International Studies

Minimum credits required: 31-59 depending on prerequisites and language proficiency

Required courses

(1) All students are required to complete

(2) In order to provide an interdisciplinary basis for understanding global issues all students will complete:

a. one course from

If a student desires a concentration in one of the areas listed below, at least four courses must be chosen from one concentration area with no more than three from one discipline.

International Business and Economics: ECN 358, ECN 360I, ECN 362I, ECN 365I, BUS 310I, BUS 329, BUS 351I, BUS 436I, BUS 444I

Foreign Policy and Diplomacy: POL 311I, POL 314I, POL 315I, POL 322I, POL 326I, HIS 381I

History, Society and Culture: POL 311I, POL 321I, POL 329I, HIS 345I, HIS 346I, HIS 348I, HIS 349I, HIS 356, HIS 363, HIS 389I, ENG 335I, SOC 302I, SOC 303I

Latin American and Caribbean Studies: ECN 362I, SPN 311I, SPN 376IF

Asian Studies: ECN 362I, HIS 391I, POL 327I, SOC 350I

European Studies (including Russia): POL 314I, POL 322I, ENG 335I (when focus is European), HIS 345I, HIS 346I, HIS 348I, HIS 349I, ART 432IF, GER 310I, GER 375IF, GER 376IF, FRN 310I, FRN 311I, FRN 375IF, FRN 376IF, SPN 310I, SPN 375IF

(4) Students will be required to exhibit competence in at least one foreign language, that is, a language other than their native language. Students whose native language is English may attain foreign language competence in one of the modern languages taught at Baldwin-Wallace by completing the following courses (or their equivalents):

FRENCH: 201, 202, 221I; and one of the following: 310I, 311I, 375IF, 376IF or 463

GERMAN: 201, 202, 221I; and one of the following: 310I, 375IF, 376IF or 463

SPANISH: 201, 202, 221I; and one of the following: 310I, 311I, 375IF, 376IF or 463

CHINESE: 101, 102, 201, 202; and one additional course to be determined in consultation with the Chair of the Foreign Language Dept.

The final element in the competency evaluation process will be a half-hour interview, in the target language, with a member or members of the appropriate section of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. This interview will be arranged during the Fall Semester of the student’s senior year. For this interview the students will choose a topic of interest to them. The choice should be made well in advance of the date set for the interview and in consultation with a professor of the target language. Students are then required to speak on this topic for 15 minutes and to answer questions on it. The remaining minutes of the interview will be spent in general conversation. A student who is earning a major or a minor in the target language is exempt from this interview.

Students presenting competence in other languages or those whose native language is not English must see the Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages for requirements. For students whose native language is not English, completion of Baldwin-Wallace’s English requirement for graduation will satisfy the language competency requirement.                                                                                                                                                 

All students intending to complete a major in International Studies at Baldwin-Wallace College should identify themselves at the earliest possible point in their academic careers to the Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages so that a program insuring timely completion of the language competence requirement can be established.

In completing these requirements, students are strongly urged to study abroad.

(5) Finally, each student must take an interdisciplinary capstone seminar intended to help students achieve an ability to deal with complex problems in International Studies requiring an integration of knowledge from diverse fields of study. Methodological concerns will be of great importance; a research paper may be among the products of this seminar. The seminar, which may be team-taught, will be offered each spring semester by professors in the departments associated with the International Studies major, and will deal with selected topics chosen by the professors offering the course. Consult the course schedule for relevant departments, time and topics.

A student may repeat the seminar provided the topics covered are different. It is suggested that students register for the seminar in the junior or senior year after completing the basic requirements, though they may do so at any time with the consent of the instructor(s) involved. (NOTE: All IS majors would benefit by taking a research methods class in one of the departments responsible for basic requirements courses in the International Studies major. Students who plan to attend graduate school or law school are strongly encouraged to do so.)