Curriculum

The International Studies Program gives students many chances to learn more about their areas of interest from both a specific focus and a worldwide view.

A student and a professor standing on either side of a table with papers relating to the International Studies Program at the Majors-Minors fair.

A student talking to Dr. Blake Scott during the Majors-Minors Fair about the International Studies Program.

Courses

The International Studies Program has a regular rotation of new topics in Special Topics, Cross-Regional Studies, and Capstone courses. Students also have the opportunity to explore topics of interest through in-depth research in Independent Study and Bachelor's Essay courses. All International Studies students are also required to study abroad as part of their studies.
  • Special Topics

    Special Topics courses are special classes that cover new and unique topics or specific subjects that aren't part of the regular International Studies classes. These classes are available for beginners and more advanced students.

    Previous Special Topics Courses have included:

    • Memory and Reconciliation in Latin America and Easter Europe
    • Humanitarian and Development Aid - A Critical Examination
    • War and Culture
    • The UN, the International System and Development: A Practitioner's View
    • Comparative Social Movements
    • Africa and China
    • The Islamic Tradition
    • Human Rights in a Global Perspective
    • Peace and Conflict in the Middle East
    • Drugs, Gunes & Gangs in the Americas
    • Europe's Age of Ideology
    • Race, Ethnicity & Migration in Europe
    • The Globalization of Paradise: the Caribbean
    • Political Islam in a Turbulent Era
    • Turkish Foreign Policy in a Tumultuous Region
    • Refugees, Migrants, and Citizenship
    • Law and Politics in South Asia
    • Nationalism and Citizenship in Europe
    • Latin America - Memory and Reconciliation
    • Cuban Society and Politics
    • Language, Identity, and Globalization

     

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  • Cross-Regional Studies

    Cross-Regional Studies courses look at topics that connect what we know about particular places, countries, or regions with the bigger ideas that tie them all together.

    Previous Cross-Regional Topics have included:

    • Transnational Migration
    • Religion and Law in the Global Context
    • Revolution and Utopia
    • International Development
    • World Systems and Globalization
    • Global Governance in Transition Again? The Rise of the Rest
    • War: Regional, Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives
    • Deconstructing Tourism: History, Culture, and the Question of Sustainability
    • Global Environmental Challenges: Past, Present, Future
    • Democracy and Democratization
    • Health and Society in Global Perspective
    • Refugees and Forced Migration
    • Human Rights in a Global Perspective

     

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  • International Studies Capstone

    The International Studies Capstone is a course where students from different areas of focus come together to learn about and study a big international event, issue, or thing. They use what they have learned in their different concentration courses to understand it better and share their insights.

    Previous Capstone topics have included: 

    • Genocide in Global Perspective
    • Interrogating Globalization
    • Cosmopolitanism
    • International Migration
    • International Financial Crises
    • Postcolonial World
    • Gender and Development
    • Environmental Commons in Global Perspective

     

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  • Independent Study and Research

    Independent Study courses let students read and research in-depth about a specific topic in International Studies that they pick themselves.

    Past student Independent Study and Research topics have included:

    • Interrogating Corruption: Adapting to local Business Practices & Political Environment in Middle East
    • Nuova Cinema Italiano Film Festival
    • Political and Symbolic Leadership: A Study of the Bhumibol and Post-Bhumibol Eras
    • Head Delegate - Washington Model OAS
    • Oral History Research Methods and Archival Studies Research Assistant
    • Voices of Southern Hospitality and the Art of Gonzo Journalism
    • Oral History Research Methods, the Question of Southern Hospitality, and the Art of Creative Writing
    • Brexit and the European Union
    • Africa and Development
    • Aspects of Hindi Linguistics and Indian Cultural Studies
    • A Qualitative Study of Community-Based Experiences of COVID-19 in Sierra Leone
    • History, Tourism, and the Art of Essay Writing
    • East Asian Pop-Culture in the West: A Comparison of Japan and South Korea
    • Structural Violence: The Impact of Global Nutrition Systems on African Livelihood
    • A Global Sense of Charleston
    • Soccer Crossroads: Latin America and the Global History of the Sport
    • International Migration in Europe, the Middle East, and North America
    • Intersection of Racism and Climate Change in International Migration
    • International Migration and Community Engagement

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  • Bachelor's Essay

    The Bachelor's Essay (INTL 499A and 499B) is a challenging research and writing class that takes two semesters, and is for accomplished and motivated upper-level students in the major. Students need to find an International Studies faculty member to guide and oversee their project.

    Past Bachelor's Essay topics have included:

    • A Study of the Impact of Transitional Justice Methods Enacted by the ICTY
    • International Responses to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
    • “Exploring Barriers to Reproductive Healthcare for Hispanic Women in South Carolina”
    • "The toxic 'Miracle Crop': The Socio-environmental Impact of the Transgenic Soybean in Argentina"
    • Analyzing Social and Political Conditions that Perpetuate the Health Risks for Sex Workers Across
    • Assessing Political Violence's Disproportionate Impact on Nutrition Among African American Women
    • Impact of COVID-19 on Elections
    • Human Rights Violations in Russia and International Response
    • Cultivating Health: Examining the Past, Present, and Future of Herbal Remedies
    • Fair Trade: Is it a Help or Hinderance to the Development of Female Artisans?
    • Terrorism in Transnational Context
    • Recovering from Trauma: Reclaiming Spaces of State-Sponsored Terrorism in Argentina
    • Deconstructing the Memorialization of Nagasaki's Hidden Christians
    • Female Leaders in Latin America: Analyzing MDG Outcomes
    • Pura Vida Breakdown: Ecotourism in Costa Rica

     

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  • Study Abroad
    Studying Abroad means you can take classes to finish your degree while living in another country with different cultures, politics, and social norms than what you know from your home.

    Your growing knowledge about global problems can be useful, not just in your studies at the College of Charleston, but also as you become leaders among your peers.

    Every International Studies student must spend one semester or summer in a study or internship abroad program which should meet these conditions:

    1. Study in the region of your concentration.
    2. Earn a minimum of 6 credit hours.
    3. Spend a minimum of three weeks abroad.
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