The International Institute offers a variety of area studies majors and minors through the International & Area Studies Interdepartmental Program. The overarching goal of all of these programs is to address the need for students to have a broad understanding of the international nature of the modern world, and then apply that knowledge to a particular geographical region.
Majors
The majors under the International & Area Studies Program are similarly structured, providing the intellectual tools needed to engage in international studies through courses from the International Societies & Cultures and International Politics & Markets categories, which provide students with a common intellectual foundation, as well as in-depth multidisciplinary exposure to modern issues regarding the world area of a student’s choice.
Each of the area studies majors under International & Area Studies IDP require students to choose among a set of preparation courses, including I A Std 1. Introduction to International and Area Studies (a GE under the following foundation category: Society and Culture-Social Analysis), and also ensuring that area-specific content proceeds in tandem with instruction in the disciplines that will provide the tools for analyzing the cultures, social structures, polities, histories of the areas in which students wish to focus. The disciplinary component of each major will focus on two themes: International Politics & Markets as well as International Societies & Cultures. Instruction in these thematic areas will take place at both the preparation and the upper division levels, with the former providing the necessary foundation for more advanced work. Each major also entails substantial interdisciplinary coursework with a focus on modern international issues, with the upper division area specific courses divided between a minimum of three courses in the Humanities and three courses in the Social Sciences. Each major then culminates in a senior capstone seminar, I A Std 191. Variable Topics Senior Research Seminars: International and Area Studies, with the topic being either area focused or thematically focused across regions.
Please note: Before declaring the major, students must complete all the preparation courses with a minimum UC GPA in these courses of 2.00. Completion of the elementary year of the foreign language is acceptable when declaring the major. Information about declaring the major can be found at the Applying to the International & Area Studies Majors link.
Minors
The International & Area Studies Program also offers a series of area studies minors, which allow students to focus their interest in a particular region of the world. It is an ideal complement to all majors across UCLA.