With the increasing importance of world issues to the United States, employment opportunities in government, international organizations and business continue to expand. Today there is an urgent need for college graduates with a strong background in international affairs. To meet this need, the University of Colorado offers a comprehensive and flexible interdisciplinary program in international affairs leading to the BA degree.

Requirements

Required Courses and Credits

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and a minimum of 49–51 credit hours of specified courses with a grade of C- or better (none may be taken pass/fail).

Introductory Courses (10 credit hours)

IAFS 1000Global Issues and International Affairs4
PSCI 2012Introduction to Comparative Politics3
PSCI 2223Introduction to International Relations3
Total Credit Hours10

In addition to introductory courses, complete the requirements listed below for:

  • Functional area
  • Geographic concentration
  • Economics/methods
  • Off-campus experience
  • Foreign language
  • Senior seminar

IAFS 3000 Special Topics in International Affairs can be repeated up to 9 credit hours for different topics.

Functional Area (18 credit hours)

Students are required to complete one upper division class in each of the four functional areas and complete two additional upper division classes in any functional area. Students cannot apply more than four functional area classes from any one department.

Development and Culture (Functional Area I)
ANTH 4020Explorations in Anthropology (approved topics only)3-6
ANTH 4500Cross-Cultural Aspects of Socioeconomic Development3
COMM 3410Intercultural Communication3
ECON 3784Economic Development and Policy3
ECON/GEOG 4292Migration, Immigrant Adaptation, and Development3
ECON 4774Topics in Economic Development, History and Political Economy3
ECON 4784Economic Development3
ECON 4794Economic Growth3
GEOG/WGST 3672Who Runs the World? Sex, Power, and Gender in Geography3
GEOG 3682Geography of International Development3
GEOG 3692Introduction to Global Public Health4
GEOG 4632Development Geography3
GEOG 4852Health and Medical Geography3
IAFS/JWST 3600Contemporary Jewish Societies3
IAFS/SCAN 3631Arctic Society and Culture3
IAFS/ENVS 3640Data Analysis for Global Environmental Affairs3
IAFS 3670/GEOG 3622Cities of the Global South3
LING 3545World Language Policies3
MDST 3201Media, Culture and Globalization (International Media Certificate students only)3
MUEL 3862Music and Global Health3
PACS 3860Environmental Conflict and Conflict Resolution3
PSCI 4012Global Development3
PSCI 4732Critical Thinking in Development3
SOCY 3002Population and Society3
SOCY/WGST 3012Gender and Development3
SOCY 4007Global Human Ecology3
SOCY 4052Social Inequalities in Health3
WGST 3500Global Gender Issues3
WGST 4300Sex, Power, Politics: International Perspectives3
International Economics, Business, Political Economy (Functional Area II)
ECON 3403International Economics and Policy3
ECON 3545Environmental Economics3
ECON 4413International Trade3
ECON 4423International Finance3
ECON 4504The New Institutional Economics: Institutions, Contracts and Economic Outcomes3
ECON 4545Environmental Economics3
FNCE 4060Special Topics in Finance1-6
INBU 3300International Business and Management3
INBU 3450International Business and Marketing3
INBU 4200International Financial Management3
PSCI 3092Comparative Political Economy3
PSCI 3213International Political Economy3
Political Geography, International Security, Foreign Policy (Functional Area III)
ANTH/JWST 4580The Holocaust: An Anthropological Perspective3
GEOG 3742Place, Power, and Contemporary Culture3
GEOG 4712Political Geography3
GEOG 4742Topics in Environment and Society (approved topics only)3
GEOG 4762Geographies of Political Islam3
HIST 4050A Global History of World War II3
HIST 4126History of U.S. Foreign Relations Since 19413
HIST 4146U.S. Military History since 18983
HIST 4166The Vietnam War in US Politics and Culture3
IAFS 3010Islam, Geopolitics and Society: Gender, Identity and Place3
IAFS 3500/HIST 4190French Connections: Contemporary France and America in Historical Context (Global Seminar)3
IAFS/JWST 3650History of Arab-Israeli Conflict3
PACS 3800Security Studies3
PHIL 3190War and Morality3
PSCI 3123War, Peace, and Strategic Defense3
PSCI 3143Current Affairs in International Relations3
PSCI 3163American Foreign Policy3
PSCI 3193International Behavior3
PSCI 4243Modern Warfare: Terrorism, Ideology, Identity3
International Institutions, Rights and Norms (Functional Area IV)
ANTH 4525Global Islams3
HIST 4820Human Rights: Historical Perspectives3
IAFS 3630/SCAN 3301Radical Nationalism in Contemporary Northern Europe3
INVS 4402Nonviolent Social Movements3
JRNL 4411International Media and Global Crises (International Media Certificate students only)3
MUEL 3882Music and Violence3
PACS 3540Migration, Human Rights, and Conflict in the Mediterranean3
PACS 3850International Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding3
PACS 3870Nonviolent Civil Resistance: Movements and Strategies3
PHIL 3260Philosophy and the International Order3
PRLC 3810Global Issues in Leadership3
PSCI 3062Revolution and Political Violence3
PSCI 4173International Organizations3
PSCI 3183International Law3
PSCI 4252Politics of Ethnicity and Nationalism3
PSCI 4783Global Issues3
SOCY/ENVS 4027Inequality, Democracy, and the Environment3
SOCY 4121Sociology of Religion3
WGST 3220Women in Islam3
WGST 3712Topics in Global Gender and Sexuality Studies (SS)3
WGST 4010/SOCY 4000Gender, Genocide and Mass Trauma3
WGST 4500/PSCI 4391Gender Politics and Global Activism3

Geographic Concentration (9 credit hours)

Students are required to complete three upper-division classes concentrating on one of the four following global regions: Africa/Middle East, Asia, Europe/Eurasia or Latin America. Students should choose a geographic concentration and a language appropriate to that geographic concentration no later than the beginning of their junior year.

Geographic concentration coursework should be mainly in the social sciences, must include one course in contemporary history and can include a maximum of three credit hours of regional literature and arts (taught in the foreign language whenever possible). 

Africa/Middle East Geographic Concentration
ANTH 3100Africa: Peoples and Societies in Change (fulfills Contemporary History)3
ANTH 4630Nomadic Peoples of East Africa3
ARAB/WGST 3410Gender, Sexuality and Culture in the Modern Middle East3
ARAB 3340Representing Islam3
GEOG 4762Geographies of Political Islam3
GEOG 3862Geography of Africa3
HIST 4218Lost Kingdoms & Caliphates: West Africa to 1900 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4238History of Southern Africa (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4258Africa under European Colonial Rule (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4328The Modern Middle East, 1600 to the Present (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4329Islam in the Modern World: Revivalism, Modernism, and Fundamentalism, 1800-2001 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4338History of Modern Israel/Palestine (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4339Borderlands of the British Empire (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4349Decolonization of the British Empire (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4359The Global History of Modern Arabia (fulfills Contemporary History)3
IAFS 3010Islam, Geopolitics and Society: Gender, Identity and Place3
IAFS 3520/JWST 4302Global Seminar: Justice, Human Rights and Democracy in Israel6
IAFS/RLST 3530Global Seminar: Jews and Muslims - The Multiethnic History of Istanbul3
IAFS/JWST 3650History of Arab-Israeli Conflict (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 3082Political Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 4242Middle Eastern Politics3
RLST 3100Judaism3
WGST 3520Gender and Sexuality in Africa3
Africa/Middle East Regional Literature and Arts
ARAB 3231In the Footsteps of Travelers: Travel Writing in Arabic Lit3
ARAB 3330The Arabic Novel3
FREN 4170Francophone Literature3
Asia Geographic Concentration
ANTH 3160Peoples of the South Pacific (fulfills Contemporary History)3
ANTH 4750Culture and Society in South Asia3
ANTH 4760Ethnography of Southeast Asia and Indonesia3
GEOG 3822Geography of China3
GEOG 4812Political Ecology & Latin America3
HIST 4109World War II in Asia and the Pacific (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4339Borderlands of the British Empire (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4349Decolonization of the British Empire (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4528Islam in South and Southeast Asia (1000 to the Present) (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4538History of Modern India (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4548Women in Modern India (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4558Buddha to Gandhi: A History of Indian Nonviolence (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4628Modern China: Collapse of Imperial Brilliance, 1644-1949 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4638Contemporary China: Radicalism and Reform, 1949 to Present (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4638Contemporary China: Radicalism and Reform, 1949 to Present (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4648Inventing Chinese Modernity, 1800 to Present (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4658China and Islam from the 7th Century to the 20th Century (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4728Modern Japanese History (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 3072Government and Politics in Southeast Asia (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 3102South Asian Politics3
PSCI 4022Chinese Foreign Policy (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 4052Chinese Politics (fulfills Contemporary History)3
RLST 3060Fundamentalism and Islam3
RLST 3200Yoga, Castes and Magic: Hindu Society and Spirituality3
RLST 3300Foundations of Buddhism3
RLST 3800Chinese Religions3
WGST/HIST 4619Women in East Asian History (fulfills Contemporary History)3
Asia Regional Literature and Arts
CHIN 4110Advanced Readings in Modern Chinese 13
CHIN 4120Advanced Readings in Modern Chinese 23
JPNS 4110Advanced Readings in Modern Japanese 13
JPNS 4120Advanced Readings in Modern Japanese 23
Europe/Eurasia Geographic Concentration
ECON 4514Economic History of Europe (fulfills Contemporary History)3
FREN 3500French Current Events: Conversation and Composition3
GEOG 4892Geography of Western Europe3
GRMN 3150Issues in German Politics and Literature3
GRMN/WGST 4301Gender, Race and Immigration in Germany and Europe3
HIST 4053Britain and the Empire, 1688-1964 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4233History of France since 1815 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4412Europe, 1890-1945 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4422World War I in Europe (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4423German History 1848-1989: Weimar Republic, Nazism, State Socialism (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4424Modern European Thought and Culture, 1870-Present (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4433Nazi Germany and the Holocaust (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4442Europe since 1945 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4623History of Eastern Europe Since 1914 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4723Imperial Russia (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4733The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Regime (fulfills Contemporary History)3
IAFS 3500/HIST 4190French Connections: Contemporary France and America in Historical Context (fulfills Contemporary History, Global Seminar)3
IAFS 3621/RUSS 4481Rogues to Revolutionaries: Russian Rebels, Past and Present3
IAFS 3630/SCAN 3301Radical Nationalism in Contemporary Northern Europe3
IAFS/SCAN 3631Arctic Society and Culture3
ITAL 4250/HIST 4313History of Modern Italy (fulfills Contemporary History)3
ITAL 4730Italian Feminisms: Culture, Theory, and Narratives of Difference3
PSCI 3022Russian Politics (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 4002Western European Politics (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 4062East European Politics (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 4213Europe and the International System3
PSCI 4302European Union Politics3
RUSS 3601 (Global Seminar)3
RUSS 43013
RUSS/WGST 44713
RUSS 42213
SPAN 3200Spanish Culture3
Europe/Eurasia Regional Literature and Arts
FREN 3120Main Currents of French Literature 23
FREN 448020th Century French Novel3
ITAL 3140Literary and Artistic Cultures in Italy 3: 1900-present3
GRMN 3110German Literature from the Avant-garde to the Postmodern3
RUSS 42103
RUSS 4230Russian Cultural Idioms3
SPAN 331020th Century Spanish Literature3
Latin America Geographic Concentration
ANTH 3110Ethnography of Mexico and Central America (fulfills Contemporary History)3
GEOG 3812Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (fulfills Contemporary History)3
GEOG 4812Political Ecology & Latin America3
HIST 4118History of Mexico to 1821 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4128The History of Modern Mexico Since 1821 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
HIST 4158 (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 3032Democracy, Inequality and Violence in Latin America (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 3052/WGST 3650Gender and Politics in Latin America (fulfills Contemporary History)3
PSCI 4012Global Development3
PSCI 4792Issues in Latin American Politics (fulfills Contemporary History)3
SOCY 3161Global Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity3
SPAN/PORT 3220Latin American Culture: Spanish America and Brazil3
Latin America Regional Literature and Arts
ANTH 4730Latin American Politics and Culture through Film and Text3
SPAN 334020th Century Spanish American Literature3
SPAN 4180Major Works and Trends in Literature and Culture in Latin America: 1900-Present3

Economics/Methods (6–8 credit hours)

Students are required to complete 6–8 credit hours in economics/methods.

Choose one of the following options:4
Principles of Microeconomics
and Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 2010 & 3-4 credit hours from the Methods courses below
6-8 credit hours from the Methods courses below
Methods Courses
ANTH 4000Quantitative Methods in Anthropology3
GEOG 3023Statistics and Geographic Data4
GEOG 4023Advanced Quantitative Methods for Spatial Data4
IAFS/ENVS 3640Data Analysis for Global Environmental Affairs3
PSCI 2075Quantitative Research Methods3
PSCI 3035Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods3
PSCI 3075Applied Political Science Research3
SOCY 2061Introduction to Social Statistics3
WGST 3020Feminist Methods of Inquiry and Praxis3

Off-Campus Experience (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 upper-division credit hours to fulfill the off-campus experience requirement from one of the following: IAFS 4930 Internship in International Affairs; a CU Boulder study abroad course; a CU in DC course; or other credit-bearing off-campus experience approved by the program. The 3 credits that fulfill the off-campus experience requirement cannot be applied to any other International Affairs major requirement. Fulfillment of the off-campus experience requirement through study abroad is subject to the student's final transcript from the Office of Education Abroad. Students should contact their advisor with questions.

Language Requirement 

A third year, university-level proficiency in a foreign language appropriate to the geographic concentration is required. This requirement may be met by completion of one or two semester-long, third year, university-level grammar courses (depending on the language) with a grade of C- or better, while also satisfying language department requirements for advancement through the sequence. See the International Affairs Program website for more information.

Senior Seminar (3 credit hours)

Choose one of the following:3
The Post-Cold War World
Honors Seminar in International Affairs
Senior Seminar: Research in Conflict Contexts (for IAFS majors in PACS only)
Total Credit Hours3

Recommendations

  • All international affairs majors should have a good command of the English language.
  • Students should choose electives with a view to their relevance to this program or usefulness as prerequisites for upper-division work.
  • Students in international affairs are encouraged to consider the possibility of participating in one of the Study Abroad programs affiliated with the University of Colorado. Students wishing to participate in such a program should contact their advisor to work out an appropriate program.
  • Internships are a useful experience for students seeking a career in international affairs. The (Internship in International Affairs (IAFS 4930)) provides the opportunity to earn academic credit for appropriate internships in the field. This course is generally offered during the spring and fall semesters and during summer sessions. Interested sophomores, juniors or seniors should consult with the director of the Internship Program. An application is required for admission to the Internship Program; see the International Affairs Program website for more details. IAFS 4930 could count for the off-campus experience with approval from the internship director.
  • The IAFS Honors Program offers the opportunity to learn and apply research skills for a select number of IAFS majors. Entry into the IAFS Honors Program is limited to seniors with a 3.40 major GPA and a 3.30 overall GPA. The Honors Seminar in International Affairs (IAFS 4800—offered each fall semester) provides instruction in research methods and facilitates the development of a sound research project. Research continues into the spring semester under the guidance of individual faculty members and through the continuation course, Honors in International Affairs (IAFS 4810). Interested and eligible students should consult with their academic advisor and the director of the Honors Program before spring break of their junior year. An application is required for admission to the Honors Program; see the International Affairs Program website for more details. IAFS 4810 could count for either an upper-division functional area and/or a geographic concentration class with approval from the honors director.
  • Students interested in international affairs may want to consider the Global Studies Residential Academic Program offered through the residence halls. See Residential Academic Programs for information.
  • International affairs majors who wish to minor in political science must apply the following additional rules:

    • No more than 9 credit hours toward the PSCI minor can come from courses that count toward another major
    • International affairs majors must take at least one upper-division course in American politics and one course (lower- or upper-division) in political theory, in addition to the regular minor requirements.

The specific courses that may be counted to meet the requirements in this program are determined by the committee on international affairs and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Graduating in Four Years

Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in international affairs, students should meet the following requirements:

  • Declare the major by the beginning of the second semester
  • Begin language study by the third semester
  • Complete the introductory requirements and any lower-division economics/methods requirements by the end of the sophomore year
  • Begin geographic concentration and any upper-division economic/methods courses by the first semester of the junior year
  • Begin upper-division general international affairs requirements by the first semester of the junior year
  • Successfully complete any remaining major requirements by the end of the eighth semester
  • See your IAFS advisor by the end of sophomore year to plan study abroad, the off-campus experience, and language requirements

Recommended Four-Year Plan of Study

Through the required coursework for the major, students will fulfill all 12 credits of the Social Sciences area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement. Depending on the courses selected within the major, students can also potentially complete some or all credits toward the Arts & Humanities area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement and both categories in the Gen Ed Diversity Requirement. The off-campus experience should be completed in the third or fourth year through an Education Abroad program, IAFS 4930 with an approved internship, or other off-campus experience course approved by IAFS.

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
Fall SemesterCredit Hours
IAFS 1000 Global Issues and International Affairs 4
PSCI 2223 Introduction to International Relations 3
Beginning Foreign Language 1 (if needed, does not fulfill IAFS major course requirements) 4-5
Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Lower-division Written Communication) 3
 Credit Hours14-15
Spring Semester
Lower-division Economics/Methods course (if needed; see IAFS website for options) 3-4
Beginning Foreign Language 2 (if needed, does not fulfill IAFS major course requirements) 4-5
Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: QRMS) 3
Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences with Lab) 4
 Credit Hours14-16
Year Two
Fall Semester
Lower-division Economics/Methods course (if needed; see IAFS website for options) 3-4
Intermediate Foreign Language 1 (If needed; does not fulfill IAFS major course requirements) 3-5
Gen. Ed Distribution/Diversity course (example: Arts & Humanities/US Perspective) 3
Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) 3
Elective or MAPS 3
 Credit Hours15-18
Spring Semester
PSCI 2012 Introduction to Comparative Politics 3
Intermediate Foreign Language 2 (If needed; does not fulfill IAFS major course requirements) 3-5
Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) 3
Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) 3
Elective or MAPS if needed 3
 Credit Hours15-17
Year Three
Fall Semester
Upper-Division Foreign Language (if needed; see IAFS website for options) 3-5
Upper-Division Economics/Methods course (if needed; see IAFS website for options) 3-4
IAFS Functional Area 1 - Development & Culture, e.g. (see IAFS website for options) 3
IAFS Geographic Concentration - Contemporary History (see IAFS website for options) 3
Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Upper-division Written Communication) 3
 Credit Hours15-18
Spring Semester
Upper-Division Foreign Language (if needed; see IAFS website for options) 3-5
Upper-Division Economics/Methods course (if needed; see IAFS website for options) 3-4
IAFS Functional Area 2 - International Economics, e.g. (see IAFS website for options) 3
Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Arts & Humanities/Global Perspective) 3
IAFS Geographic Concentration - Africa/Middle East, Asia, Europe/Eurasia, or Latin America (see IAFS website for options) 3
 Credit Hours15-18
Year Four
Fall Semester
IAFS 4500 or IAFS 4800 Senior Seminar 3
IAFS Functional Area 3 - Political Geography, e.g. (see IAFS website for options) 3
IAFS Functional Area 4 - International Institutions, e.g. (see IAFS website for options) 3
IAFS Geographic Concentration - Africa/Middle East, Asia, Europe/Eurasia, or Latin America (see IAFS website for options) 3
Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) 3
Elective or Upper-division Elective (if needed) 3
 Credit Hours18
Spring Semester
IAFS 4930 Internship in International Affairs (or other approved course to fulfill off-campus experience if not studying abroad) 3
IAFS Additional Functional Area (1 of 2 required; see IAFS website for options) 3
IAFS Additional Functional Area (2 of 2 required; see IAFS website for options) 3
Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) - Upper-division (if needed) 3
Elective or Upper-division Elective (if needed) 3
Elective if needed to reach 120 total credits 0-3
 Credit Hours15-18
 Total Credit Hours121-138

Learning Outcomes

The undergraduate degree in international affairs gives students the knowledge and skills to:

  • Understand and examine fundamental issues, interdisciplinary theories and approaches to the study of international affairs.
  • Analyze international challenges from a political, economic, historical and cultural perspective.
  • Consider issues related to a specific geographic region of the world, including historical factors that give rise to regional institutions and processes.
  • Communicate, orally and in writing, about international affairs to scholars in the field and to a broader audience, including in other cultural contexts.
  • Develop grammar-based proficiency in a foreign language.