Watson Institute for International StudiesBrown University

IR Requirements at a Glance

The IR concentration consists of the following 11 courses AND a language requirement. There is no double-counting within the concentration.

The Core (4 courses)

1.   POLITICS: Introduction to International Politics (POLS0400)
Recommended for 1st or 2nd year.

2.    ECONOMICS: Principles of Economics (ECON0110) or Intermediate Macroeconomics (ECON1210). Recommended for 1st or 2nd year.

3.    HISTORY (choose one):

a)    Europe Since the French Revolution (HIST0020),

b)    a modern regional HIST course of your choosing.
Students are expected to know European or World History. Students without this background should take HIST0020 their 1st or 2nd semester.

4.    CULTURE & SOCIETY (choose one):

a)    Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ANTH0100),

b)    War and Society (ANTH1232),

c)    Violence and the Media (ANTH1251),

d)    Economic Development and Social Change (SOC0150),

e)    Globalization and Social Conflict (SOC1620).

The Tracks (3 courses)

Three courses from any one track, drawn from the track lists. One of the three track courses must be a "keystone" course from the list below:

Keystone Courses:
Global Security

ANTH 1232 War and Society
POLS   1390 International Organization and World Politics
POLS   1470 International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
POLS   1480 Theories of International Relations
POLS   1560 American Foreign Policy

Political Economy and Development

ANTH  1020 AIDS in International Perspective
ECON  1500 Current Global Macroeconomic Challenges
ECON  1510 Economic Development
POLS  1450 Political Economy of Development
POLS   1460 International Political Economy
SOC     1600 Comparative Development

Politics, Culture, and Identity

ANTH  1230 Political Anthropology
ANTH  1232 War and Society
ANTH  1233 Ethnographies of Global Connection: Politics, Culture, and IR
POLS    1380 Ethnic Politics and Conflict

Regional Focus (1 course)

Student choice: One course covering a particular country or region from a historical or contemporary perspective drawn from one of the departments represented in the IR concentration. See Regional Focus.

Research Methods (1 course)

A quantitative or qualitative research methods course from the Research Methods list. Recommended prior to senior year. Students applying for the IR honors program must complete this requirement no later than 7th semester.

Elective: 1000+level (1 course)

Student choice: One upper-level course on a theme related to the student's track and which contributes to the overall coherence of the student's individual program. See Electives.

Capstone Course: Senior Seminar (1 course)


One IR (INTL 1800) or IR-approved (X-LIST) seminar normally taken the 7th or 8th semester. See Senior Seminar.

Language Requirement

Three full years of university study or equivalent. See Language Requirement.

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