As I am quickly approaching the end of my undergraduate career, there are plenty of things to look back at during my time at Texas A&M, but nothing has been more consistent during my time here than the following question: “International Studies? What’s that?”
If you are an International Studies major, or a major of a similar name, I’m sure you are familiar with the 3,000 questions or automatic assumptions that are made about your major. As a last hoo-rah to my 3 years of undergraduate education (and no longer having to explain my major when I’m in graduate school), I’ve decided to write an FAQ for us International Studies majors in hopes that one day, we will have to stop explaining what we are studying. Or, at the very least, you can redirect whoever’s asking to this article.
Keep in mind that curriculum varies from school to school. With that, let the questions commence.
- What exactly IS International Studies?
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To put it simply, International Studies is an interdisciplinary major: The core of International Studies is evaluating global interaction via things such as social interactions, physical movements, politics, etc.
Many schools that have international studies programs have concentrations in certain areas. For instance, the most popular concentration in Texas A&M’s program is the politics and diplomacy track that focuses on international political interactions and relations, as well as more specific studies into a general political interaction itself. But there are several other concentrations surrounding some of the other large components of international studies.
- What’s the difference between International Studies/Affairs/Relations and Global Studies?
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Generally, International Affairs/Relations both have a political undertone to them. For instance, the graduate degree that I’m pursuing post-graduation is in International Affairs, and although there are concentrations that are NOT directly centered around political actions in itself (e.g. foreign policy), all of the classes have a relation to a political element. But as always, this varies from school to school.
International/Global Studies have a more neutral undertone to them. Instead of being focused on one specific component, there’s a general foundation of the forms of interaction that make up the major. Concentrations may be a degree component, but they are more varied instead of being solely focused on politics.
- Is International Studies the same as Political Science?
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No. International politics can be studied within a Political Science major, but there is a stronger focus on the structure, outcome, and analysis of political interactions rather than an overall understanding of international exchange and the role of politics within that dynamic.
- Is International Studies just foreign policy?
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No. It can be, if one chooses to focus on that concentration or pursue a career in foreign policy, but that’s not the main focus. From personal experience, I’ve seen a lot of my fellow International Studies majors choose to pursue law school after studying International Studies, but there’s a lot of careers out there that one can pursue with an International Studies degree dealing with government, non-governmental organizations, and non-profit organizations, to name a few.
- Do you have to travel for your degree?
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It depends, but many degree programs require International Studies majors to study abroad.
So that’s the gist of what International Studies is! Given that those are some of the questions TO ask when learning about International Studies, here are some questions to NOT ask (and some things to NOT do):
- “What do you think about XYZ domestic political issue?”
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Everyone will answer this differently. Some people will give their input and entertain the conversation, while others may not say anything. That’s not the problem. The problem is that it’s a domestic issue, and we are internationally focused.
Granted, if you’re an American or studying in America, some significant domestic issues may have a larger effect internationally, but I guarantee that XYZ government official arguing with ABC government official on Twitter is not making soundwaves in the international political scene. We have our own opinions on those issues, but few of them impact what we study.
- “Oh, so you must know about XYZ issue!”
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If it’s a larger issue, chances are that we do. A lot of us have topical and/or geographical concentrations though, so we’re not going to know EVERYTHING that’s going on.
For instance, I’m focused on politics and diplomacy, but let’s say we’re talking about international environmental issues: I definitely know about the Paris Agreement, but I do not know about local efforts to reduce plastic waste in Toronto. It’s not that I don’t want to know. I simply am focused on another topic.
- “What’s going on in ____?” and/or “Can you explain the XYZ situation?”
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This is more so a question asked when someone already knows that someone is an international studies major rather than when someone initially finds out.
Like I said, we’re not going to know everything, but we’ll have an idea of a larger issue. But do not consistently ask your International Studies friends about every single issue.
If you want an intricate explanation of the situation or consistent international news coverage, Google and countless other news sources are available to do that for you.
- Last, but not least: “Is World War III going to happen?”
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That’s a loaded question: There is WAY too much to analyze in current global interactions to give a prediction, even on professional standards.
A heads up: If a news source you’re reading/watching gives a definite answer, that’s an opinion, and it’s not a reliable source. Stick to sources that give status updates as to relations, agreements, conflicts, etc.
Well, that’s about the jist of it! The world of International Studies is important, and the way the world functions has a lot to do with stuff that you may interact with every day, so don’t forget us International Studies majors!