.

Language: Students in the major must demonstrate intermediate proficiency in a language other than English.
Pass/fail: No more than one course taken pass/fail may be applied toward the major.
Course level: At least four of the six electives must be at the 300-level or higher.
Residency: At least three of the six electives must be courses offered through the Political Science Department. At least five courses applied toward the major must be completed at UMass Boston.

Course Requirements

Core Courses (9 Credits)

POLSCI 102 - Government and Politics of the United States 3 Credit(s)
or
POLSCI 103 - Introduction to Political Theory 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 220 - International Relations (B) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 380 - Theories of International Relations 3 Credit(s)

Regional Electives (9 Credits)

Take three electives from the list below.

POLSCI 201 - Comparative Politics of Industrialized Societies (C) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 202 - Comparative Politics of Third World Countries 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 365 - Japan and the United States 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 369 - Politics of the Middle East 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 371 - Latin American Poltc 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 372 - Central American Politics (C) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 375 - Third World Development (C) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 387 - The Government and Politics of China (C) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 404 - The Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 430 - Russian Foreign Policy 3 Credit(s)
AFRSTY 310 - Modern Caribbean Society 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 272 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 273 - Peoples and Cultures of Mesoamerica (Mexico and Guatemala) 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 274 - Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 275L - Peoples and Cultures of China 3 Credit(s)
ASIAN 357L - Women in South Asian Religions: Gender Ideology and Practice in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam 3 Credit(s)
ASIAN 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
ASIAN 361L - The History of Modern China 3 Credit(s)
ASIAN 363L - Modern Japan 3 Credit(s)
ECON 337 - Emerging Economies in Asia 3 Credit(s)
ECON 338 - The Latin American Economy 3 Credit(s)
ECON 372 - Comparative Economic Systems 3 Credit(s)
ENVSCI 280 - Global Society and the Environment 3 Credit(s)
HIST 253 - African History since 1800 3 Credit(s)
HIST 316 - Europe since 1945 3 Credit(s)
HIST 322 - Shakespeare’s London 3 Credit(s)
HIST 324 - Russia and the Soviet Union: From the 1917 Revolution to Putin 3 Credit(s)
HIST 334 - Italy Since 1815 3 Credit(s)
HIST 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 361L - The History of Modern China 3 Credit(s)
HIST 363L - Modern Japan 3 Credit(s)
LATAM 270 - Human Rights in Latin America 3 Credit(s)
LATAM 303 - Reform and Revolution in Latin America 3 Credit(s)
SPAN 361 - Latin American, Iberian, and Afro-Luso-Brazilian Cultures and Histories 3 Credit(s)
WGS 345 - Gender, Religion and Politics in South Asia 3 Credit(s)
WGS 357L - Women in South Asian Religions: Gender Ideology and Practice in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam 3 Credit(s)
WGS 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)

Topical Electives (9 Credits)

Take three electives from the list below.

POLSCI 265L - World War II Internment of Japanese Americans (A) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 307 - Political Change and Group Identity (C) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 365 - Japan and the United States 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 402 - World Politics and World Order 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 410 - Pol Intrnatnl Econ 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 420 - Imperialism (B) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 424 - American Foreign Policy (B) 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 435 - Foreign Policy Analysis 3 Credit(s)
POLSCI 453 - Democratic Theory (D) 3 Credit(s)
AMST 349L - The Cold War: Rise and Fall 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 295L - Introduction to Human Rights 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 324 - A Biocultural Approach to War 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 346 - Culture, Globalization, and the Environment 3 Credit(s)
ANTH 349 - Anthropology of Development 3 Credit(s)
ASAMST 265L - World War II Internment of Japanese Americans (A) 3 Credit(s)
ECON 334 - International Trade 3 Credit(s)
ECON 335 - International Finance 3 Credit(s)
ECON 336 - Economic Development 3 Credit(s)
ECON 339 - Political Economy of International Migration 3 Credit(s)
ECON 345L - Natural Resources & Sustainable Development 3 Credit(s)
ECON 435 - The Multinational Corporation 3 Credit(s)
ENVSCI 260 - Global Environmental Change 3 Credit(s)
ENVSCI 345L - Natural Resources & Sustainable Development 3 Credit(s)
HIST 290G - Globalization in Historical Perspective 3 Credit(s)
HIST 349L - The Cold War: Rise and Fall 3 Credit(s)
HIST 357 - The Vietnam War 3 Credit(s)
HIST 358 - War in the Twentieth Century 3 Credit(s)
HIST 387 - US Foreign Policy since 1898 3 Credit(s)
HIST 389 - The History of Modern Terrorism 3 Credit(s)
MGT 434 - Mngng Global Environ 3 Credit(s)
SOCIOL 290 - Environmental Justice & Human Disasters 3 Credit(s)
SOCIOL 355L - Gender, Development and Globalization 3 Credit(s)
SOCIOL 372 - Globalization and Social Change 3 Credit(s)
WGS 295L - Introduction to Human Rights 3 Credit(s)
WGS 355L - Gender, Development and Globalization 3 Credit(s)
WGS 360 - Gender, Culture, and Power 3 Credit(s)
WGS 411 - Transnational Feminisms: Contexts, Conflicts, and Solidarity 3 Credit(s)

Capstone (3 Credits)

IR 499L - Seminar in International Relations (B) 3 Credit(s)
or
POLSCI 499L - Seminar in International Relations (B) 3 Credit(s)