Watson Institute for International StudiesBrown University

Regional Focus


The goal of the regionally-focused course is to provide students with in-depth knowledge of one country or one region outside the United States. Regional courses typically come from history, sociology, political science, economics, anthropology, or area studies and may include INTL1800 senior seminars. Students who study abroad their junior year often seek IR concentration credit for a regional course taken while abroad. There is no pre-approved list for this requirement. However, courses should focus on the modern period (ancient history, for example, does not count) and must be approved by the concentration advisor. As the focus is one country or region, broad thematic courses (such as AIDS in Development Countries), do not fulfill this requirement.

Note: Language training, literature, performance, and lab courses do not meet the regional focus requirement.